A Cowboy and a Christmas Elf Walk into a Bar . . .
A True Story of Finding Common Ground
This essay is part of a conversation from a couple of years ago. Sarah Worthy asked a question that unfortunately is as relevant now as it was two years ago: “how can we engage with people and persuade them to see that change is their individual responsibility?” What follows is part of my response to that question.
Last night around 3:00 a.m. — I was up at 3:00 a.m. because I live on the Vampire Sleep Schedule and all good vampires are wide awake at 3:00 a.m. — a message came in from a guy I worked with years ago in the touring company of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Todd worked as an animal wrangler, tending to the needs of the show’s animal actors (a couple of camels, some sheep, and a donkey for the Nativity). And I performed as a Christmas elf, a dancing teddy bear, and one of two Frosty the Snowmen.
If you’ve never worked with theater people (singers, dancers, actors, musicians, and the crew), you know there’s never a dull moment. And for those of you who haven’t worked with theater people, let me tell you … there’s never a dull moment.
A third of the way into our three-month run, one of my elfmates revealed to Todd that I was gay. This was no big deal for me because the way saw it once the first person in the cast and crew found out the news was sure to become common knowledge.
Back to a couple nights ago, my vampire sleep schedule … Todd’s message came in via Facebook Messenger and it read —
“ … I respect you. You made a comment about you are surprised that people want to read your perspective on things. I would like to say, we don’t have same views BUT I respect your perspective (no short joke). When we first met I noticed your height. Then I noticed you are black, and then Steve told me you were gay.
You have a different perspective of the world. You are a black male. You are a little person. You are gay. Those alone give you a different perspective on life, add all those together and you have a view no one else has. We appreciate your view because no one else has your experience. You have a kind way of speaking. A way that makes all who like you feel wrapped in a kind of secure swaddling even if you disagree with them. You make us want to agree with you.
I’ve been labeled a homophobe, bigot, pro-gun, racist redneck. I just want to make sure you know that I respect your views. I call you friend. You make me want to look at the world thru different eyes. Thank you for your perspective that I believe wants all of us to be better people.
Love you brother.”
I can’t go on without saying Todd’s message cause a lump to form in my throat the size of a football. Don’t get distracted here. This essay isn’t about me. It’s about the method, which is not one size fits all.
The season I met Todd, I was consumed with learning my choreography, blocking, and lyrics to be concerned about changing someone’s perception of short, black, gay, Christian men. I didn’t have time to worry about being the poster child for short, gay, black, Christian men. But I did make it a point to get to know the people I worked with and become acquainted with their stories.
As a member of the Christmas Spectacular touring company we were forced to spend a lot of time together. We traveled together, rehearsed together, stayed in the same hotel together, ate breakfast together, rode to work together, performed together on the same stage, and yes, we partied together. And every newcomer had a decision to make: to become a part of our rollicking and sometimes messy Christmas pudding of humanity OR isolate. Todd the Cowboy and Clay the Christmas elf chose, as did the vast majority of the cast and crew, to get to retain our own humanity and embrace that of others by getting to know one another as people and focusing on our similarities rather than differences.
You see, even though we all had the common goal of turning out at least twelve fantastic shows a week, we were a diverse group of people of all ages, ethnicities, economic background grounds, political and religious affiliations, et cetera. We came from red states and blue states. We grew to become stronger because of our differences. Everyone was valued because we couldn’t achieve our common goal — putting on the show — without everyone’s contribution.
In my opinion, this is where America has jumped the shark. The country has become a group of factions that have lost sight of their common goal and founding principles of equality for all and unification. Anybody remember “the United States of America” and “liberty and justice for all”?
So back to where we started, how do we engage people?
With respect, care, and active listening. Black Americans and People of Color are not some product to be sold like a vacuum cleaner by a door-to-door salesman. We’re people. And as a society, we all have to be willing to engage one another on a non-objectified, human level, right where we are. I mean that in terms of proximity and emotionally.
I can hear you already, but what about people who don’t want to engage?
Don’t let their inability to be human lessen your humanity. Be better than that. Rise above it.
If the people exhibiting their humanity outnumber those who don’t, peer pressure will eventually set in, and they’ll come around. Who wants to be the odd man out?
How do we persuade them to see that change is their individual responsibility? We can’t. Like Sarah said in her post, humans will not change because you want them to or because you put a gun to their head or for any other reason than because they decide they want to change their own beliefs.
Genuine change happens in relationship with others. Be yourself. It’s not so much that we have to convince someone else that they have a responsibility to change. In reality, everyone’s first responsibility is to afford others the opportunity to change.
Love one another.
Originally was posted at www.clayrivers.com entitled, “A Cowboy and a Christmas Elf Walk into a Bar.”
