THE BRAIN SHOW: DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND!

The American Museum of Natural History’s THE BRAIN SHOW poses an “ethical problem” for the visitor to ponder: “What if healthy people used [drug-supported treatments] and then had super-memory? Should that be illegal? What if some countries banned these drugs and others didn’t? Or what if many of these treatments were so expensive that only wealthy people would be able to afford them, thickening the dividing line between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’? These questions may soon become impossible to ignore.”

Who wants to be left behind? CHECK YOUR ETHICS at the nearest drug store.

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THE BRAIN SHOW 4: REBUILDING YOUR OWN BIOLOGY

By now, the visitor to the American Museum of Natural History’s THE BRAIN SHOW has been convinced that drugs are OKAY (scroll down to check out my earlier posts on this topic.) Drugs work because they “resemble natural chemicals already in your brain.” The visitor is asked if they could change the way they think and feel by taking a drug, would they? “Chances are you already do,” the visitor is apprised. Billions of people “boost their alertness” by drinking coffee. (Didn’t they just identify caffeine as one of the BAD drugs?) Relaxing with beer or wine is normal. (Alcohol is not a problem?).

And what about the “millions who take prescriptions drugs to reduce depression and anxiety or improve concentration”? It seems that through drugs, you can remake yourself into a happier, smarter, more attractive person.

That is what The Brain Show is really saying.

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THE BRAIN SHOW 2: BAD DRUGS AND GOOD DRUGS

THANK GOD WE NOW KNOW WHAT A BAD DRUG IS because THE BRAIN SHOW tells us! There is a big picture of a BAD DRUG on the wall with its name in large RED letters, lest we do not realize how dangerous it is. CAFFEINE!!!!!! The image of a large cup of coffee is almost as big as a three-year old. Can’t miss it! And what’s awful about caffeine? Millions of people have unwittingly become coffee addicts and face a future of rotted bladders and obesity from the doughnuts and cake they have to eat with coffee—not to mention sleeplessness and jangly nerves.

According to the display, heroin and cocaine are also bad drugs but are not as dangerous as caffeine because they are not as ubiquitous. “Heroin” and “Cocaine” are displayed in small, gray text.

The Brain Show tells us that heroin and cocaine only hurt a small portion of the population—the ones who can’t afford life-long, expensive medical treatment.

GOOD drugs are the ones that are used for HEALTH.

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GAY PRIDE: NORMAL SHIFTED

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TRANSFORMATION, CUBED

Cindy Sherman as “Bacchus” by Caravaggio

In my New School Abnormal Psychology class, I learned about Identity Disorder as one of the Associative/Personality Disorders. Since acting is about being someone else, it seems somewhat related to the topic, as does Cindy Sherman’s work. She built a whole lifetime of artwork centered upon her transformations into different personae. In one phase of her work, she was photographed as famous works of art. She inspired me to do a transformation of Nancy, of cartoon fame (see below), into Cindy Sherman transforming into famous artworks.

Nancy as "A Gentleman" by Fra Galgario

Left: Nancy as “Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear” by Van Gogh Right: Nancy as “Georg Gisze” by Holbein, the Younger

Nancy, as "The Infanta Mariana of Austria" by Diego Velázquez

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STIGMA

Stigma is a stain, a blot on one’s escutcheon, and probably originated with the ancient reaction to menstrual blood as a form of ritual pollution. Stigma is something of which to be ashamed. Each culture and society has its lists of stigmas. The stigma is also the sticky part of the pistil, the female part of a plant. Reproduction in plants occurs when the pollen from an anther is transferred to the stigma. A noun ending in an a is recognized as female in Latin, otherwise it would be stigmo. Stigma does sound sticky. Stigmo doesn’t.

• Stigma (manga), a Japanese manga story by Kazuya Minekura

• Stigma (EMF album), an album recorded by the band EMF in 1992

• Stigma (Mind Assault album)

• Stigma, an album recorded by the Japanese band YMsei Teikoku in 2005

• Stigma (Irish band), formed 1992 in Dublin

• Vinnie Stigma of the Agnostic Front and Madball

• Stigma (Stigma Official), WWE SmackDown vs. RAW player and ‘Stigma Official’ Community

• Stigma (Star Trek: Enterprise), a second-season episode of Star Trek: Enterprise

• Stigma (film), a 1972 film featuring Philip Michael Thomas

• Stigma (letter), a ligature of the Greek letters sigma and tau

• Stigma (wrestler), a professional wrestler

• Stigma (short), a 1999 TV Movie

• Stigma (book), a 1963 book written by Erving Goffman

Wikipedia says:

“Identifying which human differences are salient, and therefore worthy of labeling, is a social process. There are two primary factors to examine when considering the extent to which this process is a social one. The first issue is the fact that significant oversimplification is needed to create groups. The broad groups of black and white, homosexual and heterosexual, the sane and the mentally ill; and young and old are all examples of this. Secondly, the differences that are socially judged to be relevant differ vastly according to time and place. An example of this is the emphasis that was put on the size of forehead and faces of individuals in the late 19th century, which was believed to be an indication of a person’s degree of criminal nature.”

For a great book on this subject, check out Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen, Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality

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VIRTUAL STIGMA

I want to do the caretaker Carol’s story in SHIFTING NORMAL as a photoplay. I planned to give each protagonist individual voices by using a different art form for each. Jenny is a cartoon, since she is the commentator. Carol, as a photoplay, is the caretaker who lives in the everyday real world. Miranda, who is schizophrenic, is fine art—the imaginative, creative, mysterious. I still have to choose between drawing in ink and washes or scratchboard.

The cartoon (Jenny) introduces Carol and her story. I needed actors and actresses for Carol’s Story. I had the perfect Carol in a theatrical friend but she has two daughters and she is concerned that people who know her will think one of her daughters is Miranda even if neither daughter will be the model for Miranda. Not being known as a professional actress, the possibility of her being recognized as the Caretaker would likely stigmatize her and her family.

The stigma of mental illness is heavy. It may seem that because Catherine Zeta Jones came out as having Bi-Polar II, the stigma of mental illness is receding. But we are still a long way from destigmatizing people with mental illness. My friend’s concern is real.

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