Earlier this week I spent part of the day downtown in the big city. As I walked up and down the streets, I was amused by the various messages different people’s body language were sending. These are messages that most people pick up on subconsciously. I say most because there are always those outliers and people with ASD that won’t pick up on these things and those like me who actively look for it in order to increase my understanding of people.
The first guy I saw was near the local state university. He was a tall, amorphous puffy sort of fellow, with long hair, 3 days of beard, sweat pants and shirt, and high top athletic shoes. He was the type of guy I typically associate with LAN parties and all night slug fests on WOW. He walked with his head down, shoulder’s slumped forward. His posture and bearing screamed lack of confidence and insecurity. I felt a twinge of pity for him.
The next two guys I saw were walking up the sidewalk while I was existing a building. The guy walking closest to the building had his head up and a confident stride. The guy walking on the street side was pecking. Seeking the first guy’s approval. He literally seemed to orbit around the first guy. Both of them moved out of my way before I even started in their direction. That probably had more to do with the fact that I’m quite a bit taller and bigger than either of these guys. Guy two slotted behind guy one as they went around me. I was amused.
For the last several weeks I’ve walked by the same homeless man at least a half dozen times. He pushes his cart around, gets some meals at the local Catholic church food kitchen, and bums smokes from other pedestrians. I suspect he has some sort of mental illness as he strung together a bunch of words that were recognizable, but made no sense. As John Smith wrote some time in the last couple of months, there is very little separating us in the sense that one life changing event is all that really separates us. His demeanor and bearing conveyed a sense of weariness.
Another guy I saw was the aging hippy. Long gray hair in a ponytail. Scraggly beard down to the middle of his chest. He was looking everyone in the face but his body language conveyed fear. He acted like a dog that had been repeatedly punished to fulfill a sadistic need in his owner. He shied away from me as I approached. I imagined him a broken man. All his idealism crushed upon the rocky shores of reality.
One of the most amusing occurrences was seeing what I thought from a distance was a short haired heavyset young man and an aging matronly women walking toward me. When our paths finally crossed I realized the heavyset young man was a very butch woman, and the matronly woman was an older guy wearing androgynous clothing. The butch gal walked with a manly swagger reminded me of Jude Law in Alfie.
As an aside, I’ve also noticed several young 20ish women of late all dressed in the same manner. Uggs boots, tight fitting designer jeans of either blue or black in color, gray skin tight zip up hoody, and some sort of revealing tank top underneath. While it does reveal some nice curves on the right woman, it’s not feminine by any stretch of the imagination. American women by choosing to dress either manly or in an androgynous fashion lose much of their physical appeal that they might otherwise have. !Vive la egalite!
