Never Better

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Tuesday, November 20, 2001 @ 1:19 PM Today Rebecca Wenning and I led a group of 18 freshman in a discussion about intolerance, in the world (Bin Ladin's indictment of American citizens as "heathens") and in the school (the sexual, racial, and even wardrobe-inspired biases that we encounter daily). We played a little "game" with them. We stuck labels on their heads, and told them to ask each other yes or no questions about the label they wore, without looking at what they were wearing on each other's foreheads. They were told to mock each other, to give each other clues. They couldn't do it. Labels such as "Cheerleader," to which someone should have said, "Oh! My God! That's so retarded!" in a high-pitch, pompom flailing squeal, followed by a sarcastic, "Airhead," under their breath - they inspired nothing. Apparently freshmen are not aware of such stereotypes as, "Swimmers are show-offs," "Skaters are weed fiends," or my favorite, "Thespian is code for Lesbian." They couldn't do it. They have not yet been fully iniated into the mini-world of U-High's pervasive casual discrimination. They are not aware of the labels they use - perhaps because they have not discovered the labels that they wear... I remember when I was a freshman, I managed to almost completely avoid strange looks and discriminatory remarks, until Thespian Induction Week. Then it was, "So... are you gay?" every time I walked into a classroom. Things like, "Woah, there, Morticia" on "Backstage Black" day. People would read my enormous signs, "Honorable Lesbian Initiate," to my face, and I would say, "That's right. Because they have a ceremony for that," then sigh and walk away, rolling my eyes down the hall. And every day since then, I have been a self-declared "Theatre freak." Instead of trying to deny my Role, my Label, I embraced it. And I became more and more aware of all the other Labels and Roles, more aware that without even realizing it, I was judging people based on the clothes they wore, the people they hung out with, the classes they took, the clubs they joined, even what kind of backpack they carried. And now, I cannot deny that I am, in fact, a part of the problem, not the solution. They couldn't do it. They couldn't do it, because they walk down the halls unaware that they are being judged. They sit in the lounge oblivious that the Shining Examples of the senior class congregate at the same table every day, and ten feet away a group of sophomore football warriors occupy the green semi-comfy couch/chair sets. They notice a banner advertising the Madrigal dinner, and don't know that until this year, the only banners you could find in the lounge were advertisements for sporting events. They look around their school, and they just see people, they don't see the lines that divide us from one another. I envy them. But their time will come. 0 Comments: Post a Comment << Home archives / / blogger NetworkedBlogs Blog: Never Better Topics: writing, music, theatre   Join my network Content & Design (c) 2000-2009 KP

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