Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 11:10:59 -0500
From: MM <michaelm-AT-execpc.com>
Subject: Re: PUPT: Maybe They're Right . . .


It continues to amaze me that we (humans, artists, etc.) continue to allow our
fates to be governed by such hideous and moronically conceived economic
structures. Here in America (and else where I suspect) one would think that
the relatively recent (in human history) and dominant practice of market
capitalism was based upon some sort of "natural law". The most important
elements of life need to be supported and maintained. The elaborately masked
machinations of market capitalism seem to be quite successful in obscuring the
truth that they are primarily a system based upon gambling that only can
possibly serve the most trivial and monstrous values of the highly exploitive,
greedy and criminal (presently painfully obvious) wealthy.

Care, sustenance and development of the body, mind and spirit are too
intrinsically important and vital to be left to the wildly unstable
speculation of the marketplace. PR, marketing and advertising are now the
dominate industries of our culture. To exist they have taken over and coopted
our (yours and mine) tools, our technologies if you will. We are, primarily
storytellers. The traditional role of stories in human culture is to provide
each new child, family, tribe, community etc. to rediscover and refine the
means of understanding (1) who we are; (2) how does the world work; and give
the first 2, then (3) What must we aspire to? In the broadest of
understanding, these are the only stories humans need to fashion life. And
because of the structure and function of our central nervous system, stories
are the the only means to discover the specific answers to these always new
questions.

Unfortunately my culture now offers highly repetitive and wholly false and
inadequate stories of 15 and 30 second duration that basically say (1) We are
consumers; (2) We solve our problems through acquisitions of material objects
and purchased services; (3) To do this we must sell time of our life for
remuneration so that we may acquire more and more.

These are not the stories the folks on this list tell. People on this list
tell real stories that offer opportunities for understanding , growth,
discovery and ultimately, wisdom.

We must find means to tell our stories to more people. The imaginations and
skills that we utilize in creating and fashioning our productions must to
applied to not only finding a way to survive, but to flourish.

Some days I think we are certainly up to that task. But only if we undertake
it together.

Michael Moynihan
Milwaukee Public Theatre



  --- Personal replies to: MM <michaelm-AT-execpc.com>
  --- List replies to:     puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Admin commands to:   majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Archives at:         http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons