SumBlog #8: The Stranger......

Upon reading Georg Simmel's short essay titled "The Stranger", Simmel gave me a new meaning of the word "stranger". He did not mean it to be thought of in the literal meaning as we use it in today's context such as a completely "unknown" person, but rather a person that while may be unknown to some, is a person that is very much integrated into their lives; yet does not originate from the same 'place' as the other members of a group. The "stranger" is seen as an outsider that perhaps does not subscribe to the specific beliefs of that particular group , yet still respects them and has the ability, because they are objective; to be valuable by providing additional insight regarding certain subjects that are not thought of by the other members. Simmel provides an example in the reading by describing the relationship between people in a given community and a trader. Although the trader is not necessarily a member of that community, he definitely has an impact on the lives of the townspeople by bringing new and unusual resources to them. Simmel's concept pertaining to the "stranger" emphasizes individual contributions regarding influence. Once again , even though the "stranger" or in this case the trader, has the ability to come and go as he pleases; his very existence within a community brings a certain unique perspective to the group. He has the power to perhaps open people's minds to ideas that they may never have been exposed to. Simmel's sociology involves different levels of concern in terms of the psychological aspects of social life; as in what is going on in our own brains; Interpersonal Relationships, meaning how we experience society by sharing it with others and lastly the concept coined "The Spirit of the Times" that deals with what is popular in a given time frame that coinsides with the creation of cultural norms and values. My personal version of the concept of "the Stranger" is my periodic involvement of pulling random bar tending shifts at my best friend's bar that is located about two and a half hours away. While I am not necessarily an employee, I do act the part when I am there. I bring with me my own high level of standards to the job which in the beginning bothered the current employees because they viewed my presence there as "threatening" due to their substandard practices prior to my arrival. I believe because I am not a regularly scheduled employee, my outlook on my temporary position is seen as more "fun" and "novel", whereas the other group members of employees get lost in the routine of being there on more of a full-time basis so they had grown used to their mediocre performance. My intention of course is never to "outshine" them, but rather I see it as assuring that my best friend's business is successful versus having unhappy patrons displeased by the lack of enthusiasm given to them by the regular employees. I view my "strangeness" as an attempt to provide a refreshing rejuvenation to the bar's atmosphere, therefore making people want to come spend their money there and the for the establishment  itself to gain a positive review by the patrons; which of course is a recipe for a successful business. In short, although I am not usually a member of that community, my presence breaks up the monotony of day in , day out workmanship; that attempts to "raise the bar" regarding other's performance. In the beginning, I was seen as a threat, however now the regular employees view me as reminder to themselves to not get caught up in their own personal interests but rather treat every patron as an honored guest. Of course seeing their tips increase after following my lead helped change their minds fairly quickly. Ha!  I chose the picture below to illustrate my view of the bar's employees before my arrival, they all just sit around useless until I come and set the example of a hard worker with responsibilities. :)