Paper that is only interesting to me

Dan Feuerbach
English 354
2-16-2006

Downtown Lincoln on a Saturday is a zoo. There is some representation of everyone in the City. Homeless people on one corner will ask for change while stiletto-wearing sorority sisters stumble and gawk at them between bars while businessmen relax after a tough week of work with an expensive meal at Vincenzo's. In contrast to these archtypes, on the corner of thirteenth and “P” streets there is a different kind of people is developing in this zoo.
A cluster of people will be gathered on Saturday night. Some will be smiling, some will be smoking, wearing collared shirts or biker jackets with band names written in paint by the owner. These are the men and women of XXXXtreme Urban Street Tag.
XXXXtreme Urban Street Tag, or tag, is a subculture that requires an easily learned literacy to participate. This literacy takes places within the game itself and life outside the game. Before I explain tag literacy, I am going to give some background information about this emerging culture.
Tag is a continuation of the classic childhood ritual. Every Saturday when weather permits, at nine-thirty in the evening a group of roughly thirty-five people assembles. The game is simple: about a forth of the people will be “it” and the rest will try to avoid being “tagged” by them. This event lasts roughly two hours and three thirty-minute games are played. In between each game is a five to ten minute break for players to catch their breath.
At the start of the first game, the administrator, who I will be referring to as “J” calls for everyone's attention. All conversations cease immediately. He shouts off a list of nine rules. Most of the people will have heard them already, but listen anyways.
“J” calls for the cluster to form a circle around him and counts to twenty-seven sequentially pointing at a different person for each number. Once roughly a forth of the people have been selected to be “it,” they will count to twenty-seven while the remaining players leave the area. Players are confined to one city block. They run after or towards other players, ducking down alleys, across sidewalks or any place possible to avoid being tagged.
Within this seemingly simple context, a type of literacy has developed that, although easy to learn, is essential to maximize enjoyment for everyone. The communication falls into two categories: internal and external. Internal refers to all messages within a game of tag. External refers to all contact outside the actual game. The medium for this communication can be oral, written or visual, but it will fall into one of these two categories or occasionally both.
The one aspect that falls into both of these categories is the nine rules. At anytime during or between tag sessions these rules can be found and interpreted for both the recently exposed or indoctrinated. The rules have been quoted in this paper from the XXXXtreme Urban Street Tag facebook group.
“1. Do not hit other pedestrians.
2. Be honest when asked if you are "it".
3. No entering of buildings
4. You must stay within one city block - no crossing of streets.
5. No Douchebags
6. Keep It Awesome
7. No tagbacks
8. Keep It Sober
9. No Bears”
External communication is done through two mediums. The first is facebook; the second is group member contact. In any given week these ways of passing information combined could happen dozens of times.
Members of tag will log on to facebookand find a message waiting for them. They will discover that the weekly “call to arms” by "J" to let members know the session is going to happen. Often the message will be nothing more than two or three sentences.
This is example comes from a group message sent out on October twenty-seventh of last year:
"Next Game: 9:30pm, Saturday the 29th
May be the last game of the year due to the cold, so get your ass out!
Meet at the same place by the Coffee House."
This is effective device because large numbers of players will find out with in a week. In one swoop the majority of the people will know that there is going to be a tag session on the upcoming Saturday. This requires tag members to be literate in facebook. They must know how to get information and respond if necessary.
The second external communication is word of mouth discussion between members. Often two members will bump into each other at the union or between classes. They will discuss tag agree to attend the upcoming event.
Internal communications consist of three different things. First of all is the initial gathering, followed by the “not it” arm raise and verbal warnings/expulsion. These three main ways of sending information are mostly oral, but are absolutely essential to any game of tag.
The initial gathering which signifies the beginning of the tag session uses terms like “awesome,” “douche bag” and “no bears.” To anybody walking by these things may seem slightly confusing, even mind boggling, but to the people this terms have specific, narrow definitions.
The rule “keep it awesome” refers to player moving, not sitting around chatting and not shirking the responsibilities of being “it.” “Don’t be a douche bag” means not causing and petty internal politics or ruining other people’s enjoyment of the block the game is played on. “No bears” is a continuation of an inside joke which basically means what it says, but isn’t funny to people who are tag-illiterate.
When any of these or the six other rules is bent or broken, communication is sent via a verbal warning to members. If they are, in fact, “being douche bags” they will be told on the spot and if the behavior persists, expelled from the game and possibly banned.
In the middle of game players are required to signify if they are it. When asked they must respond by either saying “I’m it” or raising their hands above their head to form an “X” which translates into “I’m not it” to those who are tag literate. This visual communication serves to give people time to get away or pursue, reaching the height of tag pleasure.
In conclusion, tag is a loose community. The rules and regulations are fairly self-explanatory, but essential to its continued operation. While the eclectic mix of people might at times seem rough, they are above all else at tag to play the game. If the communication between members continues, tag has a long, happy future ahead of it.