Line! Can Someone Give Me The Line!

You know what I mean. The trope of a stuffy old actor in rehearsal losing his place in the script, and he declares, “Line!” There have been sooooo many times in my life when I realized I didn’t have the words I needed. If only I could just shout out, “Line!”

Our lives are filled with scripts – little snippets designed and supported by our culture. How great is it that we don’t have to stop to think what to say with each new person we meet! Cultures are masterful at making social interactions easy because they know that integration and smooth operations help ensure the group’s survival. Providing us with greeting menus (What’s up!) and good-byes (See ya!) help us show one another that we are friend, not foe. 

Obviously these vary around the globe and often we see regional differences too. Since my move to Philadelphia a few years ago, strangers greet me everyday with “Hon.” Oh yes, a reminder that I am in a new environment.

As social beings, we thrive when we feel connected.

When I’ve waxed on enthusiastically about this idea that so many of our interactions are composed of cultural scripts, I often hear, “But, no, Susan. We need to be authentic.” Authentic emphasized as if it is in opposition to using tried and true responses. But the thing is – if we haven’t heard something before – we don’t know it’s there for us to use.