Back in my college days we played a game called Assassin. The rules of the game were simple. We tried to assassinate each other with silly string. That's right, sports fans, we ran around campus firing silly string at each other. Once hit, you were out. Usually one game lasted a week so we used lots of cans of string. The only safe place was a dorm room or class room. Professors frowned upon shooting string in class. Even though rules prevented us from shooting in class, we always carried our cans.
I remember sitting in Group Psychology with Dr. Early listening to him lecture about group norms. Group norms are the acceptable behaviors groups set for themselves. An example would be a group of friends eating lunch in the snack dome with everyone eating their own food not snatching random food from each other's plates. Wait, this was college. We did that. Never mind. Anyway, group norms are the acceptable behaviors groups set.
Dr. Early explained our next project was to violate a group norm and write about it. He wanted us to intentionally violate an acceptable norm.
With silly string in my back pack, the idea spontaneously came over me. He continued explaining the project and like a bullet shot from a gun, I stood up and walked to the front of the class. No one expected what happened next. I emptied my can of silly string all over Dr. Early. He was covered with purple string in seconds. The shocked gasps turned to applause and finally a standing ovation from my classmates.
Al he said was, "Class, that's how you violate a group norm."
I got a B- on the paper.
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