Food for thought on MLK via WTF
Hello, patient readers... I'll get caught up on all the goings on over the past couple of months (maybe... if it seems pertinent...). For now I'll just hide behind the "I've been busy" excuse, which means on days like today when I'm finishing a big order and have to just hunker down and get it done, I plug in and listen to something. Some days I enjoy an audio book (if you want to know the geeky side of me, I will reveal that I'm listening to George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series... I've read them previously, but it's been so long that I wanted a refresher before jumping into the newest "A Dance with Dragons." The audio books are more performance, and a great way to re-experience the books).
Other times I listen to podcasts when I want a change or have tasks that take an hour here, an hour there... they keep me going for shorter-term attention spans. I have a list of about 16 favorite podcasts that I keep track of on Stitcher, although my all time favorite one is WTF with Marc Maron, which I discovered maybe 6 months ago. Marc is a comedian, and his podcast is based around his interviews with fellow comedians yet we also get to know about him through his periodic monologues. The show is always thought provoking, and it has enlightened me in many ways, and re-opened my love for comedy. I really got hooked on the show when he spoke with Lisa Lampanelli ("The Queen of Mean"), whose comedy I always had a hard time with because I don't generally find mean-spirited humor funny. What a difference to get a glimpse behind the performance image, though... she seems so nice, sincere, and open. I have since heard her tell a story on the Risk podcast (a new fave that I was just introduced to), which was hilarious, poignant and touching.
When a podcast or program can help me to be more open minded and truly re-evaluate my own perceptions, while also entertaining me, then I'm in. I've also become obsessed in my dream world with the idea of imitating WTF slightly by starting a podcast of conversations with art fair artists, since, like comedians, we are also performers in a way... sharing our perspectives and experiences in a visual manner. We have our pack mentality, we understand road life, we celebrate highs and lows, and we have jealousies and rivalries with those who "make it." It could be nice to put some words to that and get to know the people as just people, where it's not so daunting to approach an artist as a person and start a discussion.
Today was a slightly different WTF than what I had experienced before. Comedian Todd Glass, who apparently had been on the show before, asked to be invited back specifically so he could come out of the closet publicly while simultaneously having an interesting discussion. The conversation was riveting, and I learned so many things and gained a level of understanding that never sunk into my head during PC training at Smith College. It has been ingrained in me over the years to be sensitive to what people want to be called, referred to, etc. etc. Which still boils down to naming and classifying, which, yes, has its purposes at times as an easy handle. Yet what Todd wanted to get across was that rather than focusing on that minutiae (albeit important) to "prove" your open-mindedness was rather to prove it with actions of another sort. On a small level, we can improve our vocabulary... rather than call something "gay" or "retarded," think about what you really mean and then say that.
On a larger scale, if you are around someone who refers to something as "gay" (I mean the slang usage here), rather than singling them out and putting them on the defensive about their usage, maybe make a passing remark such as "I'm not sure why our sexuality entered into this. Why do you really not want to go to the party?" or whatever it is that was being slandered. Todd felt frustrated at times during the interview, like he wasn't making his points clear, and now I understand with trying to paraphrase. By all means, listen to the WTF podcast rather than just rely on my feeble attempt to explain the monumental shift this made for me in my head.
One of my favorite stories was how to deal with a heterosexual guy who says he just can't imagine sleeping with a guy or the idea of two guys having sex. Todd brings up the notion of imagining the guy's sister or Mom having sex, which of course is followed by more extreme cringing, and then driving the point home that in general none of us thinks about the details of other people having sex. It's not something we have to think about or even talk about unless we want to (and, in general, that's the role that porn plays)... there are so many other things to discuss about relationships other than the details of sex (which are also okay to discuss if desired... Sex with Emily is another favorite podcast that I follow to get different sex perspectives since it can often be taboo to discuss in detail with friends). I just like how he made that point in a way just about anyone can understand.
My whole purpose in writing this post was to rejoice in the fact that on today, Marting Luther King, Jr. Day, it was truly refreshing to feel like my mind was opened to another's perspective. To see that I can broaden my horizons and make changes within myself that might help to move us as a culture forward. Especially on a topic that I don't understand why so many people get so up in arms about it... as adults, we deserve to give and receive love with whomever and however we want.