NWC #22- "Balloons
reveal character" DUE Nov 23rd at 8am
*Challenge- Use dramatic
action to highlight a disability as a diversity- meaning the difference reveals
a new ability.*
Example- A Deaf character
noticing a visual detail in a characters' behavior that a hearing character did
not. A low mobility character exposing dangerous structural flaws in a
building. A low vision character hears a change in the air of the room that
others miss.
*Bonus- if it's something
you've experienced before.*
My Crohn's disease has
made me overhear some conversations while in the bathroom... and once I
accidentally pushed over an old British lady in the middle of a tight space
while running to go deal with a problem and she dropped her purse and I tried
to help her pick it up but had to keep running and chaos chaos chaos... that's
not really a "skill" but it's an example of things happening due to
different types of humans and abilities colliding.
*Secondary Challenge: Use a meaningless inherently theatrical
action and carry it into progression - only assigning meaning at the end.* Blowing up balloons indefinitely until it
pops.
Tip- keep it trite. Don't
try to change the world here. Maybe there is the word Trump on a balloon. IDK
think political cartoons.
Tip- state the opposite of
what it clearly means in a winking sort of way
(I'm logging all these
disability challenges we've been getting for a day when I better have my wits
about me. Today is not that day. I got up at 3am to catch a train to a plane
to get me home to the east coast for family Thanksgiving celebrations. My brain is shot and I'm concerned I'll just
sleep through the deadline tomorrow morning, so I better cobble something
together right now.)
SLEEPING DOGS
WRITER
After
a busy afternoon getting to know the two new dogs and a cat my mother and
brother acquired since the last holidays, my brother was off to work, my mother
had to attend a council meeting at church, and I'm left alone with the two dogs
- dachshunds, weiner dogs - sleeping peacefully next to me on the sofa. Butted up right against me so they can be
assured I'm here with them, even when they're asleep.
The
day after the election, a friend of mine posted something online that I thought
was both beautiful and horrible. She
said she was looking over all the places in her house so she'd know the best
locations to hide people. As if we were
slowly heading toward a 1930s Germany sort of situation, and she wanted to be
ready to take in the 21st century version of the Frank family.
I
just read an article on the potential pick for the Health and Human Services
Secretary - a white Southern Republican who doesn't have much patience for
civil rights of the LGBTQ community. Because,
of course. I mean, the guy already chose
for Vice President a man who wants to channel funding for AIDS treatment into
conversion therapy to pray away the gay instead, so why should this Health
Dept. appointment be a huge surprise, right?
Holding up the rainbow flag, though, that really made all the difference
Mr. President-Elect. Actions over hollow
symbolic gestures, sir.
Do
they not think we see them doing this?
Or
do they just figure if they keep doing enough outrageous shit we'll just, what,
get so tired of shouting and protesting and saying NO that we'll just give up?
Sorry,
it's still my country, too.
Meanwhile,
the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
I
kind of envy them.
Another
friend shared this today. Also beautiful
and horrible...
"Yale
historian and Holocaust expert Timothy Snyder wrote: 'Americans are no wiser
than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism.
Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good
time to do so.'
Snyder's
a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (which includes former Secretaries
of State), and consults on political situations around the globe. He says:
Here are
twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of
today.
1. Do not
obey in advance.
Much of
the power of authoritarianism is freely given.
In times
like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government
will want, and then start to do it without being asked.
You've
already done this, haven't you?
Stop.
Anticipatory
obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom."
To which I think - Yikes.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"2.
Defend an institution.
Follow
the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper.
Do not
speak of "our institutions" unless you are making them yours by
acting on their behalf.
Institutions
don't protect themselves.
They go
down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning."
To which I think - I'm already a member of the ACLU. Maybe that subscription to the New York Times
isn't the luxury I once thought it was, but a necessity, and a bullwark against
- well, God only knows what at this point.
It's not the big stuff that's going to do us in. It's the little stuff chipping away at our
freedoms, like a thousand tiny papercuts until we bleed out.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"3.
Recall professional ethics.
When the
leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice
become much more important.
It is
hard to break a rule-of-law state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show
trials without judges."
To which I think, don't participate in your own
oppression. Don't do art that's safe and
entertaining and reassuring. Do art
that's hopeful, but also angry and determined.
What that looks like, who the heck knows, but I've got to start
somewhere.
Putting the writing I already have more aggressively out
into the world is a start. So I need to
keep pushing. Update the website. Research and submit to as many opportunities
as I can. Write every day. Don't let the muscles go weak from atrophy.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"4.
When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words.
Look out
for the expansive use of "terrorism" and "extremism."
Be alive
to the fatal notions of "exception" and "emergency."
Be angry
about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary."
To which I think everyone is so busy trying to get me to
just be generically afraid, of everything, they aren't offering any specifics
about WHY? You, my government officials,
are who I'm afraid of. I'm not going to
be less afraid of you just because you insist I should be more afraid of
someone else. Give. Me. Facts. Cut the bullshit or I'm never going to
believe you.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"5.
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
When the
terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either
await or plan such events in order to consolidate power.
Think of
the Reichstag fire.
The
sudden disaster that requires the end of the balance of power, the end of
opposition parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book.
Don't
fall for it."
To which I think, Jesus.
Yeah.
That's coming.
We've been lucky the last several times it's happened these
past seven years, we had a deliberative, rational person at the helm.
Again, yikes.
Four years of holding our breath.
Probably not going to hold back the tide.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"6.
Be kind to our language.
Avoid
pronouncing the phrases everyone else does.
Think up
your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone
is saying.
(Don't
use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom, and
read.)
What to
read?
Perhaps
"The Power of the Powerless" by Václav Havel,
1984 by
George Orwell,
The
Captive Mind by Czesław Milosz,
The Rebel
by Albert Camus,
The
Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt,
or
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev."
To which I think - OK, reading. That I can do.
Language. That's my
thing. That I can do.
Refusing to subsist on regurgitated phrasing from
others. Know what you're facing, what
you're really facing, and how to name. it.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"7.
Stand out.
Someone
has to.
It is
easy, in words and deeds, to follow along.
It can
feel strange to do or say something different.
But
without that unease, there is no freedom.
And the
moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others
will follow."
To which I think, well, being a gay man stubbornly refusing
to write straight stories has been my thing up to now. Might as well keep at it. Despite the well-meaning family members who
wonder if I wouldn't be more successful if I didn't write about gay characters
all the time. Despite the well-meaning
but baffling gay directors who keep saying things like "Why does this
character need to be gay?" (Is there a good reason you can give me that
they shouldn't be?) or "When was the last time you wrote something without
any gay characters in it? You're good
enough to write straight theater."
Good enough.
Jesus.
I'll stop writing gay stories when people stop saying stupid
shit like that.
Of course there's more than just LGBTQ rights at stake here,
but hey, it's a place to start. This is
the most powerful tool in my kit to start chipping away at the monolith.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"8.
Believe in truth.
To
abandon facts is to abandon freedom.
If
nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis
upon which to do so.
If
nothing is true, then all is spectacle.
The
biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights."
To which I think, again, the New York Times, as a starting
place.
Keep your eyes open.
Keep informed. Keep listening to
others.
"You're entitled to your own opinion. But you're not entitled to your own
facts."
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"9.
Investigate.
Figure
things out for yourself.
Spend
more time with long articles.
Subsidize
investigative journalism by subscribing to print media.
Realize
that some of what is on your screen is there to harm you.
Bookmark
PropOrNot or other sites that investigate foreign propaganda pushes."
To which I think, see previous note.
Jesus.
"Realize that some of what is on your screen is there
to harm you."
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"10.
Practice corporeal politics.
Power
wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the
screen.
Get
outside.
Put your body
in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people.
Make new
friends and march with them."
To which I think, a lot of my friends are already doing
this. I need to do this, too.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"11.
Make eye contact and small talk.
This is
not just polite.
It is a
way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social
barriers, and come to understand whom you should and should not trust.
If we
enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological
landscape of your daily life."
To which I think, I'm not a slave to my phone like some
people I know, but I could still do better.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"12.
Take responsibility for the face of the world.
Notice
the swastikas and the other signs of hate.
Do not
look away and do not get used to them.
Remove
them yourself and set an example for others to do so."
To which I think, eyes open.
Force the world to be a lighter rather than darker place.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"13.
Hinder the one-party state.
The
parties that took over states were once something else.
They
exploited a historical moment to make political life impossible for their
rivals.
Vote in
local and state elections while you can."
To which I think, CHECK!
Doing this already.
Even early voted this time.
There's plenty of stuff out there to help you educate
yourself, about ballot initiatives, people running for judge, people who want
to sit on your school board. Don't NOT vote. Don't vote from ignorance. Vote with your brain fully engaged.
Vote.
And fight for everyone else to have the right to vote.
Voter suppression feeds the government that is afraid of its
own people.
Starve the beast.
Vote, and make sure everyone else can, too.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"14.
Give regularly to good causes, if you can.
Pick a
charity and set up autopay.
Then you
will know that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society
helping others doing something good."
To which I think, this is harder, but I can still do it on a
small scale.
This time of year.
Every time I hear the homophobe red kettle bell ringers, I go back to my
desk and donate something to
Planned Parenthood
Outfront Minnesota
American Civil Liberties Union
The Trevor Project
It Gets Better
Lamda Legal
Know the characters that are near and dear to you.
Give whenever the thought strikes you.
The bell ringers are great incentive.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"15.
Establish a private life.
Nastier
rulers will use what they know about you to push you around.
Scrub
your computer of malware.
Remember
that email is skywriting.
Consider
using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less.
Have personal
exchanges in person.
For the
same reason, resolve any legal trouble.
Authoritarianism
works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you.
Try not
to have too many hooks."
To which I think, OH, an actual PRIVATE life. That the levers of government have trouble
easily accessing.
Wow.
Dark.
Time to train some carrier pigeons?
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"16.
Learn from others in other countries.
Keep up
your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad.
The
present difficulties here are an element of a general trend.
And no
country is going to find a solution by itself.
Make sure
you and your family have passports."
To which I think, wow.
Make sure you and your family have passports.
That's...
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"17.
Watch out for the paramilitaries.
When the
men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing
uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is
nigh.
When the
pro-Leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the
game is over."
To which I think, but the soldiers and the police are
citizens, too, right? I mean, yes,
resist the strongman. But I'd hate to
think that here, in America, the military would ever side against the people.
But, of course, I'm a white dude. Even gay, what do I really know about my own
government working against me?
And, right now, DAPL.
Black Lives Matter.
Jesus.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"18.
Be reflective if you must be armed.
If you
carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you.
But know
that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one
day, doing irregular things.
Be ready
to say no.
(If you
do not know what this means, contact the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum and ask about training in professional ethics.)"
To which I think, wow.
Just... wow.
2017 here we come.
I have never held a gun.
I have never fired a gun.
My friend in Texas thinks that is among the weirdest things
I have ever shared with him.
I should probably stay in touch...
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"19.
Be as courageous as you can.
If none
of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in
unfreedom."
To which I think, here we go.
Here. we. go.
And the dogs sleep peacefully beside me.
"20.
Be a patriot.
The
incoming president is not.
Set a
good example of what America means for the generations to come.
They will
need it."
To which I think, I made myself do this exercise so I would
really read that piece. Really read
it. Think about it. Come up with some strategies.
Not just be overwhelmed by a sense of despair and impending
doom.
I think of my goddaughter.
And the country I want to leave her.
She's got a passport.
Her family has already spent her formative years abroad.
She was bilingual for a while.
She will be again.
She's back in the states.
I want this country to be her home, too.
I'd like it if it could be the home she prefers to stay in.
But we have work to do.
She'll join us in that work.
Eventually.
Right now she's seven.
These dogs beside me are rescue dogs.
Lacey has one withered leg, but she bounds around on her
three good legs like nobody's business.
Her father Radar was malnourished in his previous home. Now they just learned they have to put him on
a diet because he's eaten a little TOO well these past four months since
they've had him here.
They are incredibly happy and friendly and loving. Even after all they've been through.
Creating a home, a country, with a little more love and
security.
That's all we want.
Right?
For everybody.
No exceptions.
Here.
We.
Go.
There's a song by Little
Steven that Jackson Browne covers which goes in part
"I am a patriot
And I love my country
Because my country is all
I know.
I want to be with my
family,
People who understand me,
I've got nowhere else to
go.
And the river opens for
the righteous
And the river opens for
the righteous
And the river opens for
the righteous
Someday..."
The dogs just woke up.
Here.
We.
Go.
No comments:
Post a Comment