Ethics in Performing Arts (or) Socrates and Dating Violence.

It's very interesting to me that since i've been in my Ethics in Performing Arts class, I have been faced with more ethical decisions in my life than before. If maybe not "more" certainly ones where the lines are blurry.

James and I performed a scene for 16,000 highschoolers today on Dating Violence. We were with an organization that basically makes itself a safe haven for victims of sexual and physical abuse. Our scene was real. We edited it and took out all the strongest language, and we made it more "highschool". We even took out their names and used our own names and our own best friends. Let's just say it was highly intense. Because the truth is, even without doing any stage combat, (ie- he never actually hit me) it's a scary subject. and it happens. The schools we went to have reported cases, kids who were probably sitting in the room.

And it was amazing, moving, crazy hard work and good. we came back an hour later found out... we were in trouble. A pastor had been at the assembly and found out that we were from the university of mobile and that we had said words on stage like Hell and Crap and a few other "strong" words. He was furious.

I don't understand, really. Because now socrates(required reading for this Ethics class) is driving me crazy. He says that an action is wrong is wrong is wrong. But if it was wrong for me to say hell, was it not also "wrong" in the same sense for James's character to call my character fat? was it not also wrong for his character to be verbally abusive? I understand why the pastor was offended- because there are some things people should never do, even for art. I'm just not sure where i think that line is. I think that we were showing something beautiful- the fact that situations like the skit shows, are WRONG. They SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. and if nobody speaks out, if nobody protests and let's other people know that those situations are real- aren't we doing a greater disservice to those kids?

I apologize for my strong language- i see now that it did more harm than good. and my intention was for good. i do not apologize for the skit- that reality needed to be spoken.