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.