I am admittedly very defensive on this topic, and probably overthink as I strive to be cognizant about where a societial norm originates, who decides it's a norm, and is it really a norm. In this case I think you're probably correct, as hard eye contact for prolonged periods is usually seen as being aggressive....thinking of jokes the Puzzle in a Thunderstorm folx frequently make about maintaining eye contact...
I think my defensiveness comes from people (once again not lumping you in) who have decided that their white Christian suburban middle class norm is am objectively the right thing, and everything else is "weird" or "strange" or just wrong.
So on first listen, when you said this was weird, my defensive emotional state went up...albeit it went up in error this time. Thanks for responding, apologies if I came across as accusing, and thanks as always for great content that makes us think.
Maddy Love
2024-05-29 23:37:37 +0000 UTC
That kind of eye contact is not the social norm and it can be unsettling. I think describing it as weird fits in this instance. - Jay
The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe
2024-05-29 23:22:23 +0000 UTC
I know he's being funny, but I get so annoyed at "yeah but it's just weird" in regards to people doing things that don't fit into their culture.
Maddy Love
2024-05-29 22:54:00 +0000 UTC
It’s kinda interesting how the way social media is now monetized, the paid actors or the “they” are now the paid actors themselves spreading conspiracy and misinformation