How I Got My First Girlfriend

I lied. This isn't about my love life. HAHAHA gotcha.

This whole week in class we've been talking about Structuration. Basically it's all about how rules are made, how they're implemented, and how people react to such rules.

I think the best way to describe this theory is to use something we are all familiar with.


So today, I would like to talk about popularity in college. The theory says that the rules are socially constructed. As we can see, there are rules and strictures that are created within the collegiate society.



An example would be the distribution of power and influence. The rich kids are usually the ones who dominate the classrooms and the hallways. They declare how we dress, how we should talk, and usually the music that we like. Now this isn't really a book of commandments. All these rules are unspoken. Anyone who does not follow these rules are usually looked down upon, unless their deviance causes a new kind of social ruling to be instated. A classic example would be how students and teachers are expected to behave around each other. They are expected to share a professional relationship and it is considered a taboo for a teacher to have a very personal or even exclusive relationship with a student. A more recent example would be the "bench rule." Basically, it's "don't sit on that bench. It belongs to the swimming team. Don't sit on that one either, it belongs to Jzone Ateneo." This is a silly rule in my opinion. Nevertheless,  it is enforced by our own personal behavior and the way we see people.

Now how are these rules enforced? One of the major factors would be tradition. "We've been doing this forever, why change it?" The culture we have in Ateneo is simply a result of 150 years of tradition. Another would be the uncertainty we all share when we are new to a particular environment. Since we don't want to be viewed as weird or out of place, we often just keep quiet and go with the flow. We follow the system just to fit in and not rock the boat.

In conclusion, I believe that this theory is quite valid, yet it is also somewhat a double-edged sword. It's a wonderful thing if we follow the rules and as we continue to obey them, we climb higher and higher up the social ladder, but it's also kind of sad since those who cannot cope or refuse to conform to the rules set by the society can be viewed as lepers and outcasts. and are often treated unfairly. The system can both set you free and arrest you!