I'm Going to Give You the Theory First....

I don't remember what book or even what class I read it in, but a few years ago, I read an account of managed social deviance. Basically the writer stated that societies have organized mechanisms for acceptable deviance to keep it from getting out of hand, while letting members go a little crazy every now and then. The example that I remember is Marti Gras, which lets those crazy, uptight Catholics have a day of insanity before they settle into the strict penitentiality of Lent. I don't think the author mentioned this one, but Saturnalia for the Romans would have accomplished the same thing: the slaves act as master, the masters as slaves. One day of crazy, the rest of the year you're normal. It makes sense, I guess.

Significance of the theory? Blowout. A little over two weeks ago, I was on campus during my first and only prime-time Blowout. Campus in the late afternoon and evening hours made me glad of my escape freshman year... I think I would have been scared. Now, however, I looked around and thought, "Isn't this fascinating that this happens!"

The College hosts many traditions in addition to the famous Triathlon. Blowout, I have heard, is one of the more recent, but no less beloved for that. The tradition? Get drunk Thursday night. Don't sober up until sometime Saturday. Attend all your classes and a plethora of college-sponsored activities in between. It's a small group that actually accomplishes this feat, but a large number of students walk around campus without full command of their faculties, and the rest of the student body is so relieved by the end of classes, over-joyed by the craziness of the campus, and vicariously drunk that sometimes it's hard to tell who falls into which category.

Returning to campus in time for one of the most enjoyable Shakespeare performances I've seen also allowed me to see the huge block-party-meets-concert which the Sunken Gardens hosts. Between that, the free ice cream, free t-shirts (if you blow an 0.0), free pancakes, free tacos, and free music, one would think that the administration supports this day. Let me be clear: the administration does not support the drunkenness and they do not hide this. However, they allow and even help the free-at-last, party feel of campus. Controlled social deviance, anyone? The one day a bunch of academics-obsessed, compulsively-overachieving students go crazy. During the school day.

Finally, I may not see another Blowout, but in case anyone who reads this will, I repeat what I said about the Shakespeare troupe. They are a new group and perform highly entertaining Shakespeare. Find them next Blowout, or any time in between. Also, I would recommend IV Pancake House and, if you have a group of non-swooning friends, the Gentlemen.