The Beast of Times - June 15, 2013

D'LO and us on Saturday's show. <3

Now that finals have taken over my life, I am glad to have finally gotten some time to reassure my self-sanity and taken it upon myself to reward myself with a show that brought me nothing but consciousness and laughter; through the show, Beast of Times, written by Adelina Anthony. This play showcases the struggles of consciousness in an intersectional level while using animals and environmental justice to display the complexities of the human race. They also, “expose the human love of greed and the human greed for love.” There are a lot of parts in the show that highlighted the different institutional problems that people of color and other minority groups face. One of the ones that really stood out to me was the comparison of the treatment of animals too that of the Prison-Industrial Complex. In which Adelina makes a connection to the cruelty and inhuman treatment of the “colored chickens” in comparison to those that are made to be organic (signifying the humans that are white and don’t face the institutional problem of the corrupt prison system.) In itself we could also connect this idea to the fact that people of color who are often lower class are subject to eating meat that gets this treatment in the factories, whereas most privileged, upper class folks have the money and resources to invest in more healthy and nourished chickens, thus connecting to the health of people of color.

            In addition, there was another part in which I felt a sense of loss. Within the play Adelina connects the audience to the issue of the sterilization of womyn. She uses one of her characters “Catalina or Gatalina” to show her getting spayed which later leads to her rethinking all of the lives of multitude of mujeres that have been forced to undergo sterilization either through institutionalized oppression or secret and forceful tactics to ensure they no longer have the chance at procreation or more bluntly to commit another form of genocide within certain races. Through this play they also incorporate queerness and a multitude of queer alliances within the movement; however, they make a strong point to show the fact that within activism and social justice work many activists make the mistake of playing Oppression Olympics and justifying their own oppression by ranking their struggles and the struggles of others. This was connected to the dog in the play that was very privileged of having a home and owners to take care of her, whereas there are other animals that do not have that privilege and are usually targeted by all of society, which could be an allegory for the racial caste system or the idea of class privilege.

Overall this was a beautiful play that showcased the struggles that many of us face, many of which we discussed throughout class. I was pleased to have had the privilege of attending the event and would recommend it to anyone who seeks consciousness and laughter if the opportunity to see it ever arises. 

Extra Credit on Amazon

The Gilda Stories, is a novel by Jewell Gomez in which we follow the life of a young black girl escaping from slavery in 1850. A travel narrative, Gomez takes us along Gilda's journey in search for the meaning of life, and self discovery. Motherless, Gilda sets off to discover the country as her ambition of learning will not let her rest. Seeking love and a sense of belonging Gilda faces the harsh realities of being both mortal and immortal. As a black, lesbian vampire, Gilda is constantly faced with oppressive and restrictive roles in which her identity is challenged while living in a world that rejects her sexuality and identity. For two centuries, we meet many characters in various cities attributing to growth and empowerment against the social injustice Gilda constantly experiences regardless of moment in history.. Resisting forms of oppression, Gilda gathers the necessary tools along her journey, creating a toolbox allows for the navigation between social borders that both restrict and encourage her natural rhythm of self discovery. The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez contains many themes including those on sexuality, racism, power, morality, and environmental issues. On her path to self discovery, Gilda represents a female of empower thus this novel should be considered a read to everyone!

Extra Credit

Review Posted on Barnes & Nobes:  Sor Juana's Second

There is no better way to be introduced to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz than with the book Sor Juana's Second Dream. Sor Juana is depicted as a strong, intelligent, and powerful woman who was able to find her true identity throughout the course of the book. Given that this genius was living in the 17^th century, Sor Juana had to embark in a life in the monastery to attain the little freedom given to women to practice intellectual readings and writings. Learning about the numerous hardships and struggles that this woman had to endure makes one embrace her as a true role model to women.

Alicia Gaspar de Alba did an amazing job in creating a book that unravels the life of Juana Inés de la Cruz. Not only was she able to bring the characters to life, however the style in which she wrote the scenes were brilliant. The reader is taken back to a journey in the 17^th century with Sor Juana and is able to feel the strong emotions that Sor Juana experienced throughout the book. Gaspar de Alba does an excellent job in unmasking the truth about the sexuality of Sor Juana and her passion and attraction towards women. Overall, I would recommend this reading to anyone who is willing to learn about a strong and intellectual young woman who goes through a journey of self-discovery. 

Clothesline Project: Extra Credit

Hey class!

I'm here to share some of my thoughts on the Clothesline Project. This is my first year at UCLA and first time ever seeing an installation like this! I think this is an overall successful call to action installation that raises awareness. I researched a bit about the project and learned that it originated to raise awareness on domestic violence amongst women. The Clothesline Project of UCLA does not describe the project as gender specific (I looked on their website and facebook) which I am really glad they made this change because having it remain gender specific made abusive and violent experiences of others, who do not claim identities as women, invisible. The project now concerns diversified, sexual AND gender violence issues. Survivors and memorials for victims of all identities now have a space to express their personal experiences. Involving all identities in the project allows for more success as a call to action piece than before, but there is still space for improvement for more success to be reached.

            The Clothesline Project creates a support system and collective community voicing out against injustices that continue to happen on a daily basis in people’s lives. The project is capable of providing more education and awareness to the public through small improvements such as identities to be voiced as well, leaving the installation up for a longer period of time and relocating so the project is viewed at the center of campus instead of the back. Overall the Clothesline Project is a successful call to action piece, working to heal and transform pain into beauty through art therapy and community outreach. 

            “Power is not love,” reads this red shirt signifying survivor(s) of rape/sexual assault, attempted rape/sexual assault, sexual battery. As an argumentative strategy, the survivor brings attention to authority and manipulation used in violent experiences. The message reminds everyone that another person trying to control you in any way is not a claim of care or love. It calls to action questioning, “What is power?” “What is love?” “Why am I being abused?” The individual adds messages of strength to move forward, and that life is possible after abuse to persuade survivors not to give up, and fight for a better life within themselves and others.

             

“Not only women, but men should speak up too.” This quote is found on a black shirt, signifying a survivor(s) of sexual harassment. The message raising awareness that violence happens to every gender, and every identity. “You have the power to prevent what happened to you from happening to others.” The individual argues that speaking out on sexual and gender violence works to influence and prevent such experiences from continuing to occur in people’s lives.

            Providing a feminist identity, a red shirt asks the question, followed by a statement, “Why can’t womyn be safe anywhere? We aren’t even safe in school!” The survivor voices the fact that violence is experienced everywhere, even school that is meant to be a safe space. Not only does the survivor expand one’s perspective of where violence occurs, they also voice their identity. The identity, “Womyn,” is a reclamation of an individual no longer under the possession of a patriarchal society. The identity no longer ends with “men.” Voicing one’s identity is powerful because not only is the survivor’s pain being recognized, but their beliefs and what they stand for are surfaced as well. Expressing identities is important because the viewer is no longer allowed to use their personal knowledge and perspective to assume an identity on a survivor. Because the project originated only for women’s voices, people reading the messages on the shirts may not fully be aware the extent that abuse happens everywhere to everyone, even beyond heteronormative experiences and within the LGBT community.

Overall really enjoyed walking through all the lines of t-shirts and hearing people's voices! <3 

-Olivia 

Fighting my Inner Demon

As I work on my paper I find myself stuck.It is thanks to you, the inner Dafne that doesnt think you can do it, that doesnt think youre worth it, the one that thinks youre not good enough. But you are. You know this stuff, you worked so hard all quarter because this class became your lifeline. If it wasn't for this class pushing you to your limit, pushing your ability as a writer, as a critical thinker, as an academic you wouldn't have survived this quarter. So many times your mind suffered, it weakened, you wanted to give up. But Dafne you didnt. Youre still alive and that counts for something. When the only thing you ever had to look forward to this whole quarter was this class, to be just in the same room as other people who have possibly suffered like you have, youre still alive. I say fuck you inner demon Dafne, you will not bring me down any longer. You can do this, and you will do this. Dont let this fucker stop you from doing your very best, because we both know your best is worth it, its good enough, and its within your reach.

If political humor and queer people of color consciousness had a baby...

If political humor and queer people of color consciousness had a baby, it would be the Beast Of Times. First off, I made the decision to not read any descriptions of the play not wanting to spoil anything. I only knew the genius herself, Adelina Anthony, wrote the play. Wanting everyone to get the same experience I did, I will not spoil major parts. The progressive play explored environmental and political issues through the characters of animal kingdom. There were times where I cried from laughter and times where the heart wrenching scenes would silence the audience.

Adelina’s character, an adorable kitten, speaks about the need of focusing on the “natural law of nature, instead of the arbitrary law of man.” I feel as though this quote really sums up the play and the meaning that Adelina and D’Lo want the audience to capture. I left the play feeling pain for those who have been victims to the arbitrary law of man as well as a newfound desire to promote and restore the natural law of nature.

During the Q&A, our very own Stephanie Zendejas asked about the amount of research Adelina must have done to portray such an honest depiction of issues regarding political, environmental, and ethnicity. Adelina replied that the process took about a year and everything she put into the play can be connected to an actual issue we have or are experiencing today.

Hurry! The last set of shows are this weekend! Your last chance to see it, don’t miss out!

-Katherine Batanero

The Beast of Times

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The Beast of Times, a play directed by Mark Valdez starring Adelina Anthony and D’Lo, was perhaps one of the most refreshing, hilarious, unpretentious, brilliant and painfully honest plays I have ever attended. The play examines political consciousness through animal characters that are personified as present day political activists (in the animal world). Issues such as conflicts within activist organizations and revolutions are brought to attention and the play made me think about the infinite complexities of society and how systems of oppression work in such intricate ways that make it difficult to reach definite conclusions for resolution.

How do we send out a universal message to the entire population of the world that is comprehensive and relatable for all? It seems impossible, because our identity politics are shaped through drastically different experiences as we all come from various environments, cultures, and families that give us different sets of challenges for each individual. Differences cause conflict oftentimes but, as philosophically cheesy as it sounds, I think the process of going through conflicts is what makes life a beautiful experience as we learn to understand things that we are first apprehensive about.

Being aware of the blatantly obvious forms of oppression and prejudice that the mass too often seems oblivious of can put one in a lonely and painful place, especially if the person experiences such prejudices directly as the victim of being a minority. For activists it may be incredibly frustrating, infuriating, and exhausting trying to fight for causes that never seem to be heard by the mass, but I think it’s important to remember that change takes time. The most we can do is continue to try our best by being the best person that we can be; by having our actions align with our core self and beliefs and setting examples for others. Each of our actions and beliefs count! After all, as Gloria Anzaldúa said (and as quoted in the play): “The revolution begins at home”.