De- Glorifying Goffman

I think that Goffman's view of society is a tad exaggerated. He seems to be so disillusioned with humanity that he views every individual as acting in a specific manner so as to exert a specific response from the others around him. Seriously, people do not think that much about their mannerisms, at least not in today's society. Take for instance my day today. I am too busy (as I am sure everyone else is as well) to even think about what to wear for tomorrow, but isn't appearance a vital factor to Goffman's theory? Therefore, if I do not even want to consider how I will appear tomorrow because I am too busy with schoolwork, how then am I displaying myself? Because I still genuninely care about the way I am perceived, I just do not have an adequate amount of time to execute this, so people will be viewing the incorrect form of me, I guess. I truly am confused by his point of view though.
I think Goffman is just a lonely, angry man with way too much information so he wrote it in this book. Therefore, Goffman's treatment of social situations, though hillarious at some points, is disrespectful. However, most comedic things are disrespectful so he makes sense in this respect. In regard to PTJ's post on the funeral, I think that it is ridiculous to believe that the "star of the show" is in "deep sleep," according to Goffman. When someone dies it is imporant to remember their life and realize that they will never wake up again on this Earth, but rather somewhere else, only to be seen after the passing of oneself. "Deep sleep" implies that everything, even death, is fake, and that death really isn't real, which is not what I believe. Though Goffman takes a new twist on the roles we play in society, it is an all too disrespectful attitude, and some things in life, like a funeral, which also have a religious significanace, should be regarded as scared and not as a mere display of good acting.


-Miranda