EXERCISE: Natural fear?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 23:40:51 -0400

On a television program early this morning, they were talking with students in Cherry Hill, NJ, about the high school problems.

A statement made by one student rang oddly in my mind.

"There's just this natural fear of anyone different."

This was the justification for ostracizing and harassment of a local "freak" -- a student who dressed differently, likes Marilyn Manson (who is that?), and otherwise doesn't fit in.

Somehow, this notion that difference in some way justifies fear, anger, hatred... it doesn't ring true to me.  Certainly, we've all heard the tales of pink monkeys, but are we indeed trapped by such reactions, or are we able to look beyond our prejudices and reactions?

Anyway, a suggested exercise:

a.  Pick two of the following 12 emotions.  You may use two dice if you like.

1.  sadness  2. distress  3.  relief  4.  joy 
5.  hate  6. love 7.  fear  8. anticipation 
9.  anger  10.  guilt  11.  gratitude  12. pride

Now, pick a gaggle of characters, and one odd-ball(or ballette, as you decide).

Scene one -- introduce your characters, and establish that the gaggle feels one of your two emotions towards the odd-ball.

Scene two through n -- spend some time exploring those relations, the reactions of the odd-ball, the rising xxxxx of the gaggle, the bystanders joining in and raising the stakes.

Scene n+1 -- revelation.  Somehow, someway, let one or more of the gaggle get a good hard look at what they are doing, and at what walking in the shoes of the odd ball means.  This should result in the shift from the first emotion to the second one.

et diminuendo -- now, let us look at your second emotion, driven by the revelation.

Go ahead, spin that tale, warp those words, let the pink monkey dance on the table tops and humanity triumph!

(What, you don't like this one?  How about another tale, or a poem, based around the "natural fear" of difference?  Perhaps something about endogamy and exogamy?)