Although it has been brought up in a blog in the past, I wanted to bring up the subject again because I thought it was one that is relevant. Reading the article, The Sounds of Silence, it states how in different parts of the United States people react differently to eye contact situations in the street or public. “….There is mutual avoidance of eye contact—unless they want a something specific…In the West and in small towns generally, however, people are much more likely to look and greet on another, even if they are strangers” (102).
Coming to Texas from Chicago, I have found this statement to be very true. My whole life whenever I’m in public there are only two reasons for eye contact. Either you’re checking someone out (if they are good looking) or to start a fight. If you would make eye contact with someone for more than a second they would think this and then awkward glances would continue before something would happen. Coming to Texas, the whole situation has changed. Fellow students or a person on the street, who I have never met, say hello and full eye contact is made. The change is so noticeable that sometimes I have missed saying hello to some of my friends because I am so used to not making eye contact with others (plus sometimes I have my headphones in). Personally, I believe people from the north seem to be in a rush or busy with accomplishing their tasks. However, in the south they take their time with the small things in life and they seem to value relationships a lot more. Although this is just a theory what do you think? Furthermore, I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this trend with maybe someone from the north or you are from the north?
1 comment:
Being from Texas, I am always one to make eye contact and smile and say "hi" to someone I know, barely know, or have never met. Since coming to college, I have noticed that people from different regions don't do this as much as we do in Texas. I never realized that it's not something that everyone in the United States does, and have thought it to be rude when someone I know doesn't make eye contact with me, when it is probably just something they don't do in their part of the country.
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