Goffman’s theory on face and dramaturgical performances remind me of how embarrassed I was in high school to participate in marching band. Goffman describes having face as emotions people display that others use to interpret the type of person one may be or one’s behavior. We all have different faces to go along with the different social parts of our lives. For example, in a public setting, you maintain face differently than at home or around friends and family. If you are a person of prestige you probably have a certain face you feel you need to live up to. Goffman’s idea of dramaturgical performance occurs when we interact with other individuals, most of the time our actions keep us away from any embarrassment we may face.
All throughout high school I played clarinet and really enjoyed it. It was mandatory to participate in marching band during football season because not enough people would volunteer. My freshman year I was so embarrassed and upset that I had to wear the horrible uniform. I am sure majority of my negative feelings about marching band came from dramaturgical interaction from other band and non-band students about how ‘uncool’ it was to be a band geek. I secretly enjoyed playing clarinet and became quite good after playing for almost nine years. However, to maintain face, I also acted like band was lame and downplayed my talent and love for the instrument. I acted as though I did not care about band even though we were receiving a grade for our performances on the field. The uniforms were itchy, bulky and did not keep us warm during those cold fall nights. This would be seen as losing face because of the embarrassment I felt and how uncomfortable I was in the uniforms. I was paranoid about what my classmates thought about me being a ‘band geek’. Plus in high school your appearance counts for everything. If you are not like everyone else, you are seen as deviant and weird and eventually you become an outcast.
Through dramaturgical interactions, I learned there were some ‘cool kids’ in band. These students were drum players (percussion) and the athletes. For some reason they were not as lame as the other band members according to the rest of the students. Fortunately, as the years passed I started to care less about what other students thought about me being in band. By my senior year, I stopped stressing about losing face when it came to marching band. Everyone else in band wears the same exact uniform anyway. You can’t even tell who is who on the field really because we all look the same. It took me years to realize this and I have learned that trying to maintain a certain face, especially in situations such as this one, is not important. However, I feel that keeping a good reputation and maintaining face in the workplace or in class is important because it can affect the interactions you have with others, negatively or positively.
All throughout high school I played clarinet and really enjoyed it. It was mandatory to participate in marching band during football season because not enough people would volunteer. My freshman year I was so embarrassed and upset that I had to wear the horrible uniform. I am sure majority of my negative feelings about marching band came from dramaturgical interaction from other band and non-band students about how ‘uncool’ it was to be a band geek. I secretly enjoyed playing clarinet and became quite good after playing for almost nine years. However, to maintain face, I also acted like band was lame and downplayed my talent and love for the instrument. I acted as though I did not care about band even though we were receiving a grade for our performances on the field. The uniforms were itchy, bulky and did not keep us warm during those cold fall nights. This would be seen as losing face because of the embarrassment I felt and how uncomfortable I was in the uniforms. I was paranoid about what my classmates thought about me being a ‘band geek’. Plus in high school your appearance counts for everything. If you are not like everyone else, you are seen as deviant and weird and eventually you become an outcast.
Through dramaturgical interactions, I learned there were some ‘cool kids’ in band. These students were drum players (percussion) and the athletes. For some reason they were not as lame as the other band members according to the rest of the students. Fortunately, as the years passed I started to care less about what other students thought about me being in band. By my senior year, I stopped stressing about losing face when it came to marching band. Everyone else in band wears the same exact uniform anyway. You can’t even tell who is who on the field really because we all look the same. It took me years to realize this and I have learned that trying to maintain a certain face, especially in situations such as this one, is not important. However, I feel that keeping a good reputation and maintaining face in the workplace or in class is important because it can affect the interactions you have with others, negatively or positively.