Loss of Openmindedness and the Arts

[iggy880]

Ok, so I'll admit I'm a really open minded and welcoming person to all creativity and ideas no matter how much they go against both the general, and my normal view and style(something from my family and upbringing) I mean, I'll see just about any movie, partially because I'm a film student, I'll go to art shows of any random style, I enjoy theater and plays of all styles and I even read(something I find is lost on my generation and don't think its just my circle of friends)

So, as a college student I was again required to take a class to garner a Fine Arts Credit, something I generally like. And wouldn't you know it, my options were limited to stuff like classes for the appreciation of certain arts, I couldn't do technical theater as I did the last 2 years in high school, so I took Theater Appreciation. Now, that is a lot of back info, but it leads up to what my point is...I go into the class, same open mind and enjoyment of plays and theater and find that like 90% doesn't really know anything about theater or even like plays. Now it isn't that horrible to not know about or like theater but really, 90% of like a 30-40 person class and they aren't even open minded about the plays we go out and see.

Now, the people I travel with(plays are mostly off campus, far off campus) fall into that, but they're good people, as is most of the class, so I let it go. The straw that broke the camel's back was when we went to the show tonight. Tonight we went to see our school's production of a great story that I have loved the film of for years, The Rocky Horror Show, one of the dirtiest, most absurdly funny things ever. As I'm in the lobby talking to classmates, amongst the concession stand people, ticket window people and users and some audience members in traditional lingerie, I see a lot of uneasy faces, and just talking to people find they may never even heard of it, most never even seen the film and nearly all don't know what to expect.

I mean, I'm sitting in the theater before the show with a friend in the class trying to explain some of it, and he doesn't see the genius, doesn't get it at all. I mean, throughout the show(which was really well done actually and a lot of fun) you hear all the knowledgeable/die hard fan people on one side of the theater singing, interacting/shouting out during the play(if you've never seen the play, its a tradition and strongly encouraged) standing up and doing the Time Warp, and using the things in their prop bags. What is going on for the most part on the other side, my side, the side made up mainly of my class? Quiet, confused watching and disgust at the costumes and and ****-erotic scenes. I mean, really? The songs alone are beyond funny, energetic, contagious and brilliant and they never seemed to enjoy them(not even the Time Warp, and I dare anyone to not hear that song, and/or see the whole scene that it makes up and not get caught up) Not to mention that we're college students, I mean this should be right up our alley. Sure, you may not know the play well enough to shout out things in preparation for lines(especially the traditional things) as people who know it and are fans do and did, but you're watching a play that is completely insane and making fun of itself and a genre, a play making dirty jokes and sex scenes throughout(including a lot of gay humor) and you are even told to call out and you don't? There's something wrong with that.

I think there's something wrong with our society when even college students cannot get into a zany, dirty, sexy play/film/story because of being so cut off from this type of thing. I mean, are you so insecure about your sexuality that you are scared of men in lingerie acting crazy, including gay sex jokes even? Even when the same show guarantees plenty of time with women in short skirts, skimpy clothes and lingerie?(let me just say that the girl playing Columbia I think was beyond hot, and should be worth seeing men in lingerie for even the most uptight guy) I mean, I'll admit I'm a bit to restrained to show up in drag(or take part in the show which would require drag too) but I'm not so uptight that I am against seeing it in a show. I mean, I respect all of those actors and actresses so much more then I did before because they went through with it. In fact, I was worried about the show being bad because I didn't think they'd get enough men willing to go all out that it would lose the effect, or enough women comfortable enough with their appearance. So...yeah I just wanted to rant about this. I mean, I was even unsure if I'd get as into the show as I did as I hadn't seen the film in a couple years, and was unsure they'd be totally committed, but really no one with a brain could be let down by those contagious songs, outrageous lewdness, and lingerie(especially the ladies )

[Gold Rush]

Well, first of all, let me welcome you to the new century, where the majority of people are not curious or respectful of anything new or different from their version of what they consider "normal"...whatever that is.

But, let me say one thing in their defense (at least for your class) : They are "newbies". I think the whole of this class is probably overwhelming, even the normal bits. When introducing such people to things, you do not overwhelm them with "all this stuff", but start them slow. My first thought would've been to recommend seeing the movie/DVD in the privacy of their own home THEN maybe discussing what other fans do THEN seeing a full on Midnight/fully acted screening.

It takes time to absorb things for most folks.

Mind you, some people you can throw in the "deep end" for the first time and, yeah, those folks will swim, but you never know which ones will drown. :/ The regular practice is to start at the kiddy pool (this is a "Gold Rush analogy" ).

I think some will grow to appreciate it...in time. Others should start at the kiddy pool; I don't know your curriculum and if your teacher "warmed up" your students with lite-plays or what not. I don't even know what kind of people you may be dealing with; they could all be football jocks that are required to take this course! Are any of these folks striving toward a liberal arts degree or they "need the course toward their accounting degree"? Hard to say; do they come from other areas outside Dallas? Dallas can be conservative, stuck-up, and image concicious. (At least, that's how most other Texas cities view Dallas ).


(If I was teaching) I would started up the class with discussions on history of plays, how important it is to learn life lessons, then maybe go to a simple play, either a college adaption of "Grease" or a High School one. Then from there, go to a sttory-based play ("Death of a Salesman" perhaps) that is not to heavy, then a comedy play, then probably a musical or two, then probably show them Rocky Horror in class, then take them to see the Midnight showing.

[Cold Quake]

"If you're open-mined, you have to like this!"

Sorry.

[Poison]

In my experience, most art/film/design students don't "get" most of the things. They learn what's cool and what's not. They study and analyze and memorize it. You're supposed to find David Lynch cool. Clockwork Orange. Warhol. Name it and they'll all rave how extremely cool those things are, because they heard/read that they are. But very few will be able to explain WHY exactly. Or even worse, explain why they actually DON'T like those things.
Maybe the people in your class reacted badly to the show, but if a teacher or respected student had explained right after the show how important Rocky Horror was, how it's satire, what huge cultural impact it had, yadda yadda, shortly after most of those who quirked their eyebrows during the show would have been telling how very cool it was. Reciting what they heard. Never once thinking about it.

Get used to it. Learn the language, but don't fall into their ways. Stay true to yourself. Be open minded and build your own oppinion. Have the balls to dislike things and explain why. Don't try to proselytize anyone who doesn't want to learn. That'll keep you sane in the mad creative world.

[itsthesheppy]

Speaking as someone who thinks Invader Zim, Arrested Development, and Farscape are some of the crowning artistic achievments of our time, and as a lefty atheist who believes that gay marriage and marihuana should be FEDERALLY legalized... I have never, not once, ever seen the appeal of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Never seen it, never wanna see it, and certainly have no interest in seeing it live or in a theatre.

[iggy880]

Originally Posted by Gold Rush

Well, first of all, let me welcome you to the new century, where the majority of people are not curious or respectful of anything new or different from their version of what they consider "normal"...whatever that is.

But, let me say one thing in their defense (at least for your class) : They are "newbies". I think the whole of this class is probably overwhelming, even the normal bits. When introducing such people to things, you do not overwhelm them with "all this stuff", but start them slow. My first thought would've been to recommend seeing the movie/DVD in the privacy of their own home THEN maybe discussing what other fans do THEN seeing a full on Midnight/fully acted screening.

It takes time to absorb things for most folks.

Mind you, some people you can throw in the "deep end" for the first time and, yeah, those folks will swim, but you never know which ones will drown. :/ The regular practice is to start at the kiddy pool (this is a "Gold Rush analogy" ).

I think some will grow to appreciate it...in time. Others should start at the kiddy pool; I don't know your curriculum and if your teacher "warmed up" your students with lite-plays or what not. I don't even know what kind of people you may be dealing with; they could all be football jocks that are required to take this course! Are any of these folks striving toward a liberal arts degree or they "need the course toward their accounting degree"? Hard to say; do they come from other areas outside Dallas? Dallas can be conservative, stuck-up, and image concicious. (At least, that's how most other Texas cities view Dallas ).


(If I was teaching) I would started up the class with discussions on history of plays, how important it is to learn life lessons, then maybe go to a simple play, either a college adaption of "Grease" or a High School one. Then from there, go to a sttory-based play ("Death of a Salesman" perhaps) that is not to heavy, then a comedy play, then probably a musical or two, then probably show them Rocky Horror in class, then take them to see the Midnight showing.

We didn't throw them in, we've had like 4-5 plays, first couple were just comedies to ease them in, then some heavier plays, then back to light hearted with this

[Gold Rush]

Originally Posted by Poison

In my experience, most art/film/design students don't "get" most of the things. They learn what's cool and what's not. They study and analyze and memorize it. You're supposed to find David Lynch cool. Clockwork Orange. Warhol. Name it and they'll all rave how extremely cool those things are, because they heard/read that they are. But very few will be able to explain WHY exactly. Or even worse, explain why they actually DON'T like those things.
Maybe the people in your class reacted badly to the show, but if a teacher or respected student had explained right after the show how important Rocky Horror was, how it's satire, what huge cultural impact it had, yadda yadda, shortly after most of those who quirked their eyebrows during the show would have been telling how very cool it was. Reciting what they heard. Never once thinking about it.

Get used to it. Learn the language, but don't fall into their ways. Stay true to yourself. Be open minded and build your own oppinion. Have the balls to dislike things and explain why. Don't try to proselytize anyone who doesn't want to learn. That'll keep you sane in the mad creative world.

I think THIS says it all. I forgot some people in creative fields are like this; haven't been hanging around such folks in many years.

[FrostyPox]

<QR>

It IS possible they just don't like it; diffr'nt strokes for diffr'nt folks and all that. But in my limited experience with art students, an alarmingly large number of them are incapable of forming thier own opinions and just go along with all the other pretentious hipster pseudo-intellectuals, without even really knowing why. So if if the Rocky Horror Picture Show doesn't fit into thier little Coffee House and Neil Gaiman bubble, they hate it. Not that there's anything wrong with Neil Gaiman per se.


EDIT: Kinda like what Poison said, I guess.

[Nerfed]

This probably sums up the people you are referring to, iggy:

[iggy880]

I'm just saying it was a final straw thing, not just it. I mean, really we've gone to like 5 other plays of varying types from a traditional comedy, to more dramatic and they haven't latched on to any of them. This one is what made me most upset because I love it, and the fact that they didn't like any of the previous at least made me think that this, which is totally different from any others, would be one they liked, but no.