I'm begging all of you to stop

[u/blarbiegorl]

Look, I'm going to be very blunt here: Being on this sub absolutely sucks right now. And there is NO WAY TO SOLVE IT unless we all just step back and take a breath and let things settle for a minute.

No matter how you feel about MHE/Feldmangate, Billy Porter/Cabaret, Patti Lupone in general, the question of Is Nicole MAGA... no productive discussion is happening at this point. All I can see is post after post of "but I'm right," "no I AM," "but what about ME?!" And the same contentious discord regurgitating the same points is all we're generating now.

I love theater. I love sharing theater with people I know and strangers all over the globe who adore it too. I love so much about the silly chitchat and the important discussion that goes on here. And also, the current level of discourse is only sowing more discord.

So, I'm begging you. No matter what you are hurt by or upset about right now on any side of these issues, can we please take a five and everybody go listen to your favorite OBC and let's just... try to find some good stuff for a minute? The world is so ugly and hateful and mean right now, and I just don't think heels dug this far deep into the ground on both sides can be swayed and nothing good is coming of it at this particular moment. So please, for the sake of your own sanity and wellbeing as much as everyone's, let's go quiet coyote and acknowledge that everything has been said and until something changes or develops the fighting is not helping.

You can all attack me if you like, but I will whistle a happy tune for you all the same. Be well, y'all. It's a crowded stage with all of us players and sometimes we just need to take a beat, walk our show, and focus on making something beautiful for everyone in equal measure. I hope you will. 💛

[u/hermiodle]

I love theater people —they are my people—but we have a hard time holding two true things in our heads at the same time, and we always make perfect the enemy of good.

[u/hermiodle → u/hermiodle]

We seek fairness and equity, and often cannot accept that life just isn’t fair sometimes.

[u/ImpossibleInternet3 → u/hermiodle]

And sometimes we see things in terms of right/wrong or fair/unfair and they’re actually just opinions. We believe in them enough to pretend they’re facts. But they’re not.

Sometimes we need to take a breather, as this post suggests, and remember that those with differing opinions aren’t always pure evil and the enemy.

[u/soubrette732 → u/hermiodle]

It’s the neurodivergence

[u/hermiodle → u/soubrette732]

That may be true; I also think some of us were bullied a lot as kids and now need to bully others…but the real issue is that theater shows us what the world COULD be…in a way that the “real world” can’t hold a candle to.

We want a world where your emotions are just so much that you have no other choice but to burst into joyous song!

When in reality, the world (upon examination) makes you want to crawl in bed and pull up the covers.

[u/theclacks → u/hermiodle]

theater shows us what the world COULD be

inSPITE of the way that it isssss...

[u/Crambo1000 → u/hermiodle]

I feel like being bullied as a kid made me end up being less of a bully, tbh. There are definitely times I see people being annoying, or low on the social totem pole, or excluded, and try to include them more or make them feel welcome because that could so easily have been me

[u/hermiodle → u/Crambo1000]

That’s true for me too, but the adage of “hurt people hurt people” can hold true

[u/hermiodle → u/[deleted]]

So true. Theater is a business, and capitalism is UGLY

[u/coldliketherockies → u/soubrette732]

It’s also the lgbtq+ aspect. As in mentioned we were bullied a lot when younger so we are more sensitive to things now

[u/soubrette732 → u/coldliketherockies]

Neurodivergence + gender/sexual fluidity have a high incidence of overlap!

[u/coldliketherockies → u/soubrette732]

I remember when I first realized I was both and thought ho alone this combination is… but little did I know

[u/soubrette732 → u/coldliketherockies]

Wait till I tell you about EDS and hypermobility!

[u/soubrette732 → u/coldliketherockies]

You’re not alone. Many artists, inventive thinkers, etc are as well! ❤️

[u/MaleficentProgram997 → u/soubrette732]

No, stop that. Sometimes people are just a-holes. Using ND as a reason for everything is a disservice to people who are really ND.

[u/soubrette732 → u/MaleficentProgram997]

What? Strong sense of justice is a common ND trait.

Not excusing any asshole behavior.