Re: Changing NORMATIVE Behaviors

[Guest guest]

NORMATIVE DATA

EVERYONE -- I swear this to be true in its entirety. One cold winter

day about 20 years ago my wife and I went to see a movie with an adult

(not X) theme. When we walked to the front to pick up our tickets I

was totally blown away by the “normative” behavior. The ticket window

was outdoors and directly in front of the building. The line started

in front of the window and went straight backwards from there right

across the concrete tarmac for about 20 feet, over the side walk and

curb right on out into the parking lot for about another 30+ feet!

No s---, no one had thought to turn and form the line down the side of

the building or even worse when the line reached the curb no one

thought to make a right turn and form the line down an unending side

walk!

And these were professional looking white collar types!! I’ll bet

teens would not have done that or Joe the plumber (well Joe might).

With my poor wife in tow I walked up to the last person on the side

walk and stopped and told my wife we were behind the guy in the white

coat at the end of the line and I pointed at him. What was really

“drop to your knees” fascinating and belly guffawing funny was the

behavior of folks arriving after us. The looks of anxious bewilderment

as they tried to decide who to line up behind, my wife and I, or the

parking lot trespassers. As you might have guessed we stood alone.

The looks we got from those morons seemed one of hate not chagrin –

like we were the idiots!!

Here is one more normative true story, which occurs everyday to this

day. In Denver when traveling east on 6th avenue highway there is a 2

lanes ramp to get onto I-25, a south bound highway. Because of the

overall configuration it is understandable why only one lane of

traffic would form to the right –THE FIRST FLIPPIN TIME SOMEONE USED

THIS RAMP!! It is then totally obvious that both lanes are meant for

use. Yet time after time while the lane to the right is 2-3 blocks

long and is totally stop and go, the left of the 2 lanes remains

empty, with never more than 2-3 cars, until myself or some other

weight trainer comes along and uses it. This is where the fun starts

for after about 200 meters the 2 lanes merge.

If you are one of the jerk non “normative” odd balls who uses this 2nd

open lane-- whoa be the length of time before someone from the

“normative” lane will let you merge in. Fine with me -- I just drive

down the shoulder of the road and merge in another 100 meters away—

saving even more time.

AND EVEN MORE INSANITY

My guess is, and ken or one of y’all probably mentioned it, is the

speculation that if your crowd is “normative slob” there is an immense

pressure not to break the norm. This concept was crystallized in E

Bernes book GAMES PEOPLE PLAY 1968(??) and others dealing with “life

scripts.” The “old adage” fix here is to change “normatives.” Easier

thought then done.

Continued on the HORRORS OF CHANGE post.

Jerry Telle

Lakewood CO USA