I like to think I’m an observant person. When I started working in NYC several years ago, I recognized a specific behavior from the opposite sex. At first I felt a little offended. Then I realized it was a normal thing and began to find humor in it. Not everyone does it, but when they do, it takes a ton of effort not to laugh out loud.
That behavior? The visual snub, the abrupt and many times exaggerated look away. Here’s how it works… Approaching a woman (I’m a dude in case y’all didn’t figure it out yet) when I start to attempt eye contact, some will share a look, some just don’t look, but a special few will wait until the last possible moment (especially if they were already looking at me) and look away.
Now I never returned to NYC after covid (praise the Lord) but even down here in the Atlanta area, that exaggerated look away is alive and well. Not so much outside the urban areas, but in them? Yup. I still find myself laughing nearly every time it happens, but after a particularly exaggerated, head jerking away motion at the office, I’ve decided to play the game and up the ante.
That animation above where Homer looks at his family then closes his eyes, puts his nose in the air and walks away? Every. Single. Time. Now not only do I get to laugh, but I get to play along. I realize this may be entirely in my head but at this point, it puts a smile on my face, so why not? Some like to look at the world and find a thing to complain about. I like to look at the world and find a reason to laugh. One more on the list. God bless!
