The Game of "Sniff"

One reality of small towns is that people know almost everything about each other. As towns grow into small cities, some of this tendency to know too much can start to cause a problem. In large urban areas, there is a tendency to live and let live, to have big stout fences to ensure privacy, and to mind one's own business. While in the transition size, between small town and large, there seems to have emerged a social dynamic which I call "sniff".

It seems that many people in this town have each other locked in some sort of mutual blackmail. The idea is that one finds out some personal information which the other person would not want made public, and nothing is done about it. Such information is far more valuable when it is held in abeyance than when it is acted upon, as it creates a certain amount of leverage. As one person noted, one doesn't even have to know the exact details of the negative information, one just has to let on to the other person that he knows where to sniff.

If one fails to gain the co-operation one desires, then the authorities are brought in to deal with the earlier infraction. The effect desired is to ensure a conspiracy of silence, to gain economic benefits or personal advantage. It is a very powerful means of social suasion.

The way out of this little dilemma of course is confession and forgiveness. It takes the wind right out of the other person's sails.

Media Based Solutions

Further Resources

The variety of approaches to this activity, and the variety of levels at which it can be conducted can be seen in these further resources.

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