• Home Page
  • About this website
  • Biography
  • Dr. B's Notes
  • Contact
Richard S. Beam

211     Banning Books and Other Obscenities

9/22/2021

0 Comments

 
Thinking about The Fantasticks for my last post got me to thinking about that show (obviously), the four productions of it I have been directly involved with, the many performances I have seen (including productions I was NOT a part of), and the variety of experiences that I have had with it.  Most of those memories are quite pleasant, but there is one in particular which stands out more vividly than most in my mind.  That may be because it wasn’t so agreeable.
 
The last time I had any direct connection to this show was during academic year 2002-3 when I designed lights for it in Hoey and while I was serving as the quasi-official Director of Theatre at Western.  Anyway, during one performance, a matinee as I remember it, I was accosted in the lobby by an extremely upset woman, older than the typical college student but not appearing to be what I would have called an “Elder,” who demanded (loudly) to know if I had anything to do with the production.  When I admitted that I did, I was informed that she was going to contact the University authorities regarding how the Musical Theatre program was “contributing to the spread of RAPE culture by producing this piece of trash,” or words very much to that effect.
 
I confess that once I got her calmed down and out of the lobby, I never heard anything more about this incident, so I do NOT know if she in fact followed through on her threats.  I feel quite confident, however, that they were precipitated by the song “It Depends on What You Pay” and what is known as ‘The Rape Ballet,” which ends Act I.  It IS true that this section of the show has been rewritten to minimize the use of the word “rape.”  The song has been rewritten as “Abductions,” the dance is now labelled as “The Abduction,” etc., and the libretto, as rented for productions, contains, I believe, both versions.  I even have some sympathy for the “lady’s” concern.  Yes, rape is an act of extreme violence and, as the father of two daughters, I have quite strong feelings about such matters.
 
However, I find it impossible to accept that anyone with more than two brain cells could construe the references to “rape” in this musical to be anything which could to be taken as encouragement of actual, physical, sexual rape by anyone else with two, or more, brain cells.  It’s quite evident, in my opinion, that the woman making this charge was incapable of rational thought regarding this word.  
 
To explain: Wikipedia’s entry on the etymology of the word “Rape” says: 
Picture
Thus, the original sense of the word does not, necessarily, imply sexual violence, which, I believe, is made quite clear in the libretto for The Fantasticks, if one bothers to read, or understand, it. 
 
I confess that I was quite bitterly amused when, at a later date, I told this story to an actress friend whom I knew had played Louisa (the “raped” daughter) and she informed me that she had actually been raped (sexually assaulted) a few years before, but had had no difficulty playing the part because: 1.) it was clearly acting [and not intended to be of a particularly realistic nature]; and 2.) it was so obvious what was intended in the circumstances.
 
All of which is preface to my real topic with begins with the note that Banned Books Week for 2021 is September 26 - October 2.  As I post this, that’s NEXT WEEK!  I suppose that I bring this up as the grandson of an English Professor and the son of his daughter, a librarian.  The right to access ideas, materials, books, and thoughts which may be controversial is inherent to any idea of freedom.  That’s why the first thing which totalitarian regimes always do is to try to control the flow of information through control of the press, publication, control of education and censorship in libraries.  
 
I agree VERY strongly with Peter Stone’s character, Stephen Hopkins, in 1776, who, when asked if he felt the Continental Congress should consider separation from England, says: “In all my years, I never seen, heard nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn't be talked about.”  I would suggest that if one refuses to consider ideas other than one’s own, it’s probably because one has little faith in his convictions.  Listening to an idea doesn’t mean you have to agree with it, just that you will accept that others have a right to their own beliefs.  Or, as Voltaire is supposed to have said, “I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
 
How is it possible to attack ideas about which nothing is known?  If I wish to refute the ideas of Socialism, for example, it only makes sense to have some idea as to what is generally accepted that the term means.  Or, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan is quoted as saying, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”  This, of course, suggests that not all opinions should be equally valued.  It may be undemocratic, but I have no problem accepting this.  Having been raised as a scholar of sorts and with an engineer as a father, I have a strong belief that one should have more than just a partiality for ideas and beliefs which they support as important, they should have some evidentiary support for those ideas, especially if they are going to assert their “truth,” as opposed to a simple preference.  Or, to revert to theatre-related ideas which, I believe, apply to “real” life, as Laurence Olivier said, “ Have a very good reason for everything you do.”  Now, Lord Olivier was discussing choices in acting at the time, but it doesn’t seem to me to be a bad idea to apply this principle to all of life’s questions.
 
This seems to fly in the face of much cable “news” and so-called “internet” and “social media” information.  Here, all too often, there doesn’t appear to be what I was taught to think of as actual sources for statements which claim to be of fact.  It appears that much of the time opinion and rumor seems to be relied on as if it was fact.  So, what do I mean by a “fact?”  I would suggest, along with dictionaries, Wikipedia, etc. that a fact is “an event or thing known to have happened or existed.”  That it is “a truth verifiable from experience or observation.” 
 
To use a recent case in point, (sorry if this gets political, but the example seems obvious), when I watch (on several TV channels [ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, BBC, etc.]) footage of people wearing Trump paraphernalia and carrying various types of weapons, smash windows, break through barricades, beat people over the head and, through the use of violence, disrupt the Congress’ ability to act on certifying the electoral votes from the states and officially declaring the winner of the Presidential election during the properly called congressional session intended to do that.  I would argue that these events certainly appear to be events or things “known to have happened.”  This being the case, I find it impossible (even irrational) to accept the statements of certain members of Congress, who were (verifiably) present during these events, that this was “just another group of tourists” and nothing like an attempted coup.  I’m forced to wonder where these people were while the Capital Police were conducting the Vice President and other members of Congress to “safe locations?”
 
I do not pretend to be some sort of an expert, but I do know what I have seen from a variety of sources.  I could be incorrect.  But I see no reason to reject the witness of my eyes without at least some evidence to contradict what I saw.  I’m not quite ready to go as far as Bert (see below) with his proposed amendment to the first amendment, but I like the general idea of it.
Picture
As I used to tell my Theatre History students regarding sources for their research papers, “If you are using the Internet for information, consider the web address.  A site hosted at “NASA.gov” seems far more likely to have accurate information regarding the space program than one from “[email protected].”  That’s does NOT mean that “spaceguy” COULD not be credible, but one probably needs to check further before accepting his ideas at face value.
 
This is, of course, an all too lengthy way of getting around to censorship and book banning.  We humans have a lengthy and well-established practice of wanting to support our ideas by denying others access to ideas with which we disagree.  I am not going to extend this by including a list of books which have been frequently challenged as being “Improper” to include on library shelves.  However, such a list isn’t hard to find, nor are the reasons for their being “challenged.”  They are pretty easy to find if one starts at “ala.org.”  People object to racial references, sexual references, religious references, political references, you name it, somebody has probably tried to use it as an excuse to object to allowing the circulation of it.  In other words, to censor it.  Mark Twain’s best-known books use the word “nigger,” as did many people at that time, especially not well-educated little boys, so we can’t allow those books to be read.  The Harry Potter series is about “witches and wizards,” so get rid of it.  The Hunger Games books have been called “anti-ethnic, anti-family, and filled with insensitivity, offensive language, occult/satanic content, and violence” so we shouldn’t allow them to be read.  And Heaven forbid that those “Fifty Shades” books be allowed to sully the shelves of a library where people might actually be able to read them!
 
I think censorship is stupid, except the censorship of the marketplace.  If, after consideration, I find that I have little interest in spending my time and/or money reading a specific work, I don’t buy the book, watch the movie or TV show, attend the meeting, etc.  Of course, that suggests that I have to give this decision some thought to begin with.  And being of somewhat limited means in terms of time, money, shelf space, and energy, there are many ideas, books, TV shows, movies, theatrical works, etc., about which I will probably remain ignorant of unless something comes along which leads me to look into them more deeply.  
 
Those “Fifty Shades” books, for example, have been promoted for their “scandalous” sexual content.  Okay, I have other things which interest me more, so I haven’t read any of them, and I probably won’t.  That doesn’t (I believe) allow me to suggest that YOU can’t read them if you wish to, just that I’m not particularly interested.  As Robert A. Heinlein wrote in The Man Who Sold the Moon, “The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong.  It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak.”  If those books are your steak, that’s your choice and I think you should have the right to read them, although I would (in all cases) request that you give some consideration as to whom you share them with.  They may not be the best choices for small children, although I suspect that, left to their own devices, kids would not find them of great interest.  
 
I think one should have a right to expect that people will give some consideration to sensitivities, especially to controversial content and especially with children.  I think a child may need to have it explained that “Nigger Jim” in Huckleberry Finn is the way Jim, might well have been referred to at the time but that we don’t consider that acceptable today.  In other words, it’s just “bad” slang, like so many other examples we could come up with quite easily, but which were not uncommon, even in fairly “polite” society at one time.  In other words, while I don’t really buy the idea of “age appropriateness,” I don’t think it’s a bad idea to consider whether some material could be upsetting to a specific child, or whether a given child will understand some specific idea without some sort of guidance.  I guess that means that adults are expected to behave like adults and CARE for children.
 
I have always felt that democracy was a means to resolve issues based on discussion of the different ideas which are supported by the facts available.  It does NOT mean that we all have to agree on everything except for the basic facts of the case.  In fact, it probably suggests that we won’t, but that we will at least try to come up with a solution which is acceptable to all, given what we all agree is the situation.  In other words, democracy is pragmatic and impermanent, except in insisting on knowing the facts as best we can at the time a decision must be made.  I like the statement of Ben Franklin that “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”  I think it carries a sympathy for the notion that people can have different ideas, but still manage to get along.
 
Anyway, in celebration of “Banned Books Week,” read a book next week, maybe even a “banned” one.  I won’t suggest anything in particular, after all, even the Holy Bible (as well as other “sacred” texts) are frequently challenged by various groups for various reasons.  But, read a book, enjoy your right to ideas.  It may be more precious than you think.
 
LLAP,
 
Dr. B
 
P.S. If you don’t have a library card, shame on you.  Public libraries are, in my opinion, the last, best hope against tyranny.           RSB

0 Comments

210     Try to Remember

9/8/2021

0 Comments

 
As I start to draft this posting, it is September 1st.  I should, perhaps, explain that I try to draft a post during my “off” (non-posting) week, so that I can let it sit and “ferment” for a few days.  Then I go back to proof and rework it a few days before my schedule says that I should post it.  After that, when the time comes to post, I can just give it a quick read over and final polish (usually not many changes) before I put it up on my web site.  Call me silly, but it’s what I like and how I work.  I often did the same with class prep and I rarely returned a student’s paper without more than one reading/edit/comment to try to be sure I was responding in a way which made me satisfied with the quality of my work.
 
Anyway, after the rather extended discussion of various “things” Harry Potter in my last post, I feel obliged to point out that this day (September 1st) is the day that the Hogwarts Express runs from London to Hogsmeade to take the students (and, sometimes, some of the faculty) up to Hogwarts School for the beginning of the academic year.  I confess that this feels a bit early to me, as I was a schoolchild back in the days when most schools (even colleges and universities) didn’t start until after Labor Day, instead of roughly mid-August.  This was always explained that was because children were needed to work on farms as late as possible.  I confess that by the time I was growing up, that didn’t seem to make a lot of sense in urban/suburban areas where there were no farms, but no one asked me.  It was just how it was done.
 
I think as the “Quarter” system fell out of favor to the “Semester” grading pattern, ideas began to change.  Starting in September meant that students had to return after the holidays for a couple of weeks of classes before Semester Finals, which led to the “Early Semester” system of starting earlier, so that the entire Fall semester could be over before the holidays.  That tended to make for either a long holiday break, a mid-year “January” session, or that the Spring semester would end by, roughly mid-May, far earlier than had been traditional beforehand.  That’s where we still are, generally, in terms of school year scheduling, although there are a few colleges which still use some sort of Quarter system.
 
Anyway, I was amused (again) by the picture below, which was taken at Kings Cross Station in London a few years back.
Picture
What’s funny, of course, is that the sign is in the right station and on the right day, but the Hogwarts Express alwaysleaves from Platform 9¾ at 11 o’clock.  Now the platform not being listed doesn’t surprise me.  After all, Muggles would be confused, but the time is incorrect.  That’s a hell of a way to run a railroad!
 
Still, I have strong feelings about the beginning of the school year as it was, perhaps, the most important event on my calendar for most of my lifetime.  Yes, birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, etc., were important, but the first day of school was a harbinger of what was to come for the entire year.  It was exciting and just a little scary.  It also always felt like September, even after we started in August.  However, to quote a favorite line from a favorite show: “Let me tell you a few things you may want to know before we begin….”
 
You see, September always felt just a little magical (at least to me), especially after Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt wrote this little song:

Picture
Yes, I’m sentimental, perhaps even Romantic (in the proper sense of the word for someone who has studied literature and other arts) where it means mysterious, exciting, fanciful.  I find that these few lines capture a great deal of life, and they certainly capture the sense of the pattern of the academic cycle, at least for me.
 
We begin in September with a clean, new start.  The future is wide open ahead of us and all our hopes for it to be perfect are still intact.  By the time of Finals, in December, we are always a little disappointed; things didn’t go as perfectly as we might have liked; there have been episodes of unhappiness (hopefully not too serious); we have had to experience the “hard knocks” of reality; the world isn’t as perfect as we may have thought it was back in September.
 
That’s why the third verse (and the second act of The Fantasticks) is so important.  By December, we know (perhaps we even understand) that life isn’t like our dreams and wishes all the time.  There ARE discouragements, disappointments, even discomforts.  That’s what’s important about December; it reminds us not to give up; to keep going; to face reality, perhaps a bit bloodied, but unbowed; to continue to believe even when it’s hard; to remember that fire which got us started in the first place and to rekindle it for the next time.
 
I think this may be true in the theatre even more than it is elsewhere.  I have said a number of times (and in many places) that the theatre (if we are serious about doing more than just going through the motions) demands that we constantly strive for perfection, while knowing that it will never be achieved.  I believe that I have been a part of some pretty good theatre over the years, but I’ve been a part of some less than great work, too.  Theatre is a human activity and humans have never demonstrated a proclivity for perfection.  When you add in the fact that any form of theatre (at least that I’ve ever heard of) requires participation from multiple people, the complexity, and the likelihood of a less than perfect result, is multiplied.
 
I think that’s why The Fantasticks has considerable appeal to so many theatre people.  It has fun characters, good songs, and a plot which parallels our lives.  Every new project starts in “September.”  And every project will, eventually, reach “December.”  And it will hurt.  And that hurt is El Gallo’s “curious paradox.”  Most theatre people know that paradox well, it defines much of our lives: “There is a curious paradox that no one can explain.  Who understands the secret of the reaping of the grain?  Who understands why Spring is born out of Winter’s laboring pain, or why we must all die a bit before we grow again?”  Like El Gallo, I can’t explain this either, but, like him, I know it’s true.  I’ve spent much of my life watching it happen in my students and colleagues and I’ve been through it countless times myself.  AND IT WAS WORTH IT!  
 
Happy September, have a good year!
 
LLAP,
 
Dr. B
0 Comments

    Just personal comments about things which interest me (and might interest others).

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly