How could you not stare at the businessman across the street singing along to 'Crazy in Love' and doing the infamous booty-bounce? Maybe he just really likes Beyonce, or maybe he wanted you to watch.
According to A. Aneesh, associate professor of sociology at UW-Milwaukee, it is precisely these sort of actions, along with words and looks, that tell others to perceive us in a certain light.
'We communicate to others through acting,' he said. 'We might try to communicate with attention, whether we want to or not, but either way, we are communicating.'
In public places, he explained, people usually exhibit what sociologists call 'normatively regulated actions''acting the way society expects, especially around groups of people. For most, this means drawing little attention to fit in with their surroundings.
But, there are some who more commonly express 'dramaturgical actions''actions similar to performances people may not realize are being committed, like wanting to look extremely wealthy to cover up a lack of wealth. Either way, people stage their actions.
UW-Madison's Bus 82 is the perfect place to see both these types of actions take place, especially on a Saturday night. 'Eleven o' clock is usually the craziest [time],' bus driver Mark Sarenich said. 'They always come out around 11 o' clock. I don't know why that is, but it's been like that for years.'
Saturday Sept. 24 was no different. Just before 11 p.m., three grungy guys got on'one with dark curly hair, a flannel shirt and a harmonica in hand. 'Dude, that guy looks like Tommy Lee,' someone a few rows back whispered.
His music-making certainly caught the attention of those around him, but his relaxed aura gave off an image of 'I don't care.' 'Sorry, when you get one of these things in your hand, it's just obsessive compulsive,' he said.
Later, three well-groomed girls, high heels and all, stumbled on, one complaining, 'I don't want to walk; my foot hurts?? Oh, I ran it into the bus! That's it, I ran it into the bus.' They were a prime example of the party-hardy, Paris Hilton enthusiasts.
According to Aneesh, people who are under alcoholic influences but still rationally know what they are doing can stage their actions. People feel free to break regulated norms, which would otherwise be taboo if it were not for the presence of alcohol to excuse them.
Back on Bus 82, an inebriated couple exercised this freedom well, announcing to the bus their need to quickly find a hotel.
In the midst of it all, an old woman with gray hair and glasses read and snoozed. She drew no attention to herself, which seemed to be exactly what she wanted. As Aneesh pointed out, desires to remain unnoticed can often be as strong as those for attention.
However the finest expert on people and their public actions is probably be the lucky Mark Sarenich, the one who gets to see it all on his bus'the strange, the quiet and the ridiculously wasted.
