I argue Athens, OH is a true cross-sample of the USA. It is a college town filled with a citizenry devoted to NASCAR, dirt-biking, and beer. Ohio University is plopped right in the middle of it and the majority of its students hail from within the state. This is the backdrop for Gauche Display.

This blog acknowledges that almost everything in our lives is dictated by a seemingly arbitrary, invisible set of laws known as social norms. Adults usually instill these norms into children; these laws cover minutiae like "Don't yell at people across the room" and weightier subjects like "Don't kill/steal/etc."

An easy way to test the degree to which people are dictated by norms is to test them by breaking them. This methodology was developed by Harold Garfinkle in the '70s. Here, in good 'ole Athens, OH, I will interact with students and community members in such a way as to test their boundaries. This is by no means a scientific blog; I hope to breach social boundaries to see what norms may have changed since they were first performed and which should be different as time changes yet have remained the same.