La
proxémica en la conducción del taxista bogotano
Alejandro Castaño
Ramírez
La proxémica es una disciplina social que estudia la
distancia espacial establecida culturalmente entre objetos y personas, objetos
y objetos, personas y personas. Estas
distancias varían de acuerdo al tipo de relación que exista entre los
elementos. En consecuencia a mayor cercanía debe existir una mayor relación
entre los elementos y esta relación debe estar justificada culturalmente.
Uno de los escenarios sociales donde se puede observar la
proxémica es en el tráfico vehicular. En la calle y la carretera los vehículos
interactúan por las vías para llegar a su destino. Esa interacción tiene una
cercanía que se establece culturalmente, lo que configura patrones de
comportamiento de quienes conducen un vehículo por las vías.
Y en su forma de conducción presionan a otros vehículos para
pasar y se acercan demasiado. Y aunque esto sea un acto de falta de
consideración y atrevimiento con respecto a las reglas de la próxemica
vehicular, vale la pena preguntarse por la razón de este comportamiento.
Al igual que todos los conductores de un vehículo, hay una
especie de proyección de los límites del cuerpo hacia los del vehículo que hace
un taxista. Este tipo de taxista pasa gran cantidad de horas dentro de este
tipo de vehículo, generando un vínculo muy cercano del taxista con los límites
del vehículo. Esa cercanía lo hace confiado y entonces se arriesga a romper las
reglas de la proxémica cultural, acercándose demasiado. Justificado
culturalmente porque busca romper una rutina de tráfico que le impide lograr
ganancias, lo inhibe en su independencia y lo norma cuando es reacio a la ley.
Proxemics in the Bogota’s taxi drivers
Alejandro Castaño Ramírez
Proxemics
is a field of social science which studies the relationship of spatial
distances culturally established among objects and people, objects and objects,
as well as people and people. Those distances vary in accordance to the kind of
relationship among said elements. Therefore as the elements get closer, there
should be a closer relationship as well among elements, and this relationship
must be culturally justified.
One of the
scenarios in which you can observe proxemics is in vehicular traffic. On
streets and roads vehicles interact to find their way. This interaction has a
spatial distance established culturally, configuring behavioral patterns in
drivers.
This
analysis focuses on one of the roles in vehicular interaction: that of the taxi
driver. Of the different kinds of taxi drivers we will specifically focus on
the traditional yellow cab’s taxi drivers. They work in continuous 14 hours
shifts. Most of them are men and they tend to live in socio-economic levels 2
or 3. They value independence as a work benefit; generally they seem to be
opposed to formalizing & regulating their occupation through conventional
norms such as the appropriation of taxes.
In their
driving patterns they put their cars closer to other cars than is traditionally
established amongst normal drivers in order to pass through traffic
faster. This seems to demonstrate a lack of consideration and respect to
proxemic's driving cultural rules, therefore it is necessary to ask for a
reason to explain why this happens.
As it
happens with every driver, there is a projection of the self to the limits of
the vehicle. This kind of taxi driver spends too much time inside the vehicle,
forming a strong projection of the driver to the vehicle. This strong
projection makes him overconfident and then they take the risk of breaking
cultural proxemic rules, being too close to other vehicles. This appears to be
culturally justified because they are prone to break the traffic norms which
they believe to impede their ability to make greater earnings, inhibit their
independence, and normalize them as they are opposed to being ruled.
Pictures
from:
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario