I was there for the Cambodian bombing protests at the U. of Minn., and got my first tear gassing*. And yes, most of them, like me, were there not for politics, but for the spectacle, and because it was more interesting than watching dust collect in your dorm room. Of the crowd of hundreds, I would say maybe thirty had showed up as part of an organized protest.

*Nothing exciting or brave. I found a discarded cannister and was trying to figure out how it worked. I figured since it was discharged, it was safe. This is when I discovered that tear gas is actually a finely dispersed powder, with considerable remnants on the cannister.