Two years ago, on my Theater FSP in London, I learned that I did not make a very good clown. What clown class did introduce me to was an idea common to many forms of improvised acting: the importance of saying "yes." The idea is that by opening yourself up to new avenues for exploration you not only push your character (or clown) in ways that are more interesting for the audience, but you are also able to react and more fully work with a scene partner. Saying no, then, effectively shuts off any possibility for further development.
Last week, Roger Lott '14 became the envy of every vain Opinion columnist on The Dartmouth's staff when his article "Explicit Signals" (Oct. 28) caused such a stir that it required not one, but three pages of online comments. The comments ran the gamut from highly supportive and critical of the College's sex and sexual assault policy to ungracious comments about Lott himself. One comment, however, written by a member of the Class of 2012, helped me realize my inherent issue with the contentious online argument and the article itself. As is often the case with online comment postings, there was little dialogue and more repetition of ideas.
This particular comment said that as someone who did not have the same opinions as Mr. Lott, his column was an eye-opener that made her more aware of another point of view. In short, that commenter understood the importance of saying "yes." Whether or not she opted to take his ideas as her own, she heard them and considered them.
When translated to everyday life, this acting technique is a reminder to be open to new experiences, opinions and points of view. Except for cases of imminent physical harm, the ability to "say yes" to that which is new even when it makes me uncomfortable has proven invaluable.
Even when we look beyond our dear little Dartmouth bubble to the Republican takeover of Congress on Tuesday, it is readily apparent that the ability to consider the views of others will be largely important to our country's immediate future. It seems unlikely that Republicans and Democrats will give up their commitment to fierce polarity, but there is a larger problem if those stable positions will continue to be used to pander to an audience and stop the work of progress and governance. Even if basic values do not change, little will get done without understanding the opinions and basic values of the other side.
We cannot face the new, strange or uncomfortable with immediate rejection or apprehension, despite our knee-jerk reactions. Whether we're talking about sex, politics or a class you have to take for your distributive requirement that has nothing to do with your usual interests, confronting the uncomfortable is a necessary part of life. Yet it is also the essential requirement of an expanded and critical mind; ignorance is never really bliss. By learning about that which challenges or compels us, we can see other's views and allow them to radically change our own. Or even if we reject what we initially do not understand, by having a better knowledge of the other side, we can work together to move forward.
It is, in fact, just as my clowning teacher an angry, embittered and bald Scotsman suggested: if you are not able to give another person a "yes" an invitation to accept and work with their suggestions you will not get very far as a clown or a person.