Performance Art and the Seduction of Theatricality

Born of the America of 1960s, performance art comes along as a celebration of presentation rather than re-presentation, as a display form of art, and an art form that does not admit of duplication. This paper presents a reading of the seductive power of performance art as rooted in our theatrical nature. I will address performance art as an emancipated form of the theatrical, where by ＂theatrical＂ I mean a specific mode of presentation and a specific mode of perception： the mode of presentation of the self to the social and the mode of perception of the self through the social. Performance art, I will argue, is hardly an anomaly of our time. Rather, its source of disturbance and fascination lies in the natural, though excessive manifestation of our theatrical nature. By its appeal to the shocking, the perilous, or the mundane even, this form of art confirms what Paul Woodruff has addressed as ＂the necessity of watching and being watched.＂ Performance art shows us the danger of self-presentation, the recognition of the other gaze as the self＇s greatest need and greatest fear. It needs no words. Mere action is more seductive than speech and does not accept speech in return. Once it has been performed, it is no longer. In Nietzsche＇s words, it celebrates the fleeting moment＇s ＂greatest weight.＂ As Samuel Beckett used to tell his actors, performance artists seem to tell their spectators： ＂Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better.＂

Dealing with Climate Change in a Digital Age

Digital technologies offer unprecedented opportunities in addressing climate change as public policy requirements increasingly pervade national boundaries. Health issues now merge with those in education, the environment, energy, culture, gender, security, and the economy. They offer enormous potential in mobilizing for political action. But they also have a dark side. Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama issued a warning that social media in particular poses an existential threat to democracy. Their pervasive influence during the 2016 American presidential election highlighted the potential for the spread of fake news and alternative facts. These realities must be recognized and addressed if meaningful policies on climate change and future sustainability are to be achieved. The challenges ahead require a re-examination of overarching trends in mass media that date back to the middle of the last century. Warnings from scientists, scholars, and community activists indicate that, on the issue of climate change, time is running out. In his Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality, Pope Francis amplified the urgent call to action. But collectively, we need to rethink the profit driven ways in which our proliferating digital technologies mitigate potential steps toward a sustainable future. In a myriad of forms that go well beyond the seductive and addicting trends of endless hours spent online, new and proliferating digital toys and gadgets are neither carbon neutral, nor as some proponents would have us believe, do they hold the sole promise of innovation and job creation. Additionally, their potential must be harnessed to maintain rather than disrupt social stability.

Journalism Teacher Assessment of Education Inhibitors

Combining,, cultural-historical theory＇ of human development with research pinpointing education inhibitors, a survey was developed to investigate how journalism teachers evaluated the effects of five education inhibitors on their students＇ learning. The list of inhibitors included electronic gadgets, lack of nutrition, parental education levels, family support levels, and racial subcultures. Results showed that use of electronic gadgets and lack of parental edxlcation were perceived as having the most negative influence on learning, while students＂ subcultures were perceived as having the smallest effect. Respondents also knew the least about their students＇ nutritional intake. Further, school size and student socio-economic status seem to play some role in teacher awareness of education inhibitors, and this is an important finding. It shows that while increasing teacher awareness of various education inhibitors, demographic factors also must be considered when targeting specific inhibitors.