Cyberbully

I love the internet. I can look up the answer to any question 24/7, I can communicate with my loved ones thousands of miles away, I can shop for one-of-a-kind pieces from all over the world, and lord knows I can facebook.

The internet gives us superpowers, allowing us to do things we never could in real life - such as travel instantly from one place to another to hold a conversation or make objects we desire appear at our door step from thin air or be capable of finding people in under 5 minutes who we haven't seen or spoken to in over a decade. While all of this is fantastic, the false sense of having these superpowers can be a very dangerous thing (any episode of Law and Order SVU will teach you that!).

But what I'm concerned about today are not the fiction-worthy extreme instances of criminals on the web, but rather how the internet functions in our daily lives, and in how our children grow up. I was reading a very interesting article on the subject of bullying in middle schools and how it has been made worse by the internet and text messaging. One girl told the reporter, "We had so many fights in seventh grade...None of them were face-to-face. We were too afraid. Besides, it’s easier to say ‘sorry’ over a text.” Another girl was quoted as saying, “It’s easier to fight online, because you feel more brave and in control...On Facebook, you can be as mean as you want.” And who can disagree with her? Haven't we all been overcome by the superpower of invincibility while online and posted a scathing comment on a website or made a particularly stinging remark during a chat session?

But what is this doing to our ability to handle negative or heated emotions? Before logging on to a computer, adopting an alias, and spewing our venom all over the internet was an option, were there fewer bullies? The statements from the girls indicate that most kids (and people in general I think) are too afraid to have fights in person, meaning that before the existence of the internet the role of "bully" was cast from a much smaller pool of candidates. The superpowers awarded to us by the internet might allow people to publish the nasty things they think about others, but the trouble is that they never have to actually face someone and talk about how they are feeling. I have a hunch that if preteens were forced to confront each other face to face that they would use much kinder language and adopt milder points of view about their circumstances with each other. Something about the fear of confrontation makes us back off, makes us forgive more easily, possibly even helps us move on. How strange that the internet, a way in which the entire world is connected, has made these kids unable to actually communicate what they are thinking and feeling. And if we never have to communicate it, we never have to analyze it or figure it out.

Which is more psychologically traumatizing: having your lunch money stolen and your head flushed down a toilet, or having to read nasty things about yourself on a public website? I don't know the answer, nor can I comprehend the concept of it all. I am fortunate enough to have encountered very little bullying in my life, and I cannot understand how anyone could be so unaware of themselves to think they should treat people that way. All I hope is that the bullies and the bullied all learn how to express themselves in a constructive way. We are all victims of circumstance at times, but I firmly believe that it is possible to emerge from any situation gracefully if we are equipped with the communicative tools to do so.

Neutrality

This week I am taking a Neutral Mask workshop with a fantastic actor, teacher, and director named Richard Crawford. I saw Richard perform a one man show where he sat behind a desk for the majority of the piece and was lit almost exclusively on his face and chest. It was the best acting I've ever seen, and in his classes I can see that he is teaching us how to perform like I saw him do. If you are an actor in the New York City area I greatly recommend his courses. You can see a list of workshops and instructors at the Movement Theater Studio website.

For those of you who don't know what the Neutral Mask is, it is a training tool developed by Jacques Lecoq meant to aid the actor in acheiving - you guessed it, neutrality (in the body specifically). By wearing the mask we become aware of our habitual mannerisms. Richard taught Lecoq and Neutral Mask at my college for half a semester, so I've gotten a chance to work on this before, but during this week my idea about the definition of "neutrality" has changed. When I hear the word "neutral" I think of a lacking of character or flavor, but with the Neutral Mask that's not exactly what we are after. It is true that we are seeking to dissolve our own personal "characteristics," but we are doing this with the aim of acheiving a universal physicality, the common denominator between movements. Richard explains this very simply with "I see, I go." Sans opinion, sans style, sans inhibition, sans expectation - I see, I go. I have trouble performing when I am self-conscious, thinking only of the things I shouldn't be doing. It is much simpler for me to think of achieving a universal body rather than negating everything that makes me April. Rather we each focus on the things that make us human.

It is because this universal recognition of movement can exist that I have such a difficult time understanding the concept of xenophobia. I understand that as animals we are going to be cautious or wary of certain things - we are programmed to be slightly skeptical and frightened out of self protection. But we all respond to the elements in the same way...mechanically we are built the same...it is an inefficient use of energy to try and find differences between what is fundamentally and inherently the same. But I think that might be an idea for another day. I'm not sure I have anything new to say on the matter. I just read articles today about racially charged criticisms of French soccer players, the slaughtering of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan, and injustice against Tibetans in China and it all made me feel sick and angry.

Knowledge is Power, or Prejudice?

In today's world it is possible to uncover any information at any time of day or night. With internet in our homes, offices, and even in our pockets, we rarely find our questions unanswered. But has our incessant access to knowledge ruined our ability to approach new things with a sense of mystery and intrigue? Has it made it easier for us to double-click our way into thinking we know what other cultures are really like?

I was having these thoughts as I was reading this article on the New York Times website. It describes a hole-in-the-wall bar in Alexandria, Egypt where many locals come to socialize despite the negative view of such establishments by many religious Egyptians. In fact, those interviewed refused to give their complete names for fear of public ridicule. Having lived in Morocco, I witnessed first-hand the pressure to conform to "religious" standards. The call to prayer might be the most obvious form of a widespread nudging toward uniform behavior. Echoing through the street five times a day, the solemn and throaty sound emitted by the muezzin beckons the citizens to prayer. And whether or not they pray, the call is heard.

The article laments the loss of the old Alexandria, "a city built to look out on the world," and states that "the arc of history has been unkind to Alexandria, taking it on a long slow slide from the center of global learning in ancient times to a rundown, crowded metropolis on the Mediterranean." The diverse population of French, Greeks, Italians, Christians, and Jews are a distant memory now. One man remarked "We were raised in the hands of foreigners," which I find to be incredibly beautiful idea. Is that also not the case for all Americans? Whether or not we actually grew up in diverse communities, we all owe our lineage to foreign peoples and ideas.

So how is it that this happens? How is it that a diverse and unique population full of educated and well-cultured people is now one of submission and conformity? Of course I am only evaluating this one article, but I can't help but think that it seems odd to regress from a cultural capital to a more intolerant society. What I'm wondering is if ease of education about other cultures makes us more apt to find our own superior? Or is it simply poor education that accomplishes this?

Here Goes Nothin!

Making the adjustment into "real" life after graduating college was very difficult for me - so difficult in fact that I ran away to Africa to figure myself out. That trip helped quite a bit, but I still find myself feeling imbalanced.

One of the things I have found myself missing about being a student is being required to absorb and synthesize information, and then convey that synthesis to others. Normally this is reflected in the oh-so-commonly-assigned "Paper." Despite the late night runs to Dunkin Donuts, the vehement cursing of professors' names, and the inevitable standoffs with printers and USB memory sticks, being forced to sit down and sort out my own thoughts was always really good for me. Keeping a blog of my activities while I was in Morocco reminded me of this.

I am interested in the inter-connectedness of all things. Lately I've been feeling like I have too many ideas to focus. I have a hundred things I want to do running through my head, and they are all crashing into each other, making it impossible for me to accomplish any of them. My hope is that the more I write and draw pieces of information together, the more balanced and fluid my thinking and actions will become. A more egotistical hope is that those who read this blog enjoy it and are glad they stumbled upon it or were told about it.

So here we go!