For my last blog post regarding the Flagpole Smokers I am going to discuss and conclude everything that I have seen these past several weeks. The micro-culture of the Flagpole Smokers, as some refer to them, is an interesting one in that we as members of the Chapel Hill community see and pass by them every day heading to and from classes. Since Chapel Hill became a “Smoke-free Campus” anyone wishing to enjoy a cigarette, whether he is only an occasional social smoker or a seasoned nicotine addict, has had to find safe places beyond a hundred feet of any building. This has led to some rather innovative, and almost defiant, behavior, such as the population of small pockets on campus by smokers, the most infamous being the Flagpole at Polk Place. My initial beliefs would be that the smokers would be friendly and animated with each other within the safe area and essentially ignore each other upon departure. In a similar fashion, I assumed the smokers would ignore any non-smoking students.
While I was observing, yes it was true most people I saw were friendly when they talked together; however, there were also a large number of subjects who stood alone and spoke to no one, which was not something I originally thought would occur. I had hypothesized that this type of, almost, discrimination would compel people to be more amiable and approachable with each other, making them a sort of friends of circumstance. Although some did talk, it is impossible for me to say that it was because of the environment that they did so. For all I knew, they might have been great friends long before UNC became smoke-free. I was partly correct in thinking that non-smokers would avoid this spot because most people go to extra lengths to avoid it. In spite of my previous assumptions, however, not all the people around the flagpole smoked and those who did seemed to have absolutely no problem with their presence. In fact, most of the non-smokers around the flagpole were friends with at least one of the smokers.
To conclude I believe it is important that I apply what I see to a bigger picture. This information is interesting in regards to the UNC culture because there is a feeling similar to fear when it comes to the Flagpole Smokers. As students pass the flagpole there is little interaction between them and the smokers within the circle, the passing students rarely look up, and it is both amusing and discomforting to the see the dozens of students who trek the maze of brick sidewalks just to avoid cutting through the area of green that is the smoking safe zone. However, not all the non-smokers avoid this area like it is a toxic zone, those that are friends with the smokers are quick to approach and converse with them, just like anyone else’s friends. The smokers are not an isolated group of people and they do have friends that don’t smoke, at least not habitually, which means that these people do not see smoking as a horrible disgusting habit, but just something people do. From these observations one can conclude that many people see smokers as sketchy outcasts; people to avoid and distance one’s self from. But once one actually interacts with these people it is obvious that they are just normal people who have developed an unhealthy habit and are not simply smoking to rebel against society as commonly thought. The fact that I am observing these people as their own micro-culture is proof of that. My observations conclude that, although millions of people smoke, smokers are now being rejected for their choice of habit. It is interesting that something that was considered cool 50 years ago is now considered socially unacceptable in today’s society.

Day 4 -Bust

Sunday, March 1, 2009, between 12pm and 12:30pm. Weather is cold and wet. In Dey Hall again. Reading Watchmen. Once again, I see no one. Perhaps a contributing factor is the weekend itself, along with the weather. I'm going back to bed as soon as I finish this chapter.

Day 3 -Bust

Saturday, February 28, 2009, between 12pm and 12:30 pm. Rain. I am slinking around Dey Hall to avoid the rain, attempting to watch the Flagpole grounds from the windows.
~I see no one. I do homework. Rain and no smokers helps to prove my hypothesis. I can't sit alone here any longer...

Day 2

Friday, February 27, 2009, between 12pm and 1pm. Weather's alright, wind is chilly. I've decided to sit in the same spot as yesterday and have my computer out to take notes so as not to appear to too obvious. The problem with this is it's difficult for me to type and observe at the same time and I feel i am missing details.

• 12:20~7 people around the flagpole. Two are smoking, from what I can see it looks like the rest are just sitting. There is on girl sitting alone on the circle, typing intently on her computer. There are two more people sitting by the tree to the right of me, one of them is smoking. I think she may be the girl who was sitting against the flagpole, reading the newspaper yesterday.

~Strange occurrence: There is a woman with a large, professional camera photographing the people around the flagpole. She is not smoking. at one point it appears interviews one of the students.

• 12:30 ~ Eleven people within the area, 3 of whom appear to be cafeteria workers. A fourth person enters this small group and they are speaking animatedly and laughing together. There is one older man with a duffel bag, it looks like he's is searching for something within it; a cigarette, perhaps?
  

~Camera woman packs and leaves.

• 12:40 ~ Nineteen people within the area, 13 are now smoking and the rest are not. Eight of these people stand or sit alone, 11 are conversing in groups of 2, 2, 2, and 5. The group of 5 has grown from the original 2 by the tree, and two of its members are definitely the Flagpole Sitter and the Bike Girl (who I had originally mistaken for a boy). It turns out the older man isn't interested in smoking, he just wants to play Frisbee.

• 12:50 ~ Twelve people are sitting on the flagpole bricks. It's beginning to get crowded and the wind is picking up. They remind me of huddling Emperor Penguins.

~The original coupld sittin gby the tree have moved towards the flagpole to talk to someone and they walk away together.
~Three people have cut through the area without smoking, one on a bike.

From the Ashes

Alright, so after abandoning my original Blog idea, I've decided to observe instead the Smokers on campus. You know, the legal kind. These are the people we pass every day who group around the flagpole in the center of Polk Place. It seems to be the most poplar safe place for them to smoke their cigarettes since Carolina is a "Smoke-Free Campus."

I would like to perform my observations every day between noon and 1. We'll see how that works out. While I cannot know the relationships between the subjects, my hopes are if I perform my observations around the same time everyday I will begin to see the same people returning, and perhaps glean something about their relationships and habits.

I hypothesize the majority of the smokers around the flagpole will be animated and friendly with each other. Not necessarily that they will all be friends, but rather they will interact as friends of circumstance. This may include conversing with a person while inside the smoking area, and essentially ignoring each other upon departure. Also, I am fairly certain that in spite of a habit, if the weather is disagreeable, people will not attend this particular safe place to smoke.

. . .

Thursday, February 26, 2009, between the hours of 12:24pm and 12:47. Weather's nice.

• 12:24 ~There are about 10-15 people on the grassy area in the center of Polk Place, where the flagpole stands. About 3 or 4 of them are not smoking, the rest are. Those who are not smoking appear to be friends with a few of the smokers. It is interesting that the majority of the girls have relatively short hair; in fact, a lot of these people seem like the kind of people I would like to get to know. Of course, one can never judge a person by appearance alone.
• 12:34 ~Egh, people are starting to look at me funny. I guess I do look a bit like I'm creepin'; I'm just standing against a tree watching the people. I suppose I should find a way to be more discreet about my observations.

~Many people have left the circle; there are about 7 people left, not all smoking. It seems most people who enter the circle have already got an unlit cigarette either in their mouths or hands and proceed to light them once safely inside the grassy area.
~An interesting interaction. A girl with very short hair (initially I mistook her for a boy) rides towards the flagpole and stands her bike. She is smiling, and she goes to greet a girl sitting against the flagpole reading a newspaper (she also has very short hair). As far as I can see, the girl sitting down is not smoking.
~It seems people generally want to put their butts out in the flower pots around the flagpole, but if they are standing towards the edges of the area they are less inclined to, and they simply drop it to the ground, stamp it out, and leave the area.

• 12:47 ~People have begun to trickle back into the area and now there are almost as many people as there were when I began my observation. So far, I have witnessed only one person light a second cigarette, but this could be due to the fact that there are so many subjects, and I may have just missed it.

~ Another interesting interaction. Another girl on a bike (once again, with relatively short hair; this is peculiar to me now), riding along casually, looks over and seems to notice someone in the smoking area. She stops her bike surprisingly quickly and walks it over to the other girl who entered with her bike. The two greet each other animatedly and walk their bikes away, departing the circle.
~It seems almost as if people outside this smoking environment are afraid or extremely uncomfortable with the area as I've noticed students will take the brick paths all around the area rather than making the straight and much quicker path through the grassy area. Only one person cut through the area and he did so with such certainty, and I had become so comfortable with the avoidance convention that he actually surprised me. I initially assumed he was walking determinedly to have his smoke.

In-Class Writing

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 26, between 1 and 2 in the afternoon, I will either observe the Flagpole Smokers or the students in the Union Atrium, depending on the weather. While I suspect the people who smoke around the flagpole have a more intriguing micro-culture than those who study in the Student Union atrium, I do not have a high tolerance for cold weather.

I will have to force myself to observe the largest amount of people and their actions as I can, as I will most likely be tempted to become overly focused on one individual or scenario. Also, I think it will be very important to pay attention to the entrances into the observed space and the exits from it. I think it will be equally important to watch the members' interactions with each other and "outsiders" because I believe their behaviours may change depending on who they are interacting with.

Are you good?

I am going to observe the pot scene on campus. You know it exists, and believe it or not, it probably happens a lot more than you might think.

I have been acquainted with members of this culture before, but only briefly and through a third degree of separation before circumstances impelled me to move on to other interests. However, what I did see was curious and fascinating. It was like I caught a glimpse into a whole different culture.... which is exactly what we're searching for. I believe this culture of marijuana functions exactly like any "legitimate" culture, with it's own hierarchy, it's own language, and it's own laws. Furthermore, I intend to attempt to prove or disprove certain stereotypes people have about members of this culture. I think people assume these members are limited to easily identifiable "potheads" with little work ethic or academic motivation, and a stereotypical profile. I believe there is far more to the situation than we commonly assume, and I believe there are far more people involved in this culture than most would like to consider.

I have discussed my intentions with a member of this culture and he has agreed to allow me to observe his behaviours and use him as my contact to this culture. I have already decided not to include any real names or locations, so please don't ask. It is important that we become aware of this culture, not to reform or erradicate it, but because it IS a part of our community, and because there is so much controversy concerning the subject. It has always been my rule to be educated before passing judgement.

If you would like to respond and post some of the common stereotypes or rumours you've heard about this subject, I will gladly take them into consideration while I perform my observations, and I will do my best to address them specifically within the course of this blog. ^__^