On writing violence

Whenever a theater person gets into serious trouble, Jethro is always quick to tell me about it. Usually his email will give me the straight up news, followed by something like, "What's going on with theater people????"

He did it with the Alabama church fires, and it did it again today.

Still, I didn't want to be the first to this bring this up. Isaac did. Dan Trujillo wrote about it as well. So now I feel like I can mention it.

As a writer, I regularly explore areas in my psyche that I would never actually want to manifest. I may write about a killer, for instance. That doesn't mean I want to murder. For those who believe art is cathartic, writing about such things could be a sign of health.

On the other hand, there is a relationship between the writer and what's being written. I wrote some heavy-handed suicidal poems when I was younger; it was far more realistic than I'd care to admit. Undoubtedly, if I did something ugly back then, people would've pointed a finger at my work.

But there's a difference between exploring the shadow and planning out violent fantasies via theater.

I've had long periods of writing about rage, pain and hurt and I'd like to think I'm a healthier person for doing it.

However, as a playwright I'm mapping out an experience for the actors to share with an audience. Therefore, I have to think about other people. Will they want to take the ride with me? What are they going to get out of it? Is it going to leave them feeling disgusted with themselves? With humanity? With life in general?

I'm not saying there are right answers to these questions. I'm only saying that they're worthy of consideration, especially when dealing with shadow material.

Regarding the killer's work, I'll say this: I have no plans on reading it. Writing is not only about words; it has everything to do with energy. Even as I write this entry, I'm conveying meaning on a variety of different levels. The best writers are conscious of these levels and can work within them. The rest still work with it, but they usually end up exposing or sabotaging themselves. Sort of like a subliminal message of sorts.

A well-known serial killer could write a happy song, and I'd still be creeped out. I suspect that you'd be weirded out as well. You may not know why, but you'd feel it anyway.

So while his work might've been disturbing, I'm willing to bet that people picked up on the subliminal stuff. A happy kid could've written a violent story, and no one would've thought a whole lot about it, other than "Gee, I wonder where that came from."

It's not the topic, it's about energy and intention. Unfortunately, we don't work within a subtle culture. Everything is literal. It makes me wonder how many other writers will now be castigated for choosing unpleasant topics. Quite a few, I bet.

Comments

[malachy walsh]

I've got a play called FIRE BABY. From 20,000 feet, it's a critique of a self-absorbed middle-class that stresses ownership values and status expectations over humanity and understanding.

One of the characters wants to erase his origins to start over, destroy the corrupt house of Usher, only to find that that is truly impossible. It doesn't end well. It ends weirdly.

On the stage it's a play about patricide. Almost all the violence is offstage, but it's undeniable. The play has been a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace whenever I enter it and was the lead play the year I was nearly accepted into New Dramatists. I was told (later) it polarized the committee - some loved it for it's audacious humor. Others found it "hateful".

Both responses are legitimate. And maybe even correct. If it ever got made, I'd exepect the same thing from the audience. It's a dangerous play, that way - among others.

But there's something going inside the play that is clearly rooted in some experiences we all share. Parents who bicker to the point of violence, blunted dreams, a desire for love that doesn't happen.

The Seung-Hui play that I read yesterday has no internal logic. It's just anger. Random. Illogical. And quite honestly, psychotic. Combined with his behavior in class ("the question mark kid"), it's not hard to see why a teacher suggest counseling based on his writing. The writing didn't beg the question "Where did that come from?" It begged the question, "Where is the author heading with this?"

[Laura]

I just couldn't bring myself to read his play yet... I may, at some point. But I have every reason to suspect that I'll agree with you on your observations.

Someone I went to school with wasn't harmful crazy, but tremendously "out of reality." I seem to remember people telling me that the person was recommended for "counseling."

[Dorothy]

Actually i was scared to read them too , and when i did I must say that it wasn't as scary as i expected it to be.
And i totally agree with you about expressing shadow selves.
Look at David Lynch....Tarantino... Rodriguez !

I am so afraid that teachers in class rooms are going to start freaking out and stiffling kids creativity after this.
Not that Seung-Hi's plays are that. Because they are bad and sound like a 13 year old wrote them. But I didn't see anything in there about him being a killer himself.
I think it's freaking dangerous to make assumptions about people based on their art/writing etc.

I think the media is just trying really hard to find reasons. To find "how could we have prevented this."
It's America's permanent self aggrandizing idea that the world can be controlled at all times.

You know ... sometimes it's just that someone had a psychotic break and it was awful and wrong.
I wish we lived in a culture that focused on healing and acceptance rather than denial and blame.

[James]

During the Columbine shooting, many people pointed out that the shooters listened to Metallica, as if that was any sort of sign whatsoever. We do like to look at unhelpful "signs" after a tragedy and go, "Of COURSE!" since it's so obvious in retrospect.

"It's America's permanent self aggrandizing idea that the world can be controlled at all times."

Very well said, Dorothy.

[Laura]

According to the latest news, the guy was just a sicko. It seems like fingers are being pointed towards the psychiatric profession, rather than "disturbing writing."

I don't even like seeing the guy on TV. I told Jethro that I'm angry at him. :(

[Scott Walters]

It is fascinating how often, when a violent act like this occurs, the media will go out of its way to tie the violence to the arts: films (the poses of this shooter apparently resemble some Korean film), plays, video games. And clothing style -- thank God this guy wasn't wearing a black trench coat. For a while, I was starting to think that black trench coats were the single cause of violent psychosis. Anyway, my point is that the media regularly gives the arts incredible power (or at least incredible negative power) in these instances, while simultaneously denying the power of the arts in any other (positive) context.

[malachy walsh]

Great observation, Scott. Way, way too true.