ran-dumb rants

people watching

as a fan, i'm often bombarded by many stereotypes that are associated with being one, including:

an overdramatic diva who sobs daily over her one direction posters while hopelessly chocking out the lyrics of 'what make you beautiful'; a lump on a couch who does nothing but watch reruns of riverdale while silently chanting 'ship' over and over as Betty and Jughead kiss; that one chick who blows all her money on celebrity merchandise and alternates between wearing her shawn mendes sweatshirt and david dobrik hat... and so forth.

although i don't quite fit these descriptions, there is one stereotype that I've often wondered if I fit the standard of: the obsessive-stalker. a rather bold statement, I know it sounds off putting, but I swear I can explain!

initially when we hear those two words strung together we can't help but picture a teenager laughing hysterically with a spine chilling smile as they adjust their binoculars in front of a window - and maybe that is the case, making my own use of the words pretty exaggerated.

you see, it's not that I've ever fancied the idea of analyzing one individual person's life, but in moments where I'm quietly sitting by myself on public transportation or simply walking through the halls at school, I find myself fascinated by the different characters around me.

in fact sometimes it's so enthralling, I feel like words just don't do it justice; the sensation of seeing one person at their breaking point and another at their epitome of happiness - both at the same place, in the same moment - is a kind of feeling that's hard to find anywhere else. so no, stalking isn't the right word for it, but intently observing seems to fit nicely.

it puts into perspective how unique we all are as individuals. being able to see a flood of emotions dawn on someone and then see the process of those very emotions changing? it's so refreshing, especially now that our idea of feelings is being brought down to which emoji - and how many in a row there are, of course - someone has sent you or posted.

so if you like people watching for the same reasons I do, just remember that you're not being a creep, and the differences between stalking and observing are remarkably drastic.

in other words, go ahead and giggle to yourself about the couple who can't stop flirting on the subway, and let yourself try and figure out what could possibly be going through the mind of the teenage boy who hastily wipes at his tears on the bus.