I had one of those days today where everyone got in the way of my personal space. The most noted offender was this guy at the Chipotle in Dupont Circle. He was behind me in line, and it was as if I wasn't there at all. In addition to invading the personal space of the condiments (he was leaning way over the sneeze guard to get an up close look at the salsas), he continued to side-step down the line and when he bumped into me, he didn't stop - as if he was trying to bulldoze me aside so that he could get a look at a topping that was a bit out of his line of sight. He reminded me a bit of those old video game characters - a Mario or Luigi - who just continue to move their feet when they've hit a wall. I guess I was the wall.
I wanted to say, "Dude! I take up space, too." But instead I just shot him nasty looks. It didn't work.
At at mere 5' 2", I realize that I don't take up a lot of space and I definitely don't have one of those flamboyant personalities that announces "I'm here!" at my every turn. But I do take up space. I am composed of water and atoms and molecules and so forth and by the laws of physics, I displace air when I walk (I think!?!).
And I like my space.
I read a study once (I wish I could find it now to share with you) that people who engage in casual touch wind up happier than those who are never touched by others. For example, if your hand brushes a cashier's hand when he/she gives you your change, or you brush against a co-worker's arm while passing in the hallway, you are probably happier than someone who never receives the sense of touch.
This was not casual touch though. It was downright obtrusive bulldozing into my personal space.
I shouldn't be surprised that there is a Wikipedia entry on personal space. And it is interesting to note that, "Those who live in a densely populated environment tend to have smaller personal space requirements." In the entry, they compare someone who lives in India to someone who lives in the Mongolian Steppe. I'm not going to be that extreme - but maybe this guy came from New York City.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I HATE those days - I totally know the feeling. People who invade personal space belong with people who stop at the top of stairs/escalators (another one of my pet peeves). I was on the subway the other morning and the guy next to me (I think he was drunk) kept rocking back and forth and each time he rocked he would push against me. It made me so mad that I actually said "excuse me, can you please stop swaying from side to side because you keep knocking against me." He stopped, but then it was awkward so I had to get up and stand the rest of the ride.
R
Personal space is very primal. When someone invades it, you need to assert your dominance by peeing to mark your territory. I guarantee you, when you start peeing in a circle around you, people will move their shoes back and give you some space(unless they are pee-shoe freaks).
I find a quick, hard step backward or a "carelessly" readjusted shoulder bag, which may or may not involve an elbow "accidentally" hitting a person standing within six inches of me to be very effective in counteracting the bulldozer effect.
Post a Comment