Is Norah Profiling?

Norah is smitten with the Alpha Phi’s.  Since they have moved back in Norah has not missed an opportunity to send them off with a wave and a “Bye Bye”– an honor which was previously reserved for very few individuals.  She even walks with them out the door, and down sidewalk to the corner holding their hand, at which point I carry her kicking and screaming back to the front yard.  What’s more, she rushes to greet them with a wave and a “hi” when they come home.  I had never heard her say hi before this pledge class moved in.

Perhaps you have also received smiles and waves from Norah indicating your mutual friendship.  Did you have to earn this trust and appreciation or did she willingly bestow it?  New research (parental observation) suggests that she may actually profile the people she meets, deciding whether they can be approved for inner circle friendship status immediately or if they must earn it.  Norah and I often play outside between the tennis courts and Risley Hall.  It is a convenient location because she can’t run up the hill and into the street before I can catch her and there is continuous student pedestrian traffic to interest Norah.  While she is interested in everyone that walks by, she is very discriminating in who she approaches, waves to and greets.   Wouldn’t you like to know if you’d make Norah’s cut for instant friendship?  Take the quiz to find out.

Norah’s Instant Friendship Quiz:

1. Are you female?  y/n
2. Are you, or could you pass for being between the ages of 18 and 22? y/n
3. Do you have long hair?  y/n

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, your friendship status with Norah is also in question.  But don’t give up yet.  If you answer yes to two of the three extra credit questions you can make up for one wrong answer.

Extra Credit:

1. Do you dress in the spirit of Forever 21 and H&M?  y/n
2. Do you accessorize – preferably with bangles?  y/n
3. Are you currently and visibly in the possession of a snack, or an interesting toy?  y/n

How did you do on the quiz? 

I at first found the results a bit troubling.  It isn’t that I want her running up to strangers smiling, waving and saying “Hi” all the time but there are many people who are dear to Norah who do not fit the sorority girl profile – why would she be so exclusive in who she befriends?   The answer came to me as I was studying the composite trying to learn names of the new pledge class:  Norah has no idea who lives in the house but is trying to play it off like she does. 

There are so many Phi’s (40 live in and girls from the previous class come to visit) that she has had to learn to profile as a toddler survival skill.  The Alpha Phi’s are flattered when Norah greets them because they assume she recognizes them and so they reward her with all the attention she craves.  What if she didn’t profile and innocently ignored one of them assuming they were a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma?  They might not see her because she is so short and thus she would miss out on attention.  On the other hand, if she approaches a young lady who is not an Alpha Phi she doesn’t have a lot to lose.  They won’t know her name, hold her hand, or pick her up but they generally at least smile and wave back.