Upon this Roque, I will Build My Church

Niel Fuentes, Raphael Diaz, Ariana Manalo, Meg Lo, Ivan Grasparin, 

Rob Lastimoso, Jego Mallilin, Jc Mendiola, 

1. The norm that was tested in this breaching experiment is the norm of conservative society. The experiment tested what is considered taboo in our society by engaging in  uncomfortable conversations while buying condoms in convenient stores.

2. The group was divided into pairs. One person would purchase the condom and then engage in an uncomfortable conversation with the cashier through saying the following lines: “Mabilis ba itong masira, ate?”, “may banana flavor ba kayo? gusto yun ng boyfriend ko eh”, “ano best seller niyo? first time ko kasi eh”, “kakasya ba ito, paano kung malaki?”, “masasarapan ba ako dito?” and the like. The person talking to the cashier would also be secretly recording their conversation. While the other half would be discreetly documenting the reactions through photographs or video. Participants would vary in gender (e.g. guy, girl, gay, straight, etc.) and the experiment was conducted in convenience stores (7-11, Ministop) along Katipunan and Xavierville.

3. Reactions:

1. Respondent 1:

Question asked: “Mabilis ba itong masira, ate?” “may banana flavor ba kayo? gusto yun ng boyfriend ko eh”

Reactions: The salesperson appeared to be holding in a smile and was trying to compose herself and answered “di ko pa alam”. The pace at which she was working was also speeding up, as if she wanted to finish our transaction immediately.

2. Respondent 2 (7-11 Burgundy Plaza)Reactions:

Question asked: “Masasarapan ba ako dito?” “hindi ba ito mabubutas?”

Reaction: The other customer kept distance and avoided eye contact, while the attendant showed very little interest in the subject matter. Her body language showed disapproval of the choice of conversation and desire to be no part of it. She kept her distance from the counter between us and made no eye contact whatsoever.  The cashier’s reply was, “Wala po akong alam sa mga ganyan ma’am,” in a very disgusted, discriminatory tone of voice. She rolled her eyes  twice throughout the encounter. Near the end, she suggested their “best-selling” condoms, and hurriedly ended the conversation.

3. Respondent 3 (Ministop)

Question/s asked: “ano po pinaka-effective dito?”,”mabubutas ba ito?”,  “Masasarapan kaya ako dito?”, “nakagamit ka na ba ng ganito?”

Reactions: The cashier declares that they were only briefed to sell the product, not explain the product, in some half-nervous, half-confused voice. Her co-worker batted a fierce eye roll at in complete judgment and perhaps disgust.

4. Other General Reactions:

• Unexpressive/indifferent to the questions
• Seemingly uncomfortable with the situation though they were accommodating with our questions
• Other cashiers were uncomfortable and tried to avoid the questions or hurried up the conversation altogether
• In an instance where there were two cashiers, they only exchanged confused and bewildered glances at each other
• In one convenience store, a woman glanced curiously at one of our groupmates as she talked to the cashier
• Another cashier was holding in a smile as our gay group-mate conversed with her
• One more cashier was holding in her bewilderment and amusement from the flurry of questions
• There is protocol to only sell the product and not to explain how it works according to one of the cashiers
• Eye-rolling and judging gazes at the buyer from the cashier
• Openly showed disapproval towards the buyer
• Half-hearted replies

4. A. Gender:

For the most part, the buyers in our group were girls. Since it is more common for guys to buy condoms,  the girls would be different from what the cashiers would be used to. It is strange how the cashiers reacted differently to the girls of our group, giving them more curious stares than when the guys in our group bought the condoms. Also, the reaction of the cashier to our gay group-mate was rather amusing because of how homosexual relationships are still considered taboo in our society.

B. Religion:

The shaping of our society by Christianity has made our society more conservative by deeming sex and anything related to sex as taboo.

C. Front Stage and Dramaturgy

The status of server and customer (e.g. “the customer is always right.”) could also be taken into consideration. With this in mind, the server had to act proper and with composure in order to not embarrass the buyer.

5. Most of us were nervous or uncomfortable at first but gradually their inhibitions were let go as we continued with the experiment. After the initial hurdle though, the experimenters felt liberated from social norms and performed the task as something that would be considered normal or commonplace. Another reason people felt uncomfortable was because of the presence of others in the area (e.g. old people, other students, etc.) This was because of the consciousness of people’s judging looks and unspoken shaming. However, through this initial anxiety, nervousness, or discomfort, the all the experimenters felt liberated about conducting the experiment. One of our group mates, however, was unfazed at the act and would gladly repeat the experiment, though the judging gaze of those around her (e.g. the cashier, any bystanders) made her feel insulted.

6. Other observations:
• “I wonder why Mini Stop doesn’t put condoms on the countertop beside the cashier, and puts them instead in the aisles. Food for thought. Oh, and their chicken is so good.”
• “The most popular condom is the thin durex one. The people at 7-eleven hardly ever get purchases of the vibrator ring. Female attendants assisting female customers on this experiment tend to behave more hostilely to the one doing the breaching.”