This is a quotation I found while reading about gay marriage. I think it speaks so well to my idea of capitalism, privilege, and those without consciousness of their House of Light. Though it is only a small segment of the full poem, which is about the distopia of marriage, I feel that this segment speaks true to all other parts of life where we forget how our actions, small and immaterial, affect the world so greatly.
Here she references the common folk. Those without Marriage. However, I can see this as the poor (those making less than 2oK 12K 10K 8K 4K a year), the queer people, prostitutes, Native Peoples, Asian Peoples, Black Peoples, Latina/o Peoples, sexual radicals, vegans, women, non-conformist, pretty much anyone who is not the middle-class, white majority. That's right, you gay, republican white male conservatives--you are also a savage...in this view...stop resisting yourself.
Here is where the idea become so important to me. All those savages, are, truely, "condemned to disaffect" from America, from any loyalty...because they are not accepted. They have to be. Slaves were condemned to disaffect, so that they may have a good life for themselves and their future generations. Good, of course, used lightly.
But think about all the children of the Ghetto, think of all those who disaffect from correct society (circuit boys, leather men, gang leaders)--they did so because they were already ostracized. They were so already condemned......
HOWEVER! HERE SHE INCLUDES THE "NON-VISIONARIES"
And this is my greatest point. If you are not special, if you are not of the elite class, which makes the laws, creates the art, shares their ideas, find scientific discoveries, gone to Harvard or Stanford, was a great poet, the principal ballet dancer, the producer (money wise) of culture, YOU HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED TO DISAFFECT.
I truely believe this. This, of course, coming from a Choreographer-Scholar, a visionary. I know. I am privileged.
But, I am only partially condemned to disaffect--my flaws are that I am Native, Latino, and Queer (but, of course I see them as great things...more next)--and sometimes, being an Avant-Garde Artist.
This is the best section of this small part of the poem.
It tells you, of what your colonized work must be.
You are, as the "condemned to disaffect-colonized people" are constantly alerted, to, MAKE THE VISIONARIES NOBLE, and YOU, MUST REMAIN A SAVAGE.....
How interesting. Even today, I see this as holding true....
It is a silly task, but an essential one in this capitalist society. And, honestly, it makes me sick.
ALL OF YOU, who become Lady GAGA's Little Monsters, all of you who Worship The Queen, King, Princes, and Dutchmen of the Royal English Family, all of you who follow the Celebrities, all of you who too much WORSHIP the great artist and scientist and businessmen, instead of Respecting** them...you have condemned yourself to savagery....thus too, disaffection, thus to tyranny, thus to death.... nice. you go do that.
This is why the House of Light is so important.
In the House of Light Revolution, I call for, a new age. (post, Post-modern^n, where n ->infinity)....(mitote just happens to be the dance form associated with the House of Light Philosophy).
As MODERNISM too the turn of the century, as POST-MODERNISM took the later part of the century--at least this is how dance see things (art is a bit different...we are still in the pop-art and new genre, feminist art age....lasted a bit....) I call for what is needed THE HOUSE OF LIGHT--which is about the community found through the self.
All the perfect, all the ugly, is all the beautiful found inside you.
Inside you, at peace and war, at once, darkness and light, there is love.
This is your HOUSE OF LIGHT.
The Native, Latino, Queer, Artist that I am is not condemned to disaffect here.
I make no one noble. Not myself, not anyone else.
I am empty, but full. No attachment to life, and connected to all things (we all have Buddha inside us--as some Buddhist would say--this is our connectivity--but I am not Buddhist, and I do not suggest this).
*In the darkness of the world, I found you. There, in the void. Together we walked, towards the light, to the warmth. And there we found, a warm house, made for us. It was the guiding light. This is the House of Light*
*together we made a journey into each of ourselves, decolonized, uncontrolled by the world. witness the ugly and the perfect with non-judgment. Behold ourself. and we were okay. good. bad. happy. sad. all of it. we existed and lived. this is the house of light, with all the compassion of the world, inside us*
TO ANSWER HER QUESTION: WE CAN SHOW THEM THE HOUSE OF LIGHT.
p.s.
There are 2 types of integration...
Assimilation into the dominate culture. Changing of the self to fit their needs.
or
Acceptance of the dominate culture of what you are. The Dominate culture making room, a place, for you--taking you in, and adding it to normal culture. --behold, and take in.
*the Latter is the better in my opinion. But it takes more work, nd not much work at all. It is past tolerance, it is acceptance. BUT, AS IT TURNS OUT, MOST PEOPLE GET CONFUSED, AND FIGHT FOR, WANT, THE FIRST--BECAUSE INSTEAD OF MAKING THEIR OWN IDEAS OF SUCCESS AND NORMALCY, AND PUTTING IT INTO REALITY, THEY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW OTHERS--NOT QUESTIONING THE STATUS-QUO, AND GO ALONG WITH INTEGRATED HATRED.....OH WELL...I will miss these peers dearly as I fight for the latter
--this is when I get into arguments of the Divine, the Laws of the Universe, and when Science an art conflate. This is when I tell you about the multiplicity-diversity that is the world, and how it needs to be accepted. This is when I tell you that The House of Light is not just one place, but many place, in each being, and it looks and was made different. this is when i tell you the difference of sexy/hot and beautiful. This is when i tell you that the world, the universe has already accepted you, and you are a beautiful person--even if "society" does not like you....
but all these lessons, stories, lectures, for another time....
