Human Nature

We've all felt it. That horrible feeling when the world stands still and all eyes turn to you. Even the air around you seems to stand completely still. You hold your breath, hoping against hope that the inevitable won't happen. Willing yourself to shrink, disappear, anything to get yourself out of the current situation. It doesn't work. Suddenly reality hits you and there's nowhere to hide.

What I've described above has been felt by everyone at some stage or other. The feeling of being told off in  public in front of a large group of people either by your parents or a teacher. Go on, admit it. No matter how much of a goody-two-shoes you were, you have been at the business end of a bollocking at some stage of your life. Now what was the worst bit? Was it the feeling of being caught, knowing you didn't get away with whatever misdemeanour it was in the first place? Probably not. I doubt anyone really expects to get away with it. Was it the fact that you had been shouted at? Again probably not. This could be taken on the chin and brushed off. What, to me at least, was by far the worst was when everyone was watching and blatantly loving it.

Enjoying watching people getting told off isn't unique to children. Adults love it too, they just tend to be slightly more discreet about it. How many people slow down when they see the police in action in the street or by the roadside, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of the action and see some reprobate being banged to rights? How many people try to listen discreetly to a domestic on the train and hear some poor sod getting an ear-full? I'm fairly certain this is why police procedural programmes are so popular; you know the kind, "Cops in their own words, with cameras!" Sure it's great PR for the forces involved but how many people watch for education rather than voyeurism? Not many I'm willing to bet.

So what prompts this desire to watch others get told off? Concern to see justice done? Probably not. Concern for the welfare of society or the victim of the indiscretion? Again, doubtful. I'm willing to bet that a large part of the reason people stop and stare is for the feeling of superiority one gets. The knowledge (and slight relief) that it's someone else being told off, not oneself. In this situation you cant sit back, relax and feel rather smug about the fact it's all happening to someone else.  A bit of humility will perhaps make you remember what you felt like in similar situations but equally that could just feed the flames of self-congratulation.

This behaviour is, as far as I can tell, fairly normal but it seems to me to be highly unseemly. People naturally seek to distinguish themselves from others. Not just distinguish, we like to feel better. Some are fairly passive about it; watching others get lowered in status (cop shows, Jeremy Kyle, etc) while others are more active; seeking out high status occupations and actions. Put so starkly it does seem to be a slightly unpleasant characteristic of people but it won't stop that dreadful hush falling over a classroom when one unfortunate has been caught out doing something wrong and the horrible pregnant pause as the teacher draws breath and the rest of the class rubs it's hands in gleeful anticipation!

JR