Sociology Paper

Phantom · 11-17-2005, 04:51 AM

Here is a paper that I just finished for my sociology class. We were supposed to do a project from a list and then write a paper on it. Well I didn't do the project but I wrote the paper, and here is the final product. I hope it gives you a good laugh because at 3 a.m. it is giving me a good laugh.

Quote:

How did it get there? Who does it belong to? Is it ok to eat? Is this some sort of trick? These are all questions that run through somebody’s head when they see a lonely candy bar lying on the ground untouched. Walking down the hall in the University Center people don’t expect to see a perfectly good Snickers bar lying on the floor with nobody around looking for the Snickers bar they just dropped. Walking up the steps into Clement Hall people don’t expect to see a nicely wrapped Butterfinger sitting on the steps with nobody around. Going into the men’s restroom on the third floor of McCord Hall people don’t expect to see a perfectly good 3 Musketeers in the middle of the floor. There are generally three types of reactions that people have to seeing a candy bar lying on the ground.

The first type of person will be walking along, see the candy bar, notice it for a second, and then keep walking. This person is generally a health/clean freak that thinks that anything on the floor has to be covered in millions of germs and can’t be eaten. They seem to forget the fact that the candy bar is wrapped in a nice plastic wrapper to prevent this very thing. The people that make candy bars know that people will drop them accidentally and will still want to eat it, so by putting it into a nice wrapper this is prevented until after the person opens it. So because of these persons clean obsession they are missing out on a perfectly good candy bar that if were it not on the floor they would most likely love to eat.

The second type of person will be walking along, see the candy bar, and then pick it up and keep walking while examining it. After examining it this person will generally do one of two things with the candy bar; they will either throw it away, or they will eat it. This person is generally trying to do what they can to fit in but cannot always resist such temptations as a candy bar lying on the ground. This is the person who never seemed to fit in with the group but was always there trying to be a part of the group. They may hesitate momentarily when they see the candy bar before picking it up, but generally they will pick it up. If they are with “the group” then they will sometimes use a short stall tactic to make the group go ahead while they pick up the candy bar unnoticed. Like said above the person generally does one of two things with this candy bar, they will either throw it away or they will eat it. There can be two reasons for this, either they are with “the group” and don’t want to risk being seen eating it, or they just don’t like that particular candy bar and don’t want to eat it.

The third type of person will be walking along, see the candy bar, pick it up and start eating it. This person doesn’t care what anybody thinks about them, they do as they please, and in this case that is eating a candy bar that was lying on the ground. This person generally eats any and all candy bars, can always go for a snack, and isn’t worried that one candy bar will kill them. This person will do this whether they are with their friends walking down a crowded hall or by themselves walking down a completely empty hallway.

A candy bar is lying on the floor in the hallway at the University Center, what is this candy bars fate going to be. Well it seems that there are a lot of the first types of people today; they just walk past barely even noticing the candy bar while they move along with the rest of their day. Then comes along a person of the second type who eyes the candy bar, checks his surroundings, then grabs the candy bar. Unfortunately this person decides that they don’t want the candy bar and they throw it in the closest trash can and carry on with their boring life just like every other day.

A lonely candy bar sits on the steps in front of Clement hall, will anybody ever notice this candy bar. Well it doesn’t take long before a person of the third type comes walking up the steps, sees the candy bar, realizes how hungry they are, and decides to eat the candy bar. There was even a moment of hesitation, they knew what they wanted and they went straight for it. There was no group of people, or some hidden health freak inside them, telling him not to eat it; he did what he wanted. Eating his candy bar he walks into Clement Hall with a satisfied look on his face knowing that he just had a free snack.

A candy bar lies on the floor of the men’s restroom of the third floor of McCord hall wandering if it will ever get picked up. Whether the third floor of McCord hall is just full of people that fit the first category, or everybody thought it was covered in urine, it seems that nobody wanted that candy bar. People kept walking past it on their way in and their way out. Some would kick it to the side as they walked past, others would just step around it. Finally one person thought it would be a good idea to step on the candy bar and run it, what was he thinking.

So what would you do? Would you walk past the candy bar, would you pick it up and throw it away, would you sneak it away and eat it, or would you chow down like you hadn’t eaten in a week? It seems that most people would just walk right on past and ignore the candy bar. Personally I would pick it up and be glad for the free food, but then again I am a poor college student so any free food is good.

.143 Beth© · 11-17-2005, 04:56 AM

it is not backed by stats, but it is convincing that you did the project

**Vinzalf** · 11-17-2005, 05:48 AM

I find it interesting that you would call anyone who would walk past it "generally a health/clean freak"

There are many variables that are unexplored in your experiment, and probably won't be because to completely learn why the person just walked by, you would have to interview each and every person who did just walk by it.

I think your #3 person is potentially risking alot for their actions here.

I would hardly consider myself a clean freak for walking by something that was discarded onto the ground. Nobody knows for sure what the real reasoning behind the candybar being left on the floor is.

What If...
What if that candybar was previously in the hands of a predator. Said predator is sitting by watching to see what people do with this candybar. (I'm not trying to make this sound like you, by the way =P ) The Candy Bar in this example, has been laced with an odorless, tasteless drug, that causes any person ingesting it your choice of any strange effects. The predator see's one of your Type 1's, shrugs it off, and waits for the next subject. The predator see's one of your type 2's, begins following them, and should the person eat it, play choose your own adventure. If they throw it away, said predator either retrieves the candy bar and places it again, or places another. Should one of your type 3's come along, skip right to the choose your own adventure part.

Wrappers are a moot point, should someone want something in there along with the candybar, it will find a way in. And should someone who does not consider that picks it up, they're potentially playing a very dangerous game.

Yea, this is hypothetical and fiction, but in all reality, the fact that I pointed out this one situation, means it can become non-fiction. (No, I'm not going to do it, it is an observation not a plan.)

What are the chances that it happens? Well, We would have to do a survey to determine that, and I think we'd get a one sided response as anyone who would attempt pulling this off, would probably not admit to it.
And besides, what are the chances that it doesn't happen? You say greater, well maybe, but I'm not willing to take that chance.

Of course, I am a clean freak because I'm not willing to risk it.

=)

Wintermute · 11-17-2005, 10:34 AM

I really like the idea of this report!

I have two points of criticism:
1) SPAG is important.

Quote:

what is this candy bars fate going to be.

Insert a question mark and an apostrophie into this sentance and let it run free into the fields of the English language.

2) You draw interesting conclusions but you should not state them as fact. You do not know that the first type of person is a clean freak, but it is a plausible hypothesis.

**Vinzalf** · 11-17-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wintermute

I really like the idea of this report!

I have two points of criticism:
1) SPAG is important.

Insert a question mark and an apostrophie into this sentance and let it run free into the fields of the English language.

2) You draw interesting conclusions but you should not state them as fact. You do not know that the first type of person is a clean freak, but it is a plausible hypothesis.

Obviously I would call the first type of person paranoid.

11-17-2005, 04:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
.143 Beth© Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Orleans, LA Age: 21 Posts: 851	Re: Sociology Paper it is not backed by stats, but it is convincing that you did the project __________________

11-17-2005, 05:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
Vinzalf Join Date: May 2003 Location: Minnesota Age: 23 Posts: 1,760	Re: Sociology Paper I find it interesting that you would call anyone who would walk past it "generally a health/clean freak" There are many variables that are unexplored in your experiment, and probably won't be because to completely learn why the person just walked by, you would have to interview each and every person who did just walk by it. I think your #3 person is potentially risking alot for their actions here. I would hardly consider myself a clean freak for walking by something that was discarded onto the ground. Nobody knows for sure what the real reasoning behind the candybar being left on the floor is. What If... What if that candybar was previously in the hands of a predator. Said predator is sitting by watching to see what people do with this candybar. (I'm not trying to make this sound like you, by the way =P ) The Candy Bar in this example, has been laced with an odorless, tasteless drug, that causes any person ingesting it your choice of any strange effects. The predator see's one of your Type 1's, shrugs it off, and waits for the next subject. The predator see's one of your type 2's, begins following them, and should the person eat it, play choose your own adventure. If they throw it away, said predator either retrieves the candy bar and places it again, or places another. Should one of your type 3's come along, skip right to the choose your own adventure part. Wrappers are a moot point, should someone want something in there along with the candybar, it will find a way in. And should someone who does not consider that picks it up, they're potentially playing a very dangerous game. Yea, this is hypothetical and fiction, but in all reality, the fact that I pointed out this one situation, means it can become non-fiction. (No, I'm not going to do it, it is an observation not a plan.) What are the chances that it happens? Well, We would have to do a survey to determine that, and I think we'd get a one sided response as anyone who would attempt pulling this off, would probably not admit to it. And besides, what are the chances that it doesn't happen? You say greater, well maybe, but I'm not willing to take that chance. Of course, I am a clean freak because I'm not willing to risk it. =) __________________ RAWGRLRLRLRRLGLRL!!! Nations are like individuals: they achieve more when they plan to plant a tiny tree, and do it, than when they propose to raise an entire forest and then fall asleep in the furrows. I AM socializing artard, I'm logged on to an MMORPG with people from all over the world and getting XP with my party using Teamspeak

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