I find people-watching endlessly fascinating and a downtown event this weekend was a perfect place for me to just sit and observe and wonder.
Because I think, for me, that's what people watching is all about. I wonder what makes them tick. I want to know why they chose to wear that or get that tattoo or those piercings. I want to know why they're shouting at their kids or kissing that particular person. I want to know what they're thinking and feeling and trying to say.
This weekend, there was something downtown called Jump Ship. It was an invitational dirt jump competition where they created a dirt bike (bicycle, not motor) course on a barge in our inner harbour. A very cool idea. S and I (hi S!) went down on Saturday and wandered around. We watched the bikers (oooh, aaah!) took pictures and sat for a while and watched some more and the whole time I was fascinated by all the different people.
Sure, each event draws a different type of crowd. Last week's Oak Bay Tea Party had a mellower, more sedate, probably more "mainstream" crowd, for whatever that means. Fewer tattoos, more shirts left on, more babies, more young children.
This crowd had an electronica dance pit and no medium aged children, just ittle wittle babies (which was a weird sight) or teenagers. There was also a portion of the afternoon where the naked bike ride went past and do you know what cracks me up most about that? Well, it's either how uncomfortable I imagine it would be to be sitting naked on a plastic bike seat on a hot, sunny, day, or it's the fact that I've now accidentally seen the naked bike ride three years in a row. Just my luck, eh?
But I digress. The bike tricks were really cool to see and the crowd was fun and endlessly fascinating to watch. It's the Sociology major in me maybe, but I love trying to figure out what makes people tick. I really do.
P.S. I nearly forgot. My other people/sociological study this weekend came to me courtesy of C-Dawg. Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Fascinating. (And, yes, I know these shows aren't accurate or fair in their representation of an entire group of people, but I also love them for the choices the film crew and directors make and the stories they choose to tell.)
4 comments:
As fascinating as people watching is, my head is now stuck on the naked bike ride. Is there an age limit? Because ew...
I went on a date several months ago and the topic of a naked cruise came up. I'm not really sure how that happened, but the conversation became really funny and goofy - - especially when we found that the average age was somewhere around 45.
I have to agree about the Gypsy wedding show - I am not sure how I feel about it and at the same time I find the culture that they are presenting to be a dichotomy within itself - chaste and ultra religious combined with sequins and over the top very revealing clothing. It’s like an adult version of the kiddie pageants...
As for the nude bikers - put some clothes on peeps that cannot be comfortable.
People watching is my favourite sport and yes I consider it a sport because it requires a certain amount of talent...according to my friend of what I possess none of...I've never been good with subtlety and sometimes you just have to inform others on a particularly interesting spot! Okay I know pointing is never good...but...no okay then
Naked bike ride? To me that just sounds painful for those with a penis...
Miz A, no, no age limit. (I'll just let you get out your heebie jeebies on that one!) As for naked cruise... hmm... I think I'd be all for "casual only" cruise, you know, pjs or sweats but naked? I'm just wondering about hygeine... and other things ;)
It's very similar to the kiddie pageant show dresses and overly sexualized-ness SnP which I'm very very uncomfortable with. Even more so.
Litte Miss Me, you have to learn the art of the "OMG I want to point but I'm just going to have to use my eyes to point instead because LOOK!" ;) And yes, I can't imagine biking and getting your you know what pinched by the seat. There were some ladies in panties, but most of the men just... didn't bother! Yikes! ;)
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