512: Oh Noes! An Actual--*le gasp*--REVIEW!!!
Last night, I couldn't get to sleep for thinking. Perhaps, if I still had a room to myself, I could have calmed myself down into tiredness via the usual pacing and talking to myself... Alas, though the roommate situation has improved immeasurably, I'd hate to interrupt his simultaneous watching of House and solving Chemistry formulas. So I had to content myself with circling around the multiple Harrises (the paths around the dorms up here are labyrinthe enough to provide a brisk walk) and writing furiously, in verse, in a certain retaliation to a certain e-mail.
You see, I am currently embroiled in the midst of an unintentional controversy (as opposed to a calculated one) over a review I wrote for the QC last week for the Theater Department's season opener "Pride and Prejudice". I attach the relevant documents and leave it to y'all to decide who is in the right or wrong here, such as the case may be:
And the mass e-mail sent to ALL students by one of the secondaries (who may or may not actually have the backing of the Theater Department):
"To the WC (Whittier College) Community:
I would like to take a few minutes to respond to the QC review of the Theatre Department’s play Pride and Prejudice of which I was not only cast in but assistant director. I am surprised and almost hurt by the audacity of the QC staff especially Andy Leggett in writing and allowing such a half-witted, poorly edited review of your PEERS. The objective of the QC should be to willingly and honestly promote the hard work and dedication of the students of Whittier College NOT to make senseless jabs and thoughtless opinions. The line referring to Max Gallo and myself as “Trannie-fierce” is offensive to the GLBT community and just plain ridiculous. The review was not only a slap in the face to the theatre department and the cast but to the crew and employees of the Shannon Center all of whom are students who have put in countless hours and effort into making Pride and Prejudice a piece of art. The QC has degraded theatre as an art form and thus offended some students, like me, who regard art as life. The review saddened me and I have since lost respect for the QC and their staff. Whittier College is supposed to be a community where we can count on, trust and support each other and I feel that the QC has hindered all of these things. I sincerely hope that the WC community will still come out and support us. As Lady Catherine would say, “I am most seriously displeased.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this,Mallory Lopez and the cast of Pride and Prejudice"
Yes. Quite.
The more I think about it and the more people I talk to about it, the angrier I get. Many people have come up to me, praising the review and proving that this isn't a case of me being unable to communicate my point (even if I prolly should've explained the term "trannie-fierce" better)--it is a case of me trying to write an actual review, and not just be a cheerleader for the Theater Department, as the QC has done in the past. They are, in my opinion, splitting hairs and getting upset over nothing.
It is completey galling to me, too, that they are, in the same breath, whilst accusing the QC of denigrating them and theater as an art form, disrespecting and dismissing our hard work far more than I could ever theirs'.
I also find it completely unbelievable--as does everyone else I've talked to--that they would learn nothing from Austen in their utter lack of poise, maturity and class in this entirely libelous e-mail. ALL WITHOUT TALKING TO ME ABOUT IT AT ALL. They simply decided they should publicly attempt to discredit and humiliate me and then all the people I know in theater giving me the cold shoulder.
The fact is, they were not my audience. The student body was. And close to a dozen students have come up to me, saying how much they enjoyed the review; one guy even complimented me for "having the balls" to write an actual review, for once. I would have been more than willing to clarify any confusion and/or offense they had. But did they even try to approach me? No. They decided to throw a public hissy-fit instead of acting in a manner befitting responsible artists and performers.
It is not just an issue of taking criticism. There is next to no criticism here. I am utterly confused by their behavior and deeply offended.
It is worth noting the irony, however, of Ms. Lopez claiming that the term "trannie-fierce" is offensive to the GLBT community. Unless he is a lesbian, I doubt she has more right than I, a self-identified gender-queer, to claim what is offensive to my community. Has she willfully ignored my opinion piece (in the same issue) on gay marriage? Or connected me as one of the most flaming gays on campus?
It is also unbelievable in the extreme that she would publically denigrate another student orginazation. I have, in my desire to avoid a drawn-out fight, to take Taylor's suggestion that we could, if we so chose, sue this girl for libel. It is alright if you think your hard work and dedication has been disrespected; but do not then become a hypocrite and do the same.
It is also, I think, part of the sad nature of this campus--everyone thinks the QC sucks, and we're bashed left and right. The Theater Department gets less than glowing praise and decides to get all princess-y. It makes me absolutely livid with the hypocrisy and entitlement of it.
Anyway, I have been attempting to maintain a higher ground and not respon directly to the e-mail, as of yet. I think I need to talk to people within the Theater Department, if they will not approach me themselves, and voice my displeasure that they would insult me and the QC so much more grievously than we have them. Above all, y'all know, I will not let myself be anyone's victim every again.
And that's the current drama. I think I've been handling pretty well, under the circumstances--it is a mark, I think, either of how much I have changed/matured, or how happy I currently am, generally. Or maybe my sense of what is important--in the long run, I don't think drama is important and I'm trying to keep myself focussed on both maintaing my academics and my sanity. Always a difficult proposition, at the best of times.
Of course, I've had some help in lifting my spirits lately... but I'll tell you about that in a little bit. For the moment, feel free to comment upon any of this. Lord knows I can use all the advice I can get in a situation like this. I'm doing my best to handle it delicately... but I'm only human. XP