Global Actions Against Normalized Shit
Fifteen years ago at a late night party in New York, artist Javier Tellez asked me one of the best questions I have ever heard. “If the sun were not to come out tomorrow,” he said “do you think people would go to work?” I did not know how to answer, but had a deep sense that we would. Only a few weeks later I witnessed first-hand the tragedy of the WTC attacks. His question immediately resonated as I saw people asking the next day if they should go to work, if they should take the subway, and how, in general, they were supposed to go about their radically transformed lives in that city.
If you are not feeling normal these days, we invite you to join the club by recognizing that fact and sharing simple or complex actions with others around the world, whatever your background, training, age, experience, or place of residence may be. What you do can take five minutes, or several days, whatever seems best. All that matters is that you identify something you think is being normalized, but shouldn’t, and then act upon it in any way you see fit. It can be as simple as deliberately changing your routine, engaging a stranger, or doing something you would not normally do. It can also be a more elaborate action with a group of people, using a skill or talent, or directly addressing the shit you see normalized in a creative way.
One month after the US presidential election and campaign that has shocked the world, the necessities of our lives and the healthy desire for stability are producing a sense that things formerly seen as unacceptable need to be considered normal. What are we to do about this? How can we respond, within the realities of life, to such abnormal conditions? Ultimately, we are all responsible when shit gets normalized. We cannot blame this on a single individual or social group, so that is why we are inviting you to join this public, collective effort in calling shit out and acting creatively, intelligently, and passionately, against its normalization. Artists may be artistic, dancers may use movement, musicians use sound; organizers may organize and activists may protest, but our actions are essentially about each one of our everyday lives, so we are especially hoping that gestures and actions shared will include those of nurses and accountants, students and teachers, office workers and electricians, sanitation workers and business women, anyone who is not ready to accept the new normal as such.
This is the first global action organized by ART of the MOOC outside of our registered user platforms, with anyone interested around the world being able to participate. For those currently or formerly enrolled in ‘Public Art & Pedagogy’ or ‘Activism and Social Movements’ this is also an opportunity to share your ideas and actions with a larger community. If you do not use facebook, create a free login at our wiki (artofthemooc.org) and post under the Global Actions / Against Normalized Shit category.
We hope you will participate! Nato Thompson and I look forward to responding and engaging with what we all come up with!
Warm regards,
Pedro Lasch
ART of the MOOC and FHI Social Practice Lab