"Ibalik ang Smocket!!!!!!!" Radical Activists for a Tricky Cause

SA21 A/ Team Alloy

Andrada

Chavez

Felix

Liu 

Serrana

To deviate is to defy the social norms which are constructed by the people in the society. In our school community, the behavior of people is regulated and controlled. It is rare to see people who act in ways that violate norms because in Ateneo, people present themselves to the people they are with as people who are civilized. They show that they are good members of society. It is rare to see Ateneans picketing to protest for something that they want. Usually, Ateneans protest by having petitions signed or by negotiating with the authorities.

Smoking is not a deviant activity and so is picketing but, if performed in a place where people think that it is against the norms, then it can be considered as a deviant act. For example, if it is done in a university where protesting is part of the culture, then nobody would see the people who protest as deviants because they expect people to do it. However, if it is done in a university where it is not part of the culture, people are going to notice the deviants.

            Before Deviance Day, members of the group tried to research on how protesters look and act. Since no research was found on it, the group just observed rioters on video and photos from the internet. We were able to come up with some conclusions. The first is that rioters try to wear the same color so that they establish themselves as part of the group that is protesting. Another conclusion we made is that they just wear simple clothes. We think that this is such because protesters are usually from the masses and not from the upper classes of society. Also, another reason why such is that they choose to wear more comfortable clothing when protesting that something that is more fashionable. Another thing that we were able to observe is that, rioters do not speak softly and that they scream the same things so that they get to emphasize their point.

            The group decided to be deviants for a day by protesting for the right to smoke in campus and have a place to smoke. The members of the group wore the same color, which is red, held up signages, had people sign a mock petition, and yelled some propaganda. The group also said the same things and acted the same so that the group could be noticed as a group and not as individuals protesting. The protest was only meant to be performed in the zen garden but, because the group felt that there was no one to see the protest, the group went inside Gonzaga then, moved to Kostka then, finally to Xavier. While shouting some propaganda in Xavier, the group settled near the road and held up a sign that said, “Horn for Smocket!” The reactions of the people around were observed.

During the experiment, the group kept on acting like protesters by shouting propaganda and having people sign a mock petition. A lot of people looked at the group. Some showed support for the fake cause by smiling, honking, and saying, “Dapat ibalik nga ang Smocket!” Some on the other hand, showed the look of disapproval by glaring. We observed that most of those who showed support were the students and maintenance personnel while those who disapproved were the security guards and parents.

People took notice of the deviant activity of seeing student protesters supporting the smocket, and some people even signed the mock petition. Smoking is not a deviant activity, but the deviance comes from having a small group of individuals going against the norm; in this case it was the vocal protesting to bring back the Smocket which even the people who go to the smocket did not do. It was interesting to see the support of some students for the bringing back of the smocket.

            We think that people actually took notice because the protests were connected to what they wanted, though on their reactions to deviance, it varies with how well they could relate to the message of the protest. It seemed that people who smoke and support the Smocket reacted in a way that they are willing to join in and be very welcoming to the protesters, the others who were not concerned with the issue at hand like the drivers just smirked and seemed to shrug it off or looked at it in a way that they found it funny.

From a functionalist point of view, we can view the adherence of public to the deviant behavior in a way that the public supports the protesters who were deviant because they stood up for something that the public generally wants too, and the deviant act now becomes just the mere act of protesting and standing up for your rights and not anymore the idea that they are bringing out.

Protesting could also be seen as a reaction of the public/individuals to certain grievances or deprivations pertaining to themselves, thus bringing out clamor. As people feel deprived and aggrieved, it often comes out of comparison, and in this case the protest would come out of comparison between the Ateneo with the smoket, and the Ateneo without the smoket. Now there is a reason for clamor and protest, who actually joins the protest comes from the role of having shared identities with others, and the ones who identified themselves with the smoket had a shared identity as smokers of the Ateneo who had a place inside Ateneo to smoke. The feeling of relation they had from the shared identity comes from similarities they can identify with others, and if this certain group feels deprived of something that they feel that they should have, it could often lead to protest. As we portrayed the role of protesters, some people identified themselves with us, showing a number of people who identify themselves with the smoket.

Nic’s Reflection:

            After the experiment, I realised that to be a deviant is not always a bad thing. To be a deviant violates the norms set by society but it does not always have to violate people and their rights. I think that deviance could be a powerful tool for change. By breaking the norms, one can get attention which is important in a protest. The protester can redirect the attention focused on him towards a social issue that needs to be changed. However, one should be careful in using this tool because some might use it to manipulate people.

Enrique's Reflection:
This was a really fun experience because this topic is very close to me. Not like the others where they really got out of their comfort zone to do a project. For me, since I really do want the smocket to be re-established, I gave it my all. Of course I also played the part of an activist and did the short skit, but when my group and I were dispersed outside the classroom, I said the things that really bothered me about why the smocket was abolished. It was not harming anyone. It was far. It was in the parking. We had our own little world where we gathered and came together in harmony and friendship; kind of like the way my group and I got together to spread our feelings towards the public. I believe this project was not just a project for me. This was an excuse to let out the anger and frustration that has bottled up inside and confused me for the longest time. The rush ran through me as we protested by the road. It's a shame our professor did not see, but there were several cars that actually honked their horns to our signs (that's why we weren't in the picture; we were by the road). I felt bad for the people who felt the same way for our cause and who wanted to join us and fill up our petition board. We had to tell them eventually it was only for a class, but we also told them that it was not just a role we played. Overall, I would love to repeat this experiment, but I would no longer just want to do it as an experiment. I would really want to create a movement to bring the smocket back. The more I think about this project, the more I feel like a fire has been created inside me to pursue said passion.

Felix’s Reflection:

            I think the experiment showed that there were a lot of people who could relate to protests, and that there are also a lot of people who would view the protests as deviant. It is an act that really catches the attention of people in the way that they can identify themselves with the message that is being brought about. I think this brings in a chunk of the followers for protests and this is a way for the public to bring messages out.

Aloysius' Reflection:

        People going against normal circumstances is very rare to experience. I was lucky to have been deviants for that day. The feeling of being someone different from others, breaking rules and seeing the reactions makes me see society and its ways on how society thinks, looks and feels at people who deviate and to those who don't. This activity shows the different perspectives one might see in a situation and how each perspective is important and different from one another, sparking change and showing the power of deviances

Honil’s Reactions:

            The activity was an interesting and memorable experience because it allowed us to release our inhibitions and try things that we wouldn't even think of doing being typical Ateneans who conform to the standard way of dressing, the typical demeanor, and even the characteristic manner of speech. I was hesitant to participate in the activity at first because i had to put on the clothes that i usually judge people for wearing and lack organization that our group had before we began “performing” the experiment but i was relieved after seeing how enthusiastic everyone in the room was to do something radical even for less than half an hour. I think that our group pulled off a very believable performance and i laud their dedication to the ridiculous things that i've asked them to do. We have observed a lot of interesting reactions from the oblivious crowd, we have received a lot of smiles and gestures of approval, we have also observed a lot of glares and eyerolls from people who are just minding their own business,the most memorable reactions for me are when i hear people starting real conversations and discussion about our advocacy even after curtain call. Although i believe that we have achieved the goal of organizing demonstrations which is to strike conversations and to provide a medium for an advocacy to resonate to the public even in a smaller scale, i just think that we could've done more than just appropriating “deviant” subcultures like they're halloween costumes and do something against regressive and oppressive social norms even if they're not for a grade.

References

Stekelenburg, J., & Klandermans, B. (n.d.). The social psychology of protest. Sociopedia.isa. Retrieved from http://www.surrey.ac.uk/politics/research/researchareasofstaff/isppsummeracademy/instructors/Social Psychology of Protest, Van Stekelenburg & Klandermans.pdf