Social Laws and Norms

My intention for this piece of writing to to discuss two things, which may end up turning into several, as they often do. These two things stem from handheld music device listening (iPods, let's face it) and college students waiting at crosswalks.
Let me begin with crosswalks because it is the most fresh in my mind. People are oddly strict about rules put in place. For some reason, since we are told that jaywalking is illegal and that crossing when the little red hand is up is a no-no, people simply don't do that. Obviously I'm overgeneralizing because I don't involve myself in this category of 'people' nor do many others. I'll give you a stark example. I was on my way to class two months ago. This was before I realized how awesome the bus system is and a walking trip that would soon become this semester's history. On my way to class these two months ago I was slowing up to a crosswalk where on either side of the street there were approximately fifty people waiting for the little red hand of death to turn into the jolly silver hand of skipping, joy, and world peace. Whenever I approach this monstrous group of people I have a desire to go to the front even if there is the possibility of yielding no results. After sifting my way to the front of this flock of sheep I realized that they were all just that because though the red satan hand of evil and hell was staring both sides of the road in the face, there were no cars in sight. No cars coming to trample calm pedestrians over in the foreseeable future, yet almost one hundred people stood as if blind and without their collective white cane. So in the nature of my being to be efficient and to openly disobey silly traffic laws, after walking to the front of this mass I looked both directions, saw that there was no potential for danger (or a fine) and I continued on my merry way, while smiling and slightly laughing, mind you. The most interesting aspect of this situation was that everyone involved in these laughable circumstances just continued to stand, then simply stared at me as I crossed. None of them took it upon themselves to be the first sheep and to follow me across the street. No. They just stood and stared. Mindless idiots, I tell you.
I figure I'll separate this into paragraphs because that is what successful writing does, apparently. I just never did it because it makes me hinge too firmly on this idea that one is supposed to focus on one and only one thing per paragraph. So if I didn't limit myself to one idea, it opened myself up to endless ideas per paragraph. This is my personal blah blah blahs so I needn't explain myself to you, though I do, did, and always will. Alas, I'm already well into this second block paragraph so here goes the second topic. I'm concerned for our societies well being. We spend disproportionate amount of our time being calm and seemingly content. This is horse shit because I know that most of us have a lot of pent up anger and our daily lives never fail to come up with some fresh hell every few hours. The main reason I'm concerned for us is that when something subjectively bad happens, like a sports team loosing or winning or some silly shit, riots break out. People die. Things are blown up. Stores are robbed. Small children are traumatized. All that. What is going to happen when some crazy shit storm happens, like the government censoring the Internet for example? All hell is going to break loose. Mass-hysteria will ensue and the world we live in will turn to chaos. I may murder people in the process, WHO KNOWS MAN!! Let me connect this with what I mentioned at the beginning of it all. 'It all' of course referring to the top of this writing. We are filled to the brim with restraint. Sitting on the bus I notice that when people are listening to music, there is no freedom of expression. It is all internalized. For those of us who feel the unnecessary need to restrain ourselves find our fingers or feet tip-tapping away. When did it becoming socially unacceptable for people to move along with the music they are listening to? I realize that since the music is going directly into the ears that there is some level of intimacy involved, but there is a large middle ground between singing the lyrics of a song out loud for all to hear and feeling noticed and self-conscious when a foot is tapping. When music is happening around me, even if I don't particularly care for it, I won't be able to help myself. I have to move around. This is coming from someone who is acutely aware of how restrained he is in various aspects of life. I stopped writing for a few minutes and my mind went into various different tangents for possible conversation and writing so I'll use this as an appropriate opportunity to stop, watch the most recent episode of Dexter, then Annie Hall, then maybe get stoned and hangout with someone.
Enjoy life and all that it offers. Do what makes you better because in this world, being happy with yourself takes precedence over everything else. Again, enjoy. Goodbye.