Something New Textual

1st Semester:

Queer ethnography of Davidson College put together by asking queer students on campus, “How has queerness affected your life in ways you see as unfair or unjust”. I then compiled my favorite responses and made them into black out poetry which is what you see below.

2nd Semester:

Reckoning with Responsibility: A coming to terms with what I hope to do and what I actually do

If you see a problem, it’s your problem, and it’s your job to do something about it.

At a glance this seems obvious, of course I want to help people, people like those who help others. But, there are so many things that hold me back and do not let meaningful change happen. 

Sometimes it is an institution that refuses to do much of anything to save face. An example of this that is close to home is the Title IX office here at Davidson College. I hear an insane number of stories from girls saying they have been sexually assulted here on campus, and when I ask if they are going to go to Title IX about it they will shrug it off and say, “Oh, they don’t do anything, so there isn’t a point.” This dismissal is warranted though when there are students who have been accused of sexual assult, the claims have been confirmed, and then they are still allowed on campus and are not expelled for what they have done. It is understandable that people just fall into submission when their pleas for help are ignored.

Sometimes you have two stories that both have merit to them but for one to be true, there must be something wrong with the other one. I will trust both groups in what they say, and try to mend the schism between the two, but what I have learned from this is that sometimes people just do not want to reconcile differences. Sometimes people prefer to be mad and stay mad, so understanding the big picture situation just is not possible.

Sometimes it is how peoples perception of you will change after you intervine. On a personal level, this one is the most challenging to deal with. The first requires a change in a system, which with time is possible. The second requires that you understand that you sometimes have to pick a side, which while difficult is still possible. For this one though, there is no question what the right thing to do is, however, it is the consequences of this action that scares me the most. How people view me is a high source of discomfort for me and so when faced with a dilemma, I often flounder, unsure what to do. I like to think I normally follow through and do the right thing, but I know I sometimes falter and let things go in order to preserve a image of myself that I do not want to lose. The responsible thing to do is to take action, however the navigation of social norms and customs often makes this difficult to do, and hurtful when successful.