06/12/2009
One of the reasons why I came to the US is to fight my inhibitions and prove my self wrong when it comes to my bad impression about people from this country. I have had some disappointing experiences in the past, but due to some wonderful ones, I decided to come here and see they're not all as bad. :)
In the four months I have spent in the US so far, not only have I been pleasantly surprised over and over again, but it also got me thinking regarding our everyday interactions: how people will respond to a person who will stop them in the middle of the street and make them feel uncomfortable in a number of ways by asking something very simple. It's amazing to observe that a lot of them are not interested to hear what you have to say. On many occasions, whether I asked "Would you like this one hundred dollar bill?", or "Would you like me to rape you?" I would get the same response. A quick "no" just to brush me off. People are not only in a hurry all the time, but they have evolved to not appreciating and expecting momentary human interaction that comes from outside their circle. When someone talks to them on the street, they will other feel violently removed from their comfort zone (and therefore threatened), or surprised that someone they do not know is actually speaking to them. Why should it be like that? Why is a simple hello nowadays not normal?
Chicago is the place where I have encountered this the most. Which is why I chose this city to do this:
A razor had not touched my face since september 2005
I am planning to continue with my everyday life as normal for a few days. Today, sunday the 6th of december, is the first day of this experiment.
I want to see how people will treat me. What their reactions will be like. How they will judge me, or avoid me, or even spark a conversation with me. I want to test people's limits and acceptance levels.
The inspiration for this experiment came by a very close friend of mine. You can read about his experience with the same experiment here: http://thelifelesstravelled.com/2008/08/fifty-fifty.html
I'll be keeping you posted. :)
M.
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10 comments:
Hahahahahaha! I'm not sure what to say other than that now I feel even more like a cougar.;P
You just keep getting better and better. When you come back, I have lots of ideas for street performance art. :)
Your face looked a bit deformed when I first saw the picture... it looks funny! kinda like it though... :)
you freak!!! (even more if possible)
Hello my friend... keep in mind that everyone has different reasons to shy away from people they don't know. Some might have had a horrible experience, some might be very shy. Some might never have had an opportunity to test their comfort levels. Some might have had a family member enter the hospital the night before, or be worried about loosing their jobs. We never know what is happening in someone's heart or head. I, personally, can be very shy around strangers sometimes, and other times I'm fine. And on some level, people sense if there is something "off" - such as if someone is "testing" them, as you will be. I hope it's ok I say all of this, it's just my thoughts.
I love you honey. xoxo
hmmm.
I appreciate your desire to reach beyond the confines of the isolated human and their "taken for granted" context, but I wonder what the variance in resistance to simple shock value can be in different regions. Are you wanting to reach into the lives of people in their worlds and pull them back to a neutral place where you can interact (an even playing field where possibility between 2 people is endless?)
OR
are you trying to push them further away by taking up more space and attention so that they feel pressed to the walls when they pass by you? a force?
i do performance. i do street performance. so much of my development as an artist, in this regard, has revolved around understanding where people are and THEN trying to reach out to them in their world and invite them to come to mine, if only for a little while...
motto that works for me- Inspire rather than force. Show light, don't scorn them for their dark. Inquire, receive, interpret, and give back when possible.
but, to each their own. I can respect things that only exist to serve one's curiosity and nothing beyond that.
I am interested to see where this goes...
and yes, Dee is totally a Cougar :p
Thank you all for the comments and thoughts (yes, even the cougar-related ones). They are all always very welcome.
This experiment works on many levels. One is definitely curiosity. Another is part of the continuous class of mine to teach myself how to be open-minded, accepting and understanding towards others who are very different than me. I also want to give people to engage into any form of communication, be it asking me what this is all about, calling me a freak, or even telling the unknown person sitting next to them on the bus "did you see that guy?". Everything and anything is good and considered a success.
Most of all though, I do not want to alienate people even further. I want to get many opportunities to show them that the way I look does not represent the way I am. Even the most simple interaction of them asking me why am I doing this and me replying, sparks up a conversation. It breaks the barrier set between two people who do not know each other. In the long run, I am hoping that this will generate a thought in their heads that says "Hey. Talking to random strangers in the streets is not so bad after all!".
We'll see how it goes as the days pass.
Amanda, I do understand that all people have different reasons for which they choose not to interact with others. I am hoping to show that any kind of interaction, instead of them being sealed off in their own space, can actually help in so many ways.
Leigh, I hope I have answered your question. :)
In your experiment, I think it is also important to distinguish between you approaching strangers and having strangers approach you.
In my eyes, if someone chooses to approach you and engage, you have achieved "inspiration" instead of "force". If you are actively approaching people, you could potentially make them feel uncomfortable and irritated and guarded straight away.
You've seen how I dress. I go out into the world being weird and colorful and peculiar it never fails that curious people come to me. And those people are open and proactive to the interaction. I think that most humans are curious. I think strange costuming or asymmetrical facial hair is a great visual aid to tell people that you are open to them. They may not consciously understand it but for many of them, that little oddity is just the icebreaker they need to feel comfortable and brave enough to take the chance on making contact.
You are very open-hearted and optimistic and confident and I get that because I'm there with you. But not everyone has that same crazy extroverted personality and it is important to appreciate and respect the difference. My hope is that by going out into the world and being a bit aesthetically eccentric, my presence gives people who want to express themselves the inspiration they need to be more bold or just to make human contact. It is always an invitation and frequently leads to adventure for all. :o)
You look better. Should stay like that :)
M, you've got some highly evolved humans as friends here. I appreciate what you did, and even more, I like that you took seriously the very wise reactions from Dee, Leigh and Amanda.
I, too, felt that as good of a guy as I know you to be, you went into this "experiment" with some preconceived ideas, and perhaps a bit of cynicism. So I hope that the results, along with the thoughtful feedback from friends, has changed your views somewhat and made you more empathetic to what individuals may be going through. We "outsider-types" can sometimes have negative ideas about how mainstream people perceive us, and then we become just as judgmental of them as we thought them to be of us. So, I think the key here is to be a pro-actively loving person, whether you dress in a suit and tie or in a pink tutu with fake blood running down your tattood chest. It's what you have to give that matters in the long run, not how you perceive people react to your appearance.
Having said that, I do love going out in public and doing things that jar people from their realities for even a moment. More often than not, they're highly grateful, even if they don't express it at the moment. Please keep up random acts of silliness, Menelaos.. not as an experiment, but as a gift.
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