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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

"I'm not a machine" and more social observations

After 3 days of being here, I have "worked" maybe 4 hours. An efficient use of my time and your money, wouldn't you say, Mr. Taxpayer?

Social observation #1: Over the years I have noticed that when giving a class, meeting, whatever, to a large group of people, speakers tend to move towards their dominate side. As in, a right handed person will move towards their right and spend a disproportionate amount of time on that side. I don't think this applies to professional speakers and obviously those who are using a stationary podium or microphone.

Social observation 2: Every Marine, from the day he/she went to boot camp has been taught that as you enter a bus, or a large room with seats (theater/auditorium, etc), you go to the farthest seat and everyone behind you does the same, so that the bus is filled back to front and the theater is filled in front to rear. And then you leave in the opposite manner. Very orderly and all.

As we progress from boot camp and get some freedom, this tends to not happen. Everyone just goes in and sits wherever, leaving empty seats everywhere, and the majority of the seats in the front (of a theater) empty (like at church or when you go to the movies).

Now, everyone knows that eventually a Staff Sergeant or a Gunny (like me) is going to say something like "If there is a seat in front of you, get up and fill it in" and everyone gets up and moves. This scenario happens WITHOUT FAIL, EVERY TIME.

Why is that? Everyone knows it is going to happen. It always does. I even hear them talking about it before it happens. So why don't they just do it? Can someone explain that to me?

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