In this week's readings, I was most captivated by the chapter on storytelling. Cruz did a great job of explaining the power of first-person oral storytelling. By speaking from direct experience, rather than generalizing and dictatorial commandments, the storyteller avoids unnecessarily alienating the experiences and opinions of others; personal narratives offer an undeniable intimacy and vulnerability that speaks on behalf of oneself, not on top of others. Yet, personal reflection often leads to communal reflection- inside the personal reveals the political. As Cruz suggests, good storytelling, “redefin[es] what had previously been considered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of public concern, as issues of justice, as sites of power.” On a side note, I believe this quote perfectly encapsulates the potential and power of observational stand-up. Experientially informed performance allows us to pointedly and transformatively challenge the status quo, group consciousness even.
For this blog, I’ve chosen to spotlight a group of animal rights activists I encountered yesterday at Union Square Station in NY. Standing in a circle holding monitors and wearing Guy Fawkes masks, these performers attempt to stir the public by making onlooking spectators watching videos of big agriculture practices. Their videos offer bold language and imagery about the sexual and physical violence that animals face to create products for humans. They attempt to politicize and reconsider our often time mindless consumption of animal products. I myself eat meat, and this action works to disrupt and stigmatize an action I often think of as apolitical.
But also, I want to include George Carlin's piece on soft language here. Social change starts with the politicization and analysis of the mundane,
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