PARTICIPATION
Written by Maddy Costa in conversation with and edited by Leo Kay and Anna Smith.
Anna: It's amazing how the word Participation has so much baggage. Yesterday I was working with students and if you say 'Do you want to participate in this performance?' the answer's no. You can't use that word.
Leo: It's confronting –
Anna: – it makes me frustrated because it reflects an apathy in general – people's unwillingness to participate in society…
Maddy: Apathy or fear?
Anna: Both, definitely both. It was an infuriating experience yesterday, some people seemed scared and shy, and some seemed apathetic and self-absorbed. I feel like that's what it is: fear, apathy and self-obsession preventing you from participating or making you wince at the very idea of it. So that word provokes those feelings, those reactions.
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