awkward...

Silence. Something that can have so many meanings. It can be comfortable, funny, awkward, respectful, sad. Awkward silences are experienced everyday by all kinds of people. If you don’t know someone and you are with them alone, an awkward silence is not that uncommon. Society teaches us to only associate with people like us or that we know. The awkward silences are so awkward because both people know they probably should talk, but the ensuing conversation might be uncomfortable. Some people do talk (like my dad), but if they are talking in what could have been an awkward silence, they are just talking to fill the air with noise. This conversation, if it even happens, is almost always about the weather, where you’re from, what you do, etc. Nothing too complex. For me, my awkward situations have been in elevators, standing in line, in a waiting room, on a first date. You don’t know what to say and if the other person/people even want to talk to you. It is the worst when you are trying to get to know somebody and there is nothing to talk about so it is just silent. This can be very awkward and uncomfortable because both people know they should be talking. Awkward silences sometimes happen during class when someone says something that’s not meant for everyone to hear, but the class goes silent and everyone hears it anyways, and then nobody wants to talk after this information has just been revealed. 

On the first day of class you expect, and society teaches you to expect, that the teacher will be there and go over the rules of the class and get down to business right away. It started to become weird after about 5 minutes of just talking to each other and no teacher present. Everyone began to look around and wonder why nothing was getting accomplished and why the teacher wasn’t starting class.  This is how we are already thinking sociologically because we were already thinking about why she wouldn’t be there and what other people would think or were thinking.  We are also trained to think about being quiet when somebody else is on the phone, not cutting people in line, not fighting with people in public. Society teaches us how to act and how to think while we are around others and what is right and wrong to do.