The Ateneo Entablado, a theatre organization, has an on-going play in the Ateneo de Manila University called Freedom Wall, which is directed by Jerome Ignacio and written by Tyron Casumpang. I actually watched all three plays showing in campus as of now but I chose Freedom Wall because I wanted to talk about socialization, which is one of the topics discussed in class. I think Freedom Wall is the play that evidently showcased socialization because it's a high school setting, talking about one of the most sensitive social issues, sexual harassment. For context, Freedom Wall was inspired by the popular Facebook page handled by the Ateneo students called ADMU Freedom Wall. It's a Facebook page where you could submit entries about anything at all, mostly involving the school or the students, and these entries would be posted on the page anonymously. ----SPOILERS AHEAD----
The play started with King, the student council president, reading a post on the Freedom Wall page that calls out the campus' popular student athlete, Gab Go. The post was talking about how Gab Go has sexually harassed the girl who submitted the entry anonymously. This has ensued more rumors surfacing about Gab Go and his inappropriate acts, which earned him the nickname "GaGo." These posts encouraged more girls to speak up about their own experiences regarding sexual harassment, but the student council thought that some posts could be hoax. So, in the peak of the play, the girls and the student council weren't on the same page, hence starting a fiery debate between them, especially with the fact that the student council president, King, is a guy.
This shows students interacting with one another, and in this process, they get to know more about each others' views, creating more meaning to their relationships. In socialization, one of the theories is called the looking-glass self, wherein one's self-concept is depended on social structure and self-esteem. From one of our lectures in class, sociologist Charles Cooley has explained that "our self-concepts are formed as reflections of the responses and evaluations of others in our environment." To me, it came off as people build their self-concepts depending on how the others, usually peers, see them; not how they see themselves. In Freedom Wall, the victims were hesitant about speaking up for themselves because they are afraid of what the others would think of them.
To be more specific, I'll give an example from the play itself. Julia, the lead girl of the play and sort of (but not really) King's love interest, was sexually harassed by Mario, King's best friend aside from Gab Go, at the party. This was the climax of the play, since it was really unexpected of Mario to do something like this. Julia trusted him to take care of her, not take advantage of her vulnerable state. After what happened, she didn't speak up or tell anyone, even to her family and friends, even to MUSA, the support group for victims of sexual harassment. She was worried that she would get interrogated with questions such as "What were you wearing?", "Did you go with him willingly?", "Were you drunk or sober?", "Were you conscious?", and more. She was afraid that people would judge her for something she didn't even do or choose to happen. In the end, as she opened up more to her best friend, Gizelle, about it, things started coming to light. Gizelle talked to her and comforted her, assuring her that it wasn't her fault, but the offender's. Julia also talked to King, apologizing for falsely accusing him of sexual harassment. Through these interactions, their relationships with one another have developed, creating deeper meaning.
For me, this is socialization. We, as individuals, derive our self-concept and sense of self from how others perceive us and also from the consequences and products of behavior that were attributed to us.
If you want to watch Freedom Wall, even after reading these spoilers, we still have few shows left from Friday to Sunday (April 12-14)! You can contact me for tickets or visit our booth in the Arete, ground floor!
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