Deviants (September 25,2007)

Deviants
By: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

The wind rushed with an unusual chilly breeze. The horizon was fogged up in a gloomy mist. The golden ball of sunshine failed to appear from the heavens. Passing, along an open corridor, figments and silhouettes silently came barking at me. I raised my flashlight towards the mysterious creatures and was then, left gulp smacked of what I saw. To every shadow I point my flashlight was the same face, the same aura, the same figure that surrounded me with freezing stares. I turned to my left and saw my reflection at a broken mirror, I tightened my grip with the flashlight as I saw my face, and yes, the whole of me was just like them.

Considering I was made to be a scriptwriter of the latest horror flick that’ll creep out the theatres soon, I absolutely think I’m doing such a marvelous job. Then again, this was just one of my spooky nightmares that left me waking up around two in the morning, catching my breath and reprimanding myself that it will be the last time I watch a movie under the scary genre. Since then, I have always wondered, of how will things go if everyone is exactly alike. All people will have the same name; all people will have the same face, and all having the same fate. Two words. Totally Creepy.

Deviances, these make our world different and less common. Some claim that deviants or norm breakers are just some useless pieces of broken fragments abounding in number today. All of us seem to have our own definition of deviance, what may be inappropriate for you, is totally tolerable for me. But there are some people thought to be deviants in any other circumstances. Those girls who shamelessly stand along the sidewalks at night, waiting for luxurious cars to pick them up for a one night stand. Those guys who tactlessly isolate themselves in one room, inhaling the smoke of pleasure, sniffing the aroma of heaven hoping to for at least one night, forget their problems of that day. Those people who breaks not only the norms but the law itself, seems to be more different than anyone else. If they were to be in my dream, surely, they’ll be the faces I’m sure to recognize.

As a project in my Society and Culture class, we were to conduct a case study about these deviants, the prostitutes and the drug addicts. My group decided to tackle the drug addicts, and thus coming to the point in which we actually made an open interview with two of them. Mr. Shades 1 and 2, as we jokingly called them (and no, they don’t have sore eyes), shared the reasons and regrets that befuddled them before, during and after their taboo habit. More than enough, that is their reason of being addicted to drugs. More than enough love from parents, more than enough allowance, more than enough freedom, these all led them to defy from the normality of society. Influences of peer pressure and media tend to add up to their urges of trying the demonic bounties of prohibited drugs. Shades 1 was sixteen when he first tried, Shades two was fifteen, both young and astray. They lacked confidence so they depended on the mischievous power of these drugs to straighten their back and rise their chin up as they walk along the streets and mingle with people. People seem to worship them as they could endure around three long nights without sleeping or finishing a case of beer without dizzying up themselves.

Yet, the after effects were much more extreme, painfully extreme, both physically and psychologically. There were times when they felt they were being chased by someone that they actually were the ones who can see, and so everybody sees them running around foolishly for no particular reason. So noble were the factors to their withdrawals, so chaste were their confessions and reconciliations, still the world won’t see them to be in any extent, normal. No one can blame neither the society nor Mr. Shades 1 and 2. Society has it own rules and mores to be followed in order to be accepted within it. These two has their own reasons why they committed such. But, what made me scratch my head is but a simple question. How come society won’t consider the existence of these deviants?

As I understand, deviances are also the disparities and contrasts that were just stretch to some grave extent. All of us have our own differences and little deviances, without which we’ll all be stuck inside my dream of twins and triplets. They have their function in society, to the most obvious sense, if these deviants shall be exterminated from the world, what will become of the social workers and the policemen? Their worth will not be put into effect if they have no one to catch, put in jail, rehabilitate or simply use their handcuffs for. And, I guess the marijuana industry shall skyrocket towards the black hole of bankruptcy. As we continue to deny them and send them to the realm of normlessness, we just help in perpetuating the cycle of violence. To be against and knowing of the disadvantages of deviance is a noble man’s. But to revive the broken ones and rejuvenate their dignity is the work of a humane man.

We have our own deviances, each and every one of us. For someone to deny the fact and claim he is so normal, then I’m sorry, you are not human. I actually don’t dream of the utopia, or what sociologists call the perfect society. I don’t want the world to be too perfect, where everything is clean, organized and with the rules. I don’t want my dream to be real, it is first and foremost a nightmare. The society we have today is far from good, but to my analysis is quite balanced and surviving.

No, I’m not saying we shall all be drug addicts and prostitutes. My point all boils down to one thought I don’t want every one to be just like everyone. Because each of us think we’re in our own respect right and correct, we tend to influence others to be our literal clones and double gangers. Differences actually unite and create social solidarity. Because we all have differences, that makes us all common, that in its nature where society evolves.

I blinked again, hoping that what I saw in the reflection will remain to be a hallucination. When I opened my eyes, I just smiled to what I had beholden upon. The gush of wind was warmer as the sun shone brightly through the open corridor. Among the sea of people, each of whom is unique, were two men walking simply. They seem so familiar, except their eyes which I only saw just now.