Staring

I'm just wondering why staring is considered rude. I mean it's the way that we people watch. When you are in a large, overcrowded room and if you are waiting for a plane or someone to arrive, you just look around and stare. Especially if you land upon someone or a couple or a family doing something interesting.

But you can't stare. It's impolite. But I want to know why?

What else are you supposed to do in that public place, but stare at people? Sure you can read, but if you have ADD it's easy to get distracted and you often can't concentrate because the people around you are having a conversation that overpowers the words before you and you have to eavesdrop. And then while you are pretending to read, but listening the whole while you want to get the visual to go with the auditory, so you stare.

Really, I don't think it should be considered rude. It should be accepted as a consequence of being in a public area.

Public Area Rule #1: People will stare.

My husband stares all the time. Except he doesn't stare at people. He stares at things. Like trees or engines or television screens or the inner workings of a coffee grinder. Now that's not considered rude. I can never understand why he stares so long or what his brain is doing while he is staring. Is he memorizing parts? Learning? Reteaching? Tearing down and reconstructing?

I've stared at him staring at an Oak tree in our yard for what seemed like hours, but I know it was minutes because I don't have the patience to stare for hours. I'm sure he was taking these mental pictures of the tree in his head because I can ask him ANYTHING about that tree and he's got it memorized. To me it's just a tree.

However, I like people. And I like to observe people. And while he is observing things (like how the airplane is constructed) I am observing the people (like if the pilot is sober). I'm the yin, he's the yang.

But back to my original point, why is my observation (staring) considered rude and his staring (observation) accepted?

Is it thing versus people? Is it male versus female?

Whatever, all I know is that my current research is to continue my observation (staring) but work on being more discreet; sort of make it like I am staring at a thing (accepted form). This will take a more intricate formula as I will have to find people who are sitting or standing by a thing.

Doggone it, I just want life to be simple. Why can't I just stare at people and not be considered rude?