Journal #11

Routine Notes on 04/06/2020@11am and Session One Assignment

• Nanette by Hannah Gadsby (watched on Netflix)
• First Impressions: At first, I was wondering why we were assigned to watch a stand-up comedy. I did not know what to expect from the routine. I felt that she did an amazing job of keeping the audience engaged and entertained. I was not expecting her to go as hard as she did in the last fifteen-twenty minutes of her set. I was astounded by her ability to break down the white man’s arrogance, ego, and superiority complex. The way she dissected the need for laughter and more stories to be told.
• The most important message I got from it: The most important message that I received from the routine was that all of our differences should be taught, accepted and valued. There should be more stories told, more laughter spread, and less hatred of the diverse.

Session One Assignment

1. In what ways might you not expect stand-up comedy to be a kind of leadership? In what ways can stand-up comedy be seen as leadership?

Comedy within the black community has always been a safe place for laughter because there is and has been so much pain we have had to endure and continue to endure. There is a phrase “laugh to keep from crying” or similar phrases that are well known to the black community and encompass the (some of, if not most of ) purpose of comedy. Leadership is providing your community with what they needed. In a community, forcibly pumped with so much hate, we need/needed some love and laughter, which is what stand-up comedy provides to us. I do not believe people see stand-up comedy as leadership, because it may not be as serious or as formal, but the effect is just as powerful. With the very essence of leadership in mind, I believe that stand-up comedy has been a form of leadership (especially in the black community). Stand-up comedians(taken from the leadership traits on the syllabus) speak publicly about issues people should care about, calls out bad behavior or misunderstandings in others, finds a good mentor (a lot of comedians describe their relationships with more experienced comedians being one of the keys to their success), use careful, clear, and compelling language, listens to and understands others, and manages their emotional states and responses, which are a lot of traits of a leaderships.

2. What are the three most important lessons you feel that Gadsby is trying to teach in her routine?

I feel that Gadsby is trying to teach us the power in diversity, the ability to heal with laughter and stories, and the debilitating nature of anger and arrogance.

3. Based on her own account what do you feel like it took for Gadsby to develop her ability to speak out in a more effective way? Focus both on Gadsby’s own personal growth and any experiences you feel were relevant to that growth.

I feel like her anger became too much to keep inside. From everything, she experienced between the age of seventeen to early twenties produced a lot of emotions within her. I feel that her moving away from her home town in Tasmania and thoughts that evolved from her experiences were too much and too important to hold to herself. Her story was too important to not bring to other people.

Reading Assignment on 04/08/2020 @11am and Session Two Assignment

• New thoughts gained from rewatching the special: I did not notice the books on her table next to the couch until I watched it over. It really helped tie in her part about Picasso and Van Gogh. I believe that I was able to comprehend more of what she was saying the second time I watched it. I was able to see her emotions clearer because I understood what she was saying. Her mom’s words about how she regrets raising Gadsby straight was absolutely powerful.

Session Two Assignment

1. What parts of her routine do you find most moving/compelling? What specific lines?

I found the most powerful part of her routine to be towards to end when you can really see the anger and emotion take over her composure a little. She so eloquently presented her audience with her honest emotions and thoughts of the world with reference to an extremely hard experience in her life. To me, the most compelling aspects of humans are their ability to feel complex emotions and showcase them to the world(which a lot of people believe and are taught to believe is a weak trait to have). Gadsby in her approach and her actual set provided a sense of grace and fellowship with the audience.

2. In what ways could Telemachus, Lysistrata, Ida B. Wells, Ned Weeks/Larry Kramer, and Hannah Gadsby described as “outspoken”?

They were all speaking out in ways that were approachable, understandable, and for an important cause. All of their causes were crises which caused them to rise to a position of leadership i.e their outspokenness(with reference to our syllabus ).
3. Are there good and bad ways for a leader to be outspoken? Explain.

Yes, there are good and bad ways for a leader to be outspoken. The United States, currently, has the head man in charge as an example of a bad outspoken individual. Someone with the intent to spew hate, lies and a divide in the community is an extremely bad way for leaders to communicate. Leaders like Ida B. Wells and Gadsby whose intent is to spread their truth for their love of ALL humanity to better is a good way for leaders to communicate.

4. Of these leaders who do you think is most effective in their style of speaking? Explain your answer.

I believe all of their styles of speaking are effective in the time and space they were expressed. The effectiveness in their styles of speaking can only be evident when the impact is presented. Personally, I found that Ida B. Wells, Lysistrata, and Gadsby were most effective. Lysistrata was able to stop the turmoil in their community, Ida B. Wells was able to educate and encourage the community, and Gadsby was able to encourage and bring out the humanity (also call out the lack of humanity)within her viewers. I believe that they were all able to appeal to the humanity in their audience, while also being extremely honest.

5. To what extent does Hannah Gadsby seem to have philanthropia, philomatheia, and philotimialike Cyrus?

Gadsby has philanthropia through and through. Her love of humanity is what gave her the courage and content to present her story in the way she did to many people. Based on her degree in Art History along with her view of other people’s story can be correlated to her philomatheia. Finally, based solely on her routine, I would not say she has a love of being honored, but she believes that, just like anyone else, her and her story should be valued.

Leadership Group Check Up on 04/08/2020 @3pm

Ismail- This week, he gave someone something they needed. One of his writers needed to interview him for a story he is writing for the first issue of their magazine. He provided that to him. He also recognized positive behavior in others by commending him for his initiative. This week, he failed at calling out bad behavior in others in the sense that he was too harsh in his approach to calling out some friends when they made a mistake. Next week, he intends on cultivating self-awareness. He wants to make sure he keeps himself and his ego in check as there have been some developments in his life that could lead to his ego becoming inflated.

Rhyan- This week, she provided a resource to her community. With all of the uncertainty and misinformation circulating twitter, she took it upon herself to create a resource bank for students to find the latest policy updates from the university and resources for financial assistance during these times. She shared in on social media and people have responded that it helps. This week, she failed at networking after she registered for a new service and to be interviewed about potential opportunities, but she didn't feel up to the call when the time came. This coming week, she plans to practice self-regulation by setting a schedule to complete my assignments and applications instead of doing things whenever she feels like doing them.

Geornisha- This week, she gave someone what they needed and helped her classmate with an assignment. This week, she failed at speaking up. A family member of hers was saying some ignorant stuff about the virus and she said nothing because she felt like it was not her place to do so. Next week, she plans on being more productive because she feels like she is wasting time doing nothing during this quarantine.

Me- This week, I did well in communicating and calling out bad behavior. My timing was a bit off, but for the most part, the message came across the right way. This week, I did not do well in developing a solution to a problem because I did not really understand the problem as the other person was explaining it. Next week, I will continue to work on developing a solution to this problem.