Re: RAT Politics, Theatre Audiences, and the Medici

[Cat Hebert <virtualdrama@juno.com>]

"Walking to the edges of where you are" isn't that much different than
giving them a perspective from their point of view.  I do think there is
a difference between convincing and propagandizing. By showing people
that you really do understand their point of view -- by having a
character who really states their point of view fairly -- you can lodge
the comparison in the "convincing" part of the brain.

Other techniques which are direct emotional/fear-based appeals -- showing
that the opposite point of view has shades of grey, for example -- can be
effective, but, in a way, are an attempt to "trick" another individual
into taking a point of view.

Any "seed" within a performance can be a trigger to change someone's
perception. That just becomes a piece in the puzzle they are trying to
solve. If people have a powerful motivation to find reasons for changing
their point of view (as, perhaps, your father does), then any number of
incidents / experiences can part of the gradual change process.

For people who have a strong logical / rational component in their makeup
(as in many business people or well-educated people) it will depend, I
think, on how much the actual emotion/fear response to an issue clouds
their rationality.

For example, let's take the point of view that global warming is
occurring because of fossil fuel emissions. Someone doesn't agree with
that. Why don't they agree with that? Do they live in a fuel-refining
region where agreeing with that will destroy their lives? Do they
disagree because they don't think the evidence supports that conclusion? 
Do they disagree only with certain people because they enjoy arguing?

The person on the other side of the issue says "well, any idiot can see
that fuel emissions are causing global warming." Is this person right?
What piece of this person's argument is very believeable and can make a
bridge to the first person? It is probably the notion that global
temperatures are rising and the ocean is rising. (Lots of questions about
fossil fuel effects right now.) Why is global temperature increase
something to be concerned about? How does it affect this person.

The more the emotional/fear component is bonded to an issue, the less
likely that anything other than a fair amount of personal experience will
change someone's mind. Where evidence is dubious/lacking/partial there is
quite a bit of room for propagandizing.

Is homosexuality "natural"? Why? What are the studies that support it?
Why are people afraid of it? What are those deep-seated fears? Will
personal experience (even vicarious experience through stories) change
that? How will making a change in point-of-view affect the person's
relationships (social and otherwise)? (E.g. does having a homosexual
child make you the object of suspicion at work? Don't laugh.)

Cheers,
Cat


> why is it necessary to show someone their own
> viewpoint before trying to change their mind?  if one
> presents one's point, one's opinion, one's ideal with
> passion capable of touching people, why should it be
> necessary to approach them first on their own ground? 
> in fact, if what you are trying to do is lead them
> into your territory in a way that provokes thought and
> change, should you not just walk to the edge of where
> you are which is closest to the edge of where they are
> and then try to engage them across those edges?
> 
> my father is a strong rational man who believes that
> homosexuality is wrong - or at least a bad choice.  he
> is blessed with this lesbian daughter who is
> constantly trying to normalize the idea to him.  i
> designed sound for a recent dallas production of diana
> son's _stop kiss_, which he came to see, without my
> mother, on closing night.  he was very nearly the only
> straight man there.  he watched the show, which made
> no concessions to his idea that homosexuality is wrong
> or a bad choice, and came away thinking about it in
> just this manner that leads to changing minds.  he may
> not have changed his mind that night, and he may not
> change it tomorrow.  but the seed is planted.  and it
> was planted without any sort of nod to how he might
> feel about this given issue now.
> 
> i do not think that it is necessary to stand on both
> sides of anything to change minds.  in fact, i think
> that the most important thing is to stand.  (the
> popularity of many of evangelical religions defies the
> idea that one must present both sides of something. 
> bringing an idea to a person where they are is not the
> same thing.)
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