Arauz_Blog6
I’ve always questioned why we all follow a certain procedure to complete certain tasks. Who’s to say that it cannot be done differently? Therefore, I used this breaching experiment as an excuse to break the “rules” and complete a task the way I wanted it done. Who said we have to wait in long lines to order our food at McDonalds? I found a shortcut. Fastest way is to go all the way in front of the line and order your meal. This past weekend I went to a McDonalds near my home in Gage Park/Englewood during the busiest hour…breakfast. I must admit I was a wee bit nervous about all the reactions and rude remarks I was going to get but once the adrenaline kicked in I went for it. I made sure to do it very casually.
On my first attempt, I went in line in front of an older African-American lady at McDonalds. Although it took her a while to realize what was going on, as soon as I was about to order she said, “Excuse me! You really gotta alotta nerve, I was here first! Get back in line!” I responded with a confused smile and said, “There is no sign here that says I must get in line to order my food. “ At this time, I was a little scared of what her reaction might be next but in a matter of a few seconds she walked out of the restaurant. To be honest, I did not want to try the breaching experiment after that because I felt horrible for having her walk out without any sort of explanation on my behalf. However, I was really curious as to what other people’s reactions would be especially a different gender and age group. This time I went to another McDonalds because the workers were giving me hard looks after the incident with the older lady and I felt if I did not leave there promptly I would have to be escorted out.
The other McDonalds I went to was located in McKinley Park and I made sure to go in front of a person who seemed to be around my age. I went in front of a young Latino male and surprisingly he allowed me to order my food. I felt him staring at me very confused about what had just happened. The cashier was even glancing back at him a little shocked that he did not react in a more angry way. When she was taking my order she was very hesitant and said, “Next time make sure you get in line.” and I responded with “Oh, I didn’t know we had to get in line to order our food…” and she replied with “It’s common sense ma’m!” I left the restaurant right away.
I do realize that the breaching experiment I decided to do was rather rude, but I have asked myself before, “Why do we get in line to order or when we are grocery shopping? What stops an individual from just cutting everyone in line? Where does it say that we must wait for our turn and how do we learn that?” It really was quite interesting to see not only their reactions but everyone else’s, too. In my first attempt with my breaching experiment, Goffman’s two of ‘three levels of responsibility to threat of face’ came into play. Goffman defines malicious intent as, “ the offending person may appear to have acted maliciously, and spitefully, with the intention of causing open insult.” (Goffman, 14) The African American lady called me out in front of everyone and let everyone know that I had cut in front of her. However, on my second attempt with the young Latino male, his reaction was closely related to faux paus, which Goffman defines as, “First, he may appear to have aced innocently; his offense seems to be unintended and unwitting, and those who perceive his act can feel that he would have attempted to avoid it had he foreseen its offensive consequences.” (Goffman, 14) Although he did look confused with what I was doing, he never said a word. If anything, the cashier was the one who reacted the most, what Goffman would call malicious intent, too, since she called me out!
I’ve always questioned why we all follow a certain procedure to complete certain tasks. Who’s to say that it cannot be done differently? Therefore, I used this breaching experiment as an excuse to break the “rules” and complete a task the way I wanted it done. Who said we have to wait in long lines to order our food at McDonalds? I found a shortcut. Fastest way is to go all the way in front of the line and order your meal. This past weekend I went to a McDonalds near my home in Gage Park/Englewood during the busiest hour…breakfast. I must admit I was a wee bit nervous about all the reactions and rude remarks I was going to get but once the adrenaline kicked in I went for it. I made sure to do it very casually.
On my first attempt, I went in line in front of an older African-American lady at McDonalds. Although it took her a while to realize what was going on, as soon as I was about to order she said, “Excuse me! You really gotta alotta nerve, I was here first! Get back in line!” I responded with a confused smile and said, “There is no sign here that says I must get in line to order my food. “ At this time, I was a little scared of what her reaction might be next but in a matter of a few seconds she walked out of the restaurant. To be honest, I did not want to try the breaching experiment after that because I felt horrible for having her walk out without any sort of explanation on my behalf. However, I was really curious as to what other people’s reactions would be especially a different gender and age group. This time I went to another McDonalds because the workers were giving me hard looks after the incident with the older lady and I felt if I did not leave there promptly I would have to be escorted out.
The other McDonalds I went to was located in McKinley Park and I made sure to go in front of a person who seemed to be around my age. I went in front of a young Latino male and surprisingly he allowed me to order my food. I felt him staring at me very confused about what had just happened. The cashier was even glancing back at him a little shocked that he did not react in a more angry way. When she was taking my order she was very hesitant and said, “Next time make sure you get in line.” and I responded with “Oh, I didn’t know we had to get in line to order our food…” and she replied with “It’s common sense ma’m!” I left the restaurant right away.
I do realize that the breaching experiment I decided to do was rather rude, but I have asked myself before, “Why do we get in line to order or when we are grocery shopping? What stops an individual from just cutting everyone in line? Where does it say that we must wait for our turn and how do we learn that?” It really was quite interesting to see not only their reactions but everyone else’s, too. In my first attempt with my breaching experiment, Goffman’s two of ‘three levels of responsibility to threat of face’ came into play. Goffman defines malicious intent as, “ the offending person may appear to have acted maliciously, and spitefully, with the intention of causing open insult.” (Goffman, 14) The African American lady called me out in front of everyone and let everyone know that I had cut in front of her. However, on my second attempt with the young Latino male, his reaction was closely related to faux paus, which Goffman defines as, “First, he may appear to have aced innocently; his offense seems to be unintended and unwitting, and those who perceive his act can feel that he would have attempted to avoid it had he foreseen its offensive consequences.” (Goffman, 14) Although he did look confused with what I was doing, he never said a word. If anything, the cashier was the one who reacted the most, what Goffman would call malicious intent, too, since she called me out!