Following the Crowd

I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to buying a melon. When I’m at the grocery store I watch other people go through the ritual, and it’s always the same. And even though I have no idea why they do what they do, I do the same thing every time too.

I walk up to the bin and scan the prey. I pick up a melon, usually the roundest one, and I tap it with my knuckles. I have no idea what this is supposed to tell me but everyone else does it. As far as I’m concerned, as long as my fingers haven't left bowling ball-like impressions in it, that’s good enough and there shouldn't be any reason to continue. But I do.

I turn the melon from side to side, supposedly examining the color, or the texture, or... something. I poke the ends and then I gently squeeze it. As I stand there squeezing it, I tilt my head to the side and squint, staring straight ahead. I try for a thoughtful expression that says I am one with the melon. Finally, I sniff it. Now, I’m pretty sure if it were rotten, I would have known it long before this, but I sniff it anyway. And when I do the only thing I can think of is, Yup, it smells like a melon.

After going through all this I put the melon down, pick up another one and do it all over again. Everyone else does the exact same thing. I have never seen anybody go up to the melon bin, pick up a melon, and leave.

What is the point? Does anyone know why they are doing this? Are we all sheep, blindly following the crowd- afraid to admit we have no idea what’s going on?

In my case, the answer is, “Yes. Absolutely”.