Breaching the Norm - Grade: A+ PDF

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Breaching Experiment Essay for Prof. Whitehawk...

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Kasey Kuenstler Intro to Sociology 13/09/18

Breaching the Norm

I decided to break the social norm of eating mayonnaise alone. It is said to be “disgusting” to consume mayonnaise straight from the container. I decided to break this norm, by eating vanilla pudding with a spoon out of a mayonnaise jar. I chose this norm mainly because I thought it would be hilarious to watch people’s faces, but also, I wanted to see if it would bother anyone enough that they would comment on my performance. It is an unexpected behavior to think that you saw a person eating a food that is typically not eaten alone, and especially not in public. By breaking this norm, I confronted that idea. First thing I had to do was figure out what norm I could break that would put not just those around me, but also me, out of my comfort zone. Personally, I like mayonnaise, but never would I eat it by itself. The idea came up at dinner with my Godparents. We had made a dish involving mayonnaise and the idea popped into my head “how weird would it be to eat this by itself.” So, the next morning I went to H-E-B and bought the most popular brand of mayonnaise (Hellmann’s) so that it would be very noticeable by even a quick glance. I then went and picked out vanilla pudding and yellow food coloring to make things a tad more realistic. I went home, and my god mother used the mayonnaise I purchased to make Deviled eggs and spicy mayonnaise (for sushi). Then, I cleaned the mayonnaise jar intensely with dish soap and a sponge and repeated the process a few times to remove the smell. I made vanilla pudding, poured it into the jar and placed it into the fridge for the next day. I left my house around a little early so that I would have time do my experiment before class, so around 12 pm I headed out, because the afternoon I feel is when Texas State is most populated.

Kasey Kuenstler Intro to Sociology 13/09/18 I parked at Spec parking garage and began my journey. I was a little nervous to see what would happen, I just figured people would look at me strangely. I walked all the way from the recreational center to the LBJ center eating the “mayonnaise”, I received more cringe and weird looks than I think I have ever gotten. I am not a very serious person, so keeping a straight face did not come easy to me. Some people that walked in groups or in couples, would turn and talk about me to the others, then all of them would just look at the jar and then back at me, puzzled as to why. I thought things would be a breeze after I had passed LBJ, it was not until I reached the Quad I got more puzzled looks and became anxious to see what would happen. As I walked around the quad multiple people were looking me up and down, and people were laughing. A few people walked by me and under their breath I could hear them cuss and a smidge louder say “weirdo”. The one response that actually startled me was when a guy approached me and stated, “That is disgusting, what do you think you’re doing? Nobody wants to see that.” He then shook his head and walked away. Being me, I busted out laughing because I was embarrassed and was not sure what else to do. I continued to receive dirty looks and multiple gasps, especially while I was laughing. After a few more minutes of this, I could not even finish my jar of “mayonnaise” because I felt so out of place, I threw the rest away and walked to my upcoming class. Ironically it then started pouring, so my mood at the time matched the weather. My friends all made fun of me for choosing such a silly idea, however it made them laugh, and so I suppose the embarrassment was worth it. Simply the idea of eating mayonnaise alone, grosses me out and I wanted to break a norm that would put even myself out of my comfort zone. Social order is a detrimental part of society being controlled and it is achieved by the idea of Social control. I when conducting this experiment felt people's eyes judging me and trying to control me with looks. Norms are only one part of social control, the others include rules, social structure, and laws.

Kasey Kuenstler Intro to Sociology 13/09/18 Without this structure in our society there would be complete confusion and chaos would break out. As I was walking around campus, all the negative looks and comments I received were a part of this idea of social control. The looks and comments I received were people attempting to shut down something they did not understand or felt was inappropriate, and from their perspective was violating a “social control”. After doing this experiment, Breaking norms I think is something that us as a society should embrace and do more. Although, it can be risky working against social control, being openminded and becoming more aware of your surroundings could benefit one by gaining skills. I personally feel that this experiment was enlightening, and I wouldn’t mind doing things like this more often. Eating vanilla pudding out of a mayonnaise jar was by far the most interesting thing I have done all week, I am glad I chose this norm to break....