What kind of text are you?

I think that some people have been a tad disrespectful about my 'text in the city' posting. (Scroll down to comment by CityB.)
Frankly, I think references to intertextual sex are a wee bit cynical.

Regardless, I want to talk about self as text.

I am NOT talking about this sort of thing either. Or this.
And definitely not this.

I am partly talking about shopping.


I got this pic here.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours looking for just the right outfit to wear to a conference... bit shallow I know but .... well, you know. ( I know my confidence should derive from what I say but hey ...) And Anya alerted me to this quiz some time back, so I know peeps in my area of the blogosphere TOTALLY undertand.

I wore my red suede boots (gorgeous) on this shopping extravaganza to get stuff to match. Managed to find totally funky garb, in greys and black, assymmetric cut on everything. God, I would look perfect: understated colours with dramatic red jewellery and my bright red boots.

I was looking for this kind of look I guess.



(I am aware I am not black, but that's not my fault. I am talking about funkiness here, not ethnicity. Try to keep up please. )

Went to the supermarket next.
Dropped this bottle of detergent on red suede boots.




Boots Ruined.

What a disaster, and then this ....
The till operator decided I was dimwitted.
For some reason she decided I was deranged when I flustered about my ruined boots. Spoke to me as if I nedeed care in the community...

"It's all right love, we'll get someone to get you a new bottle of Dreft. Now, just take it steady and do your packing. It's OK I won't rush you.'

Then later,
'Do you know your card number love? Just type it in there for me then pet.'
Then we had,

' Have you got a loyalty card?'
I explained I had not read my application form given me last time.

'Oh, OK my love, "I'll explain ...'

She thought I could not read. Told me to take the form to the Helpdesk.

I let her talk my dimwittedness into place.
It was very strange how I could not assert myself at all over her misplaced kindness.

This HAS all got a point. This sort of thing is very rare. People are usually excellent at reading others and responding in the right frame.
How do we learn this?

I try to influence the way people read me - in the way I appear to people in meat space materially, physically. I have no idea whether they read what I want them to most of the time. But is is rare it goes totally wrong.

(My attitude reflects a societal preoccupation with image and self presentation of course and some would have it that this is shallow. I think such presentation of self behaviour, and the body for display, is is a primal preoccupation - but I won't harp on any further here ...)
You can read for yourself here what Goffman's take on self presentation is. A lot of useful stuff hre for someone who might write about blogging.


On a lighter note ... go to this site and choose which one you would like to be.
I am off out now to get new boots.