Dmv Tour
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Most important observation:
No one makes eye contact. It's as if you are supposed to make everyone think you are the only one there. The DMV staff doesn't even make eye contact with customers- they either look at the paper or at the computer. If they do look up, they typically look away. It's not that they are being unfriendly, they are perfectly nice... it's more that the entire DMV just makes you feel so uncomfortable you become sort of paralyzed and you lose all emotion. What strikes me most about the level of eye-contact is the complete lack of personal interaction going on. The DMV literally issues us our identity cards, the least they could do is make eye contact with us. Everything feels so exposed and impersonal and everyone stares at each other and says nothing to one another! It didn't take long for me to understand the complete pain on everyone's face...
My intention was to talk to people while I was in the DMV, but between the slow jazz and occasional shouting for a number, I just couldn't. It felt impossible. The DMV is suffocating and I felt anxious to get out of there the entire time. Especially because I didn't take a number and I wasn't waiting to be called. I decided to wait outside the DMV, in the fresh air. As people exited, I found that approaching them became easy and even refreshing. It was a completely different experience on the outside and so I asked people two questions:
How would you describe the DMV in one word?
Horrible
Awful
Waiting
Kind of a scary place
Mandatory- (before he would talk to me, he wanted to make sure he could get his ticket first.)
Tolerable
Long
Give in
Bureaucracy
Looking to prove something
Boring
No
Long Time
Are you looking forward to your next visit?
"No."
Not a single person responded with a yes.
...not surprising.
DMV, where is your soul?
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