Re: Silent participation

Katherine Goff (Katherine_Goff who-is-at ceo.cudenver.edu)
Mon, 13 Sep 1999 10:19:24 -0600

phillip writes:
> so, the half-baked methaphor was put out there in hopes that instead of
>the response above, one might read instead:
>
> Oh! what a lot of work it is, struggling with brioche recipes! tell me
>about how it went when you were testing your yeast. it is surprising that
>the crust is so dark and the inside is so moist - that has happened to
>me when my oven temperature gauge was off. what do your find the most
>troubling, and what was your original goal? what kind of brioche do you
>want? how can i help you? by the way, i loved the coffee - how did you
>get it so rich yet not bitter?

phillip,
this is why i continue to participate in this list group!

after reading your posting and some of the responses, i want to add that
one of the benefits i receive from this list group is the sense of support
and belonging
that exists outside
the daily grind of
kids starting school and my oldest son beginning to drive and trying to
work at a new school and trying to work on my dissertation and manage
friendships (old, new, professional, etc.) and feeling overwhelmed and
isolated and and and and
then i pick up an xmca thread and here, in this time/space exists this
sense of continuity and community and acceptance for a misfit like me (and
what a community of "misfits" might look like. and i am not reading that
label onto anyone who doesn't want it, this is one aspect of xmca that i
perceive and value).

another aspect of participation that hasn't been mentioned is the
performative: the sense of the "invisible" audience
that both terrifies and motivates me.
that's where i fear the critical response like the first hypothetical chef
that phillip portrayed.
as motivation, the audience (especially the silent majority) i sometimes
read as like myself
and i feel the importance of putting out information
that i wish someone had offered me in my past.

because the silence can provide multiple interpretations, it can be
resourced in a variety of ways, i think.

kathie

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
start all over.
start all over.
we need to make new symbols,
make new signs,
make a new language,
with these we'll redefine the world
and start all over.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^tracy chapman:new beginning
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Katherine_Goff who-is-at ceo.cudenver.edu
http://ceo.cudenver.edu/~katherine_goff/index.html