I forgot to mention - and may write more about this elsewhere - a contrasted wonderful art experience a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I attended a top notch modern dance performance - total pros from NYC. At the beginning of the performance, the younger director, who had inherited the lineage from the company founder, gave a fantastic intro to us audience members. He said, "We're not going to tell you anything about what these pieces represent, nor how to feel. We invite you to feel for yourselves, and see what arises, and discuss with your loved ones and friends after the performance."
What a gift! What a relief! To be given the respect to think, and feel, for oneself! Brava!
As a musician this story troubles me deeply -- knowing that the power of Art (which is essentially the power of vision in action) is very carefully curated for the masses in the present day. Erin's experience is a painful reminder that the beauty of our human connection is being weaponized in order to advance spurious agendas.
This article signals a change is coming, we are moving closer to our redemption from the manipulation of human innocence. This manipulation seeks to hijack our desire to connect through the shared experience of something beautiful.
They say it only takes one voice, well-timed to wake up a sleeping giant. Reese is aware that what is happening is utterly inappropriate and spiritually bankrupt. As we witness her experience we, too, are waking up in this collective dance. One day, perhaps very soon, our collective innocence will wake itself up seeing through the eyes of wisdom. There will be no questions, there will be no interruptions, only the beauty will remain...
Excellent piece! Thank you for the precise description and analysis. I recently had a similar experience at a live theatre show in Germany. The final applause was interrupted by one of the actors, asking for the audience’s attention. He then first reminded us of a terrible murder assault on nine people with migratory backgrounds that had happened four years ago, skillfully evoking the appropriate emotional horror, only to follow with a soppy statement on our collective moral obligation to fight the right wing extremism emerging everywhere today. Applause again. I felt sick. The crowd‘s emotions for the poor victims (murdered btw by a confirmed psychopath who in the end also killed his mother and himself) was so obviously being abused to whip up that state of indignation. Knowing that the mere questioning of certain narratives is reflexively being framed to be right extremism, the scene felt like the morally vaccinated mob might attack me if it only were aware of some of my hesitancies. Spooky. Thank you for confirming how important it is to be aware, awake and to trust the body‘s impulses. In this we are free.
Holy humanity! I know these dynamics from other situations. Actually I've been talking about them with a friend these last few days. I know the intensity of that violation feeling all through the body and the shock. "Did that really just happen?" I though this was a super share (and well written of course!)
Oh wow! This doesn't surprise me since there was an opportunity to trance 17k people with their propaganda using people's love of the artist as a weapon to get them to absorb it. I know that feeling of the herd mentality in action (in the coaching community and my neighborhood art district) and you feel like you're the only one that can see through it. Your writing expressed this so perfectly....like beyond perfect. It's eerie and you do feel pretty violated. I am really grateful you shared this experience, though I wish you and Keith had had a different/better experience!
Thanks for this. Reminded me of similar shadowy tribal moments like the pledge of allegiance during the first Iraq Invasion at my High School. Force over is not consensual, manipulative, and is inclusive so far as it excludes diversity of individual intuitions and voices. Very seductive oxytocin, adrenal and dopamine combination for those who partake, as you saw!
I am having a visceral response to this piece, Erin. It's been a long time since I've attended a concert and longer still since I've felt transported by a performance. But because of your writing I can feel what you were feeling. You convey sensory and emotional experiences so well.
As for the art of propaganda, I get what you're saying that you expect it from certain artists. But when you're not expecting it, it's shocking and it feels like an assault.
Thank you for the important — and hard — work you do shining a light in the darkness.
Riveting. Thank you Erin. This is so important and such a powerful example of how our energies get hijacked and how we become "captive audiences" Quite literally. Holy. Shit.
Thank you @ERIN REESE ! You are bringing up something that’s critical or all of us today- I call it the ability to see things for what they are, and then speak truth to BS and speak truth to power. “Nothing is ultimately harmful if it is seen, and named, accurately. The shadow that is named and exposed, if only to our own selves, is no longer capable of holding power over. When we are aware, honest and capable of admitting the truth, we are no longer bound. Our job is to see things as they truly are.”
And yet I wonder what had you and your husband at that concert in that divine moment? It seems to me like there is a Divine direction within the experience that is asking to be explored. Why were you meant to experience this? I personally don't believe anything that comes my way does not have a deeper message. I wonder how you can use the experience to unify or heal something inside you.
Go on, name the artist! I have to know and am struggling to think who of your favourites it might be. I tend to avoid arena shows - only ever seen 2 good ones (John Mellencamp and Beyonce!) - so avoid such manipulation. Anyway, nice piece on killing your buzz!
I forgot to mention - and may write more about this elsewhere - a contrasted wonderful art experience a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I attended a top notch modern dance performance - total pros from NYC. At the beginning of the performance, the younger director, who had inherited the lineage from the company founder, gave a fantastic intro to us audience members. He said, "We're not going to tell you anything about what these pieces represent, nor how to feel. We invite you to feel for yourselves, and see what arises, and discuss with your loved ones and friends after the performance."
What a gift! What a relief! To be given the respect to think, and feel, for oneself! Brava!
I have decided not to reveal the artist or the conflict/side. I would like the general message to stand without associations.
Erin, I definitely think it is important and good to bare witness for one another. Especially when we find ourselves as outliers.... incredible times.
As a musician this story troubles me deeply -- knowing that the power of Art (which is essentially the power of vision in action) is very carefully curated for the masses in the present day. Erin's experience is a painful reminder that the beauty of our human connection is being weaponized in order to advance spurious agendas.
This article signals a change is coming, we are moving closer to our redemption from the manipulation of human innocence. This manipulation seeks to hijack our desire to connect through the shared experience of something beautiful.
They say it only takes one voice, well-timed to wake up a sleeping giant. Reese is aware that what is happening is utterly inappropriate and spiritually bankrupt. As we witness her experience we, too, are waking up in this collective dance. One day, perhaps very soon, our collective innocence will wake itself up seeing through the eyes of wisdom. There will be no questions, there will be no interruptions, only the beauty will remain...
Excellent piece! Thank you for the precise description and analysis. I recently had a similar experience at a live theatre show in Germany. The final applause was interrupted by one of the actors, asking for the audience’s attention. He then first reminded us of a terrible murder assault on nine people with migratory backgrounds that had happened four years ago, skillfully evoking the appropriate emotional horror, only to follow with a soppy statement on our collective moral obligation to fight the right wing extremism emerging everywhere today. Applause again. I felt sick. The crowd‘s emotions for the poor victims (murdered btw by a confirmed psychopath who in the end also killed his mother and himself) was so obviously being abused to whip up that state of indignation. Knowing that the mere questioning of certain narratives is reflexively being framed to be right extremism, the scene felt like the morally vaccinated mob might attack me if it only were aware of some of my hesitancies. Spooky. Thank you for confirming how important it is to be aware, awake and to trust the body‘s impulses. In this we are free.
Holy humanity! I know these dynamics from other situations. Actually I've been talking about them with a friend these last few days. I know the intensity of that violation feeling all through the body and the shock. "Did that really just happen?" I though this was a super share (and well written of course!)
Oh wow! This doesn't surprise me since there was an opportunity to trance 17k people with their propaganda using people's love of the artist as a weapon to get them to absorb it. I know that feeling of the herd mentality in action (in the coaching community and my neighborhood art district) and you feel like you're the only one that can see through it. Your writing expressed this so perfectly....like beyond perfect. It's eerie and you do feel pretty violated. I am really grateful you shared this experience, though I wish you and Keith had had a different/better experience!
Thanks for this. Reminded me of similar shadowy tribal moments like the pledge of allegiance during the first Iraq Invasion at my High School. Force over is not consensual, manipulative, and is inclusive so far as it excludes diversity of individual intuitions and voices. Very seductive oxytocin, adrenal and dopamine combination for those who partake, as you saw!
I am having a visceral response to this piece, Erin. It's been a long time since I've attended a concert and longer still since I've felt transported by a performance. But because of your writing I can feel what you were feeling. You convey sensory and emotional experiences so well.
As for the art of propaganda, I get what you're saying that you expect it from certain artists. But when you're not expecting it, it's shocking and it feels like an assault.
Thank you for the important — and hard — work you do shining a light in the darkness.
Riveting. Thank you Erin. This is so important and such a powerful example of how our energies get hijacked and how we become "captive audiences" Quite literally. Holy. Shit.
Thank you @ERIN REESE ! You are bringing up something that’s critical or all of us today- I call it the ability to see things for what they are, and then speak truth to BS and speak truth to power. “Nothing is ultimately harmful if it is seen, and named, accurately. The shadow that is named and exposed, if only to our own selves, is no longer capable of holding power over. When we are aware, honest and capable of admitting the truth, we are no longer bound. Our job is to see things as they truly are.”
And yet I wonder what had you and your husband at that concert in that divine moment? It seems to me like there is a Divine direction within the experience that is asking to be explored. Why were you meant to experience this? I personally don't believe anything that comes my way does not have a deeper message. I wonder how you can use the experience to unify or heal something inside you.
Thank you for this, and wow, holy moly!
Go on, name the artist! I have to know and am struggling to think who of your favourites it might be. I tend to avoid arena shows - only ever seen 2 good ones (John Mellencamp and Beyonce!) - so avoid such manipulation. Anyway, nice piece on killing your buzz!