This subject has been the source of much dialogue at the law school recently. It doesn't take much for anyone on the outside looking in on our fishbowl to see that social norms have basically been thrown to the wind, replaced by what we like to think is intellectualism but what is more aptly called social stupidity. Of course, this term isn't limited to law students alone. All of us know a socially stupid person and if you don't think you do, it's probably because you are socially stupid yourself. I offer my own, on-point example.
This is classic Staci social ineptness... a few months ago I gave my number to a cute waiter at a birthday dinner for a friend. A while goes by and in the insanity that is the first few weeks of class, I kind of forgot about it. Then out of the blue I get a text from none other than cute waiter! I was way excited as soon as I figured out who it was but I also realized that I couldn't remember his name. Rather than just being a mature adult and asking him to remind me what his name was, I texted, went to coffee with, and set up an additional date still not knowing his name and feeling too weird to ask him (social stupidity in action.)
Sara noted the similarity in my situation to that of Jerry on Seinfeld who can't remember a woman's name and guesses, among other things, "Gipple" because he doesn't want to ask her. I finally devised a plan which involved taking "Gipple" to meet some of my friends which would hopefully result in him telling them his name during introductions, thereby saving me the embarrassment... fortunately his name came up in conversation prior to this so I was saved! I have yet to tell "Gipple" this story but I'm hoping he will laugh it off when I shake off my social stupid and finally tell him.
I think this story is even better when you know that I'm writing it while sitting in the hallway in front of my apartment, waiting for my roommate to get home because I locked myself out this morning and didn't realize it until I got home half an hour ago. Camping by my door was the best solution I could come up with... socially stupid? Maybe so...
