Journal 11: Searching for a place for outrage in the contemporary world

Isis Alexander
Nov 5 · 8 min read

This week we will explore leadership in the most improbable of places, Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, a one-hour NetFlix comedy special in which Gadsby wonders whether comedy is the best medium for delivering the messages that people need to hear.


In class, 10/31

Ned Weeks

Outrage → Leadership

Successful?

Voicing your opinion enough to stay in the argument

(Backstory, method, character)

How much do we as a class admire Ned?

1–10 = 7,8,9

Advice to Ned: listen to more of his colleagues better

Ned’s characteristics:

  • Passion/Anger
  • Uncompromising
  • Lacking in understanding/empathy

How much of a leader is Ned in terms of Ida B. Wells’ Leadership identification?

  • Perseverance
  • Courage of conviction
  • Self-restraint

“If I can do this, why can’t others?”

A question to self: Do you measure up to Ned as a leader?

What is your dragon? Meaning what issues fuel your outrage?

We consider:

  • Empathy
  • Reputation
  • Money
  • Career
  • Social stability

When thinking about when we put principle first — do we put these things before principle?


Session One

Assignment: Watch Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” on NetFlix and answer the following questions.
1. In what ways might you not expect stand-up comedy to be a kind of leadership? In what ways can stand-up comedy be seen as leadership?

I don’t expect stand-up comedy to be a form of leadership when I think about the offensive jokes comedians make and the stereotypes they use a lot of times. These techniques can be offensive and harmful as it gives the impression these stereotypes are okay and the remarks they make regarding people (or groups of people) and okay as well — despite the fact it can be putting others down.

I do see comedy as a form of leadership when comedians are able to address real-life issues. When they do so it allows people to reflect on the joke they made and realize the harmfulness in it, if they did not before. If you have to think about laughing at it right away it makes you think about why you had to. If you do laugh at the joke you’re probably laughing because you realize how idiotic the ideas behind the joke are. Either way, the comedians are forcing the audience to evaluate real-life issues in a way that makes them comfortable to do so.

2. What are the three most important lessons you feel that Gadsby is trying to teach in her routine?

I think the three most important lessons that Gadsby is trying to teach in her routine is that you must speak your truth, you must learn to love yourself, and you have to work through the tension to work through the trauma.

3. Based on her own account what do you feel like it took for Gadsby to develop her ability to speak out in a more effective way? Focus both on Gadsby’s own personal growth and any experiences you feel were relevant to that growth.

I think it took Gadsby time to develop her ability to speak out in a more effective way. She expresses that for years she hated herself — it took her time to love herself. It took for her mother to apologize to her, it took her time to realize she was the tension and used jokes as a way to get over her trauma. Most importantly, it took her time to realize she must tell her story and not by making jokes and fun of her life and lesbians but in a serious manner, where it will be taken seriously and respected.


In Class, 11/5

Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” (2018)

Stand-up comedy as leadership

No:

  • Joking/Not serious/”low brow”
  • No accountability
  • “No authority”
  • It mocks pain
  • It mocks tragedy
  • It mocks trauma → Coming out story

Full humanity

No transferable skills of leadership?→ Coach, teacher, general, parent

Ex. Al Franken (SNL) → Good at connecting

Yes:

  • Therapy → cure for crying
  • Starts uncomfortable situations
  • Clarity in communication

EI = emotional intelligence

*Perspective-taking → region, age, influences, experiences

*Empathy

*Self-awareness

*Self-regulation

  • Standup is relatable → identity in the community

Career advice for Hannah Gadsby:

  • General
  • Coach
  • Legislator
  • CEO
  • Business executive
  • Principal
  • Teacher
  • Head of non-profit
  • Guidance counselor → good at translating her story
  • Mentor
  • Motivational Speaker

Session Two

Assignment: Re-watch Gadsby’s Nanette so that you are even more familiar with it.
1. What parts of her routine do you find most moving/compelling? What specific lines?

What I find most moving in Gadsby’s Nanette is her willingness to be so open about her and her mother’s relationship and how she was raised. When Gadsby recalls her mother saying “The thing that I regret is that I raised you as if you were straight, I am so sorry for that… I knew well before you did that your life was going to be so hard, I knew that and I wanted it more than anything in the world not to be the case and I know I made it worse because I wanted to change you because I knew the world wouldn’t” it gave me chills. It was traumatic and emotionally abusive that her mother tried to change her daughter — tried to change her sexuality especially when Gadsby already dealt with self-hate and did not know how to deal with being a lesbian. The fact that Gadsby’s mother tried to change her is very messed up but to know she was trying to change her daughter not because she did not accept her but because she knew the world would not is very real. It speaks volumes about how our society is. Gadsby’s mother was so scared of the hate her daughter would get from the world because she was lesbian, that she wanted her to change so she did not have to face it.

2. In what ways could Telemachus, Lysistrata, Ida B. Wells, Ned Weeks/Larry Kramer, and Hannah Gadsby described as “outspoken”?

All of these figures could be described as outspoken because they took a stance on what they believed in and took action. They spoke about how they felt to their society, called their society to take action, and then proceeded to take action themselves.

3. Are there good and bad ways for a leader to be outspoken? Explain.
There are good and bad ways for a leader to be outspoken. When one is outspoken to make a positive change we label that as good. When someone is outspoken with bigot ideas such as D.T that is being a leader that is outspoken in a negative way. D.T displays his bigot, racist, sexist, and offensive ideas and though he is outspoken it divides a large community of people and creates a negative environment. So while being outspoken such as Ida B. Wells can lead to positive change, being outspoken can also be negative.

4. Of these leaders who do you think is most effective in their style of speaking? Explain your answer.

I think Ida B. Wells is most effective in their style of speaking because she draws with cause and effect and appeals to people’s logic. She develops stories and states the cause of the lynching of innocent black men. She also speaks to people’s intelligence when she draws on the fact that none of these men were proven guilty, got a fair trial, or had evidence against their “crime”.

5. To what extent does Hannah Gadsby seem to have philanthropia, philomatheia, and philotimia like Cyrus?

Gadsby has philanthropia and it’s clear to see that when she speaks as she completely questions comedy because she wants to be able to tell her story so that she can make a change for her community and be there for her community to advance. She wants people to feel comfortable and safe in their sexuality and promote self-love. It doesn’t seem she’s too prominent in having philomatheia but I do think she has it in her somewhat as she has grown over the years and the only way she could have grown as a comedian perfecting her work and as a person is by loving to learn and being dedicated to. I also see philotimia shine through as she wants to be honored by the LGBTQ+ community that’s why she tells her story through jokes — and once she realizes that is not the most effective way she begins to reconsider comedy and think about the best way she can be honored, or the way she can be honored the most.


Leadership Groups

This week as I thought about what I can do to be a leader — I performed small acts of kindness. I recently haven’t been feeling like I’ve been living to be the best version of myself. I would do or say something that I wouldn’t be too fond of how it made me feel after. I even found myself in a situation I didn’t like. Now while everything isn’t because of me and I do realize people have their own problems, I always like to evaluate myself in every situation. Someone else’s problems are on them but I still like to ensure that I am correcting every flaw about my character. I want to always strive to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. I never want to be in a negative situation because of my actions. I also never want to have negative labels attached to me and my name. Thinking about this and noticing this I really tried to do small acts of kindness like holding the door, waiting on my friends, and smiling more in order to help bring positivity around me. There are things I can’t control but there are also things that I can control, I am choosing to take control of the things that I can. Some quotes helping me take control this week are:

“THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL:

Your beliefs

Your attitude

Your thoughts

Your perspective

How honest you are

Who your friends are

What books you read

How often you exercise

The type of food you eat

How many risks you take

How kind you are to others

How ou interpret situations

How kinds you are to yourself

How often you say ‘I love you’

How often you say thank you

How often you express your feelings

Whether or not you ask for help

How often you practice gratitude

How often you smile today

The amount of effort you put forth

How you spend/invest your money

How much time you spend worrying

How often you think about your past

Whether or not you judge people

Whether or not you try again after a setback

How much you appreciate the things you have”

Caleb LP Gunners

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” — Steve Maraboli

“How would your life be different if…You stopped worrying about things you can’t control and started focusing on the things you can? Let today be the day…You free yourself from fruitless worry, seize the day and take effective action on things you can change.” — Steve Maraboli

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou

“ The most important lesson that I have learned is to trust God in every circumstance. Lots of times we go through different trials and following God’s plan seems like it doesn’t make any sense at all. God is always in control and he will never leave us.”— Allyson Felix

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