Home FROM OUR PAPER EDITORIAL: The impolite pleasure of people watching

EDITORIAL: The impolite pleasure of people watching

by MyParisTexas
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Every year as Thanksgiving rolls around I get excited for not only coming together as a family to celebrate all we are thankful for but also for all the chaos that comes with Black Friday. I would be lying if I said I didn’t like to shop but there is something about getting amongst the chaos that excites me. 

While at an appointment recently, I was asked if I would be hitting the shops on Black Friday. I told the lady that our family heads out after lunch each year but that I don’t necessarily go to score a bargain but just to be a part of it all. She replied, “ah, you’re a people watcher”. 

I am a “people watcher” and not in a creepy kind of way but just observing others from afar. 

According to Wikipedia, people-watching is the act of observing people and their interactions, usually without their knowledge. It involves picking up on idiosyncrasies to try to guess another person’s story. This includes speech in action, relationship interactions, body language, expression, clothing, and activities. 

In some way or another, we all do it.

Whether you are like me and watched people from afar fight over discounted TVs on Black Friday or you may have noticed the same elderly man sitting at the same table at the local coffee shop on the same day each week. 

We all people watch. 

But have you ever wondered what their stories are? Does that person need that TV or are they just caught up in the hype? Did that elderly man’s wife just pass and being at the coffee shop brings him joy so he isn’t lonely at home? 

It is fascinating to think about how much we can learn about people just by stopping to observe.

In today’s day and age, it is easy to get caught up in our own world. However, if we just stop and take a look around us, people watch, you never know what you might learn. 

Our town, while it may be growing at a rapid pace, is still small at heart. Everyone knows everyone, or they have heard of them, and it doesn’t take long for word to spread. But would you really know if the people you pass in the grocery store each week needed help? 

What if we used people watching for the greater good? By looking up and watching those around us we can take advantage of the chance to brighten someone’s day. 

For many, the holiday season is a joyful and happy time, but for many, the holiday blues are a real phenomenon. And not just sadness for lost loved ones or being away from family, the holiday blues can include stressors like lack of time, lack of money, the pressures of gift-giving and family gatherings. 

Let’s be honest, life is tough but a simple gesture can change that. 

So, the next time you are at the local grocery store or shopping for Christmas presents, I encourage you to people watch and take action. There’s power in kindness and lifting others up. 

And remember, taking a little time to bring joy into the lives of others can, in turn, help us, too. 

 

Katie Dixon

Managing Editor

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