Posted on 04/24/2007 9:14:10 PM PDT by dbmurray
This is priceless.
As Mike Daisey performs a monologue that contains some graphic sexual language...F words, etc., a large group of high school students and their teachers walk out in protest. As they're leaving, one of the adults pours water all over the Daisey's notes. The look on the Daisey's face as this is all happening is priceless. It's like, "What did I do wrong?"
This guy just can't BELIEVE he's done anything that anyone would find offensive.
As they're leaving, Daisey asks the group to stay and debate with him about whether his language is acceptable. Before it's all said and done, he's followed them out of the room and yelled at them like a big fat cry baby.
I love it.
Of course, 90% of the YouTube comments have been positive towards him. And I have to say that I completely see the point that there was no reason for the one person to deface his notes, but otherwise, this whole thing strikes me as backwards.
We're supposed to APPLAUD the guy who has a filthy mouth and think of those who stood up for a shred of decency by walking out on his show as being deficit of morals, I suppose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IeMtQ-SZtA
Before I bite...Who the heck is Mike Daisey?
Who is this guy?
Yeah - who is he? And should we care?
This was apparently Mike Daisey's show in a theater (from what I can gather). When you're going to attend a show, it is the responsibility of the audience to know what that show contains, what it's about, and what they can expect. Taking a group of high school kids into this show reflects very poor judgment on the part of the adults in that group.
Or does it...
Since they all get up to leave at once, it appears the walkout was staged. It would appear, at least to me, that this group intentionally chose this show by this artist, knowing full well what they were going to get. So in other words, at least as I'm seeing it, they paid money to come to a show knowing full well it would use speech some of them might find offensive. They put themselves in that situation willingly. That is incredibly stupid. Just what were they protesting? That someone in a theater they were certainly not forced to enter might use language they never would have heard from him had they not entered in the first place?
And the pouring the water on the notes? Juvenile at best, and possibly criminal. How proud that man must be of himself today. Guess he showed us all what Christian behavior is supposed to be like, eh?
I watched the entire video. Personally, I found the part of the monologue before the attack (and that's what it turned out to be) to be pretty funny. And the way Mike Daisey handled himself and the audience after the episode was great. He behaved as a rational adult should, even pointing out to his cowardly attackers that they should know what they're seeing before they come to see it.
So in the end, I don't believe I'd use this video as evidence of how wonderful these protesters are. They proved only that they are either:
A: Incredibly naive as to what monologue theater is all about,
B: Incredibly stupid to bring a group of high schoolers into a show without checking it out first, or
C: A bunch of cowardly thugs who feel it's within their right to attack the work of another person because that person used words they didn't like.
Whichever you choose, they lose. Just insanely stupid on the part of this group.
If you ever find yourself wondering how otherwise normal people could develop such hatred for conservatives when you know we're just normal people, simply look at the behavior of this group and ask yourself if you wouldn't feel the same way after experiencing something like that. The fact this guy, as a self-professed atheist, knows far more about forgiveness than any of the group that attacked him and his work speaks volumes.
“A: Incredibly naive as to what monologue theater is all about,
B: Incredibly stupid to bring a group of high schoolers into a show without checking it out first, or
C: A bunch of cowardly thugs who feel it’s within their right to attack the work of another person because that person used words they didn’t like.”
A&B. There are comments on the video that suggest the leaders of the group did inquire when purchasing tickets as to whether or not the show was appropriate for high schoolers. They claim they were told by the box office people that it was. Daisey claims he checked with the box office and that they were told his show contained profanity It’s impossible to know which side is telling the truth. It’s not like monologue theater comes with PG, PG-13, and R ratings where these things can easily be determined in advance. Also, terminology is constantly being redefined. What’s “OK” for high schoolers to one person may be totally off limits to another. There are comments to indicate another high school age group stayed for the entire program, for example.
C. Only one person “attacked.” The rest simply got up and left. I stated in my original post that the person pouring the water shouldn’t have done that. To characterize the whole lot as “cowardly thugs” due to the actions of one is hardly fair. There’s nothing cowardly about standing up and walking out of a room when a person’s language is foul.
My primary reason for posting this here, though, was that I thought the dumbfounded look on his face was funny. I thought perhaps someone else might also get a chuckle out of that. It’s sort of like when strippers say they sometimes feel sexually harassed...doesn’t that come with the territory? I mean, if you use the F word repeatedly, sooner or later someone...self-righteous Christians or not...whether they paid to see your show or not...is going to take offense to your vulgarity.
The way Daisey looked totally dumbfounded when he realized people were leaving just made me laugh, and then yelling at them to stay and “discuss this” as if it was really that important was the icing on the cake. That’s all.
I applaud the group..
It turns out this group was from a secular public high school. It wasn’t a Christian group or conservatives. There was some misinformation given out.
I don't find the look on his face to be particularly funny, in light of why he's forced to make that face. My first reaction would have been the same as his; namely, "WTF"? Disagreement as to what constitutes acceptable language is one thing. Physically destroying the property of another person simply because that person used what you think to be a dirty word? You support that? You think that's funny? You find it entertaining to go into a man's place of business and then attack him for doing exactly what you paid him to do? Seriously? Since I obviously don't agree with you here, can I come to your office and destroy your work just to see the look on your face? Or does that rule only apply if the work is something you don't like? If he attended a service at your church and got up in the middle to walk out, disgusted by something he heard that he found to be narrow minded, would you expect the preacher to speak to him as to why that bothered him? Would you think it odd that he was offended by something he already knew was coming? Would you think him a coward if he didn't even stop to talk to the preacher, but just kept on running? Should he, as an atheist, be allowed to come into your church, only to approach the altar during a sermon about how nonbelievers are going to hell and pour water all over the bible? After all, I bet the look on the preacher's face would be precious, wouldn't it? How is that different?
Note also that there was another high school group in the audience. They said the box office told them exactly what to expect from this show. They stayed throughout.
So again, the fact everyone stood up at once to leave just screams "set up" to me. I believe they planned this as some sort of stunt. If that is the case, it backfired, as short of a few who think the look on the performer's face was somehow funny, they are being condemned for their actions, and rightly so. They call themselves Christians, and yet paint Christians in a terrible light. Christian is more than just a name one calls oneself. It's a way of life, and a set of behaviors. They certainly didn't exhibit any of those.
You cheerleaders for this behavior on this thread amaze me. I'll say it again: If you ever wonder why people think of the Christian right as a menace, as thinking it's somehow their right to force their views onto the rest of the country, just watch this video. When the left tries it, we go ballistic. But when someone pours water on the work of a man because he dropped f-bombs, we stand up and cheer, and think it's "funny". If you're ever curious as to why people stereotype conservatives as prudes with massive sticks stuck up areas of their bodies not intended to hold sticks, simply look in a mirror. You're your own worst enemies, and yet you're too self-righteous and smug to see it. You may like the way the skirt and pom-pons feel, but you might want to make certain the team you're supporting is doing something worth cheering for.
Yesl, that was pretty disgusting behavior by that audience member.
“Physically destroying the property of another person simply because that person used what you think to be a dirty word? You support that? You think that’s funny?”
I have already indicated that I didn’t support the defacing of his property. If it wasn’t clear enough the first time, I reiterated it in my reply to you.
Reminds me of a common leftist tactic...to scream what you want everyone else to hear regardless of what is actually said.
Regarding the rest of the group’s actions, I can tell you plainly that if any person came to my church and stood up and quietly left the room AS 86 of the 87 people did in this case, they would not be chased out of the room by someone screaming at them for not being willing to stay and debate why they were leaving.
Would I have a dumbfounded look on my face if 87 people left the room while I was in the middle of some sort of presentation? Most likely, but I’m sure I’d laugh about it when I saw it on video later, because I find stuff like that to be funny. Of course, I don’t typically drop F bombs, but I suppose I may have the opportunity to offend that many people at once.
I happen to think it’s not a terrorist act to possess a sense of humor, but you seem to be intent on declaring it to be otherwise.
For whatever it’s worth, I’m an equal opportunity laugher. I’ll laugh at Bush when he gets tongue tied just as quickly as I’ll laugh at Hillary Clinton or at myself when I scramble up words when speaking to a group in public.
I have even laughed at you. Congrats...I didn’t plan to spend that much effort, but these things happen sometimes.
Was this walkout staged? I don’t know. Perhaps it was, but perhaps it was just a case of expecting one thing and getting something completely different...like buying a ticket to see _Charlotte’s Web_ at the movies and accidentally walking into _Grindhouse_ by mistake.
I do know better than to believe everyone who posts on YouTube to be accurately representing themselves as being there.
Note: this topic is from 4/24/2007.Thanks dbmurray.
LOL, yeah, or maybe they just staged a bit of impromptu performance art that was a bit too aggressive and "real" for Philistines like you?
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