What moment defines when a stranger is no longer a stranger but an acquaintance or not a "bad guy"? At a young age you're taught to not to speak to strangers; they may harm you or kidnap you or mug you or kill you or sexually harass you. Well, that's what I was taught when I was a child. It didn't help that we would watch 20/20 and several documentaries on little kids missing and then being found mutilated in a ravine. Grim thought to swallow, I apologize for that image I may have put into your head.
The point is, for me, I was pretty much programmed to not speak to strangers. At some extents to not acknowledge them, not even a smile for you never knew what they might do. But this was only to men because in all the cases I watched it was always the men that were the bad guys and the women the victims. So this thought process became such a habit that it is now molded into my subconscious.
It may be the reason why I smile at women and stare blankly (possibly giving them a death stare) at men. It also may be why I'm cold and rude to any male that tries striking up a conversation with me when I'm walking or at the bus stop or out running errands. My mind connects their greeting with them wanting something more than a friendly conversation. And as I'm writing this all out I'm finally realizing it. It probably explains why I can't go up to a guy and just talk to them. It explains a lot of my social behavior actually...
But back to the question. What moment defines when a stranger is no longer a stranger but an acquaintance or not a "bad guy"? Is it when you strike up a conversation? Is it when you realize they are now a familiar face you see a couple days a week? Is it when you crack a smile at them and ask them how there day is?
stranger - anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
stranger - an individual that one is not acquainted with
If we go by the first definition then how are we to determine whether someone belongs in a particular environment or not? If we said they didn't just because they don't look the same us or because they don't enjoy what we do would that not be discrimination. What if we all don't belong to that environment because we have the right to belong wherever we choose. Wouldn't we all just be strangers? After all the word stranger is made up of the word strange, and humans are indeed filled with plenty of strangeness.
I don't quite know where that was going, but it definitely awoke a realization in me. I need to stop being afraid of strangers that I meet outside of school or church. Not everyone I meet is a (potential) serial killer. I'll take baby steps and maybe start smiling more.
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