August Blog Post

            For the blog post this month I wanted to center my discussion around Dwight Conquergood and more specifically his performance as a moral act. I found this topic interesting throughout lecture and our readings as it made me think about the ways that others have interacted with me and whether or not it has been in a way that would fall under and of Conquergood’s four pitfalls. I think this is an important topic for people to understand because it would get them to consider the relationships they have and consider whether or not that relationship is built on an unhealthy foundation. Also an understanding of the four pitfalls would lead to better dialogic listening and as a result better understanding and better relationships.

            The first pitfall, custodian’s rip-off, is one that we will probably see more than others. This performance is the use of interaction for personal gain. We do not care about others and their needs but instead evaluate the communication and interaction to see what we have to gain for ourselves. I see this kind of interaction a lot between my siblings and my mom. The conversation often weighs heavy on the side of “what do I get out of it” and looking for personal gain. Building relationships off of this pitfall is often a bad idea because those who are self-centered are likely to create a negative environment around them.

            The second pitfall, enthusiast’s infatuation, is one the I see working with the custodian’s rip-off quite often. With this pitfall we focus our interactions around overlooking differences to the point that we become ignorant. We will try to relate ourselves to someone even though our situations may only share one common trait. This leads us to a misunderstanding of people because we don’t put in the effort to understand who they are and where they come from. This is a pitfall that my sister struggles with. She often sees that I am going to college and that I received some good scholarships and grants and thinks she will get the same. However, she doesn’t understand that I put in a lot of time and effort throughout school to earn my opportunity at Boise State. She overlooks the work that I put in and thinks that because she is going to the same high school and taking some of the same classes that eventually she will end up with the same opportunities as me and get to go to college. This is a dangerous pitfall because we may not appreciate the person we are engaging with, or we may create a relationship of misunderstanding that will come back to bite us later.

            The third pitfall, curator’s exhibitionism, is a pitfall I see in a lot of people who are feeling attacked and acting defensively. In this moral act we, instead of overlooking the differences, focus solely on the differences between us and the person we are engaging with. When someone feels they are being blamed or are in trouble they may use the logic of other’s not understanding and inflate the differences between them to shift the conversation. If a teenager is in trouble they may say to their parents that they don’t understand what they are going through because the parent is no longer a teenager themselves. This pitfall is one that I try to avoid when communicating with someone who is upset. I want them to understand that we do have differences but this doesn’t mean I can’t understand or relate to their situation.

            The final pitfall, skeptic’s cop-out, is one that I find myself using more than I care to admit. With this pitfall we avoid any interaction possible. Rather than deal with the differences or misunderstanding we instead just avoid communication. I have had some friends get hurt by people using some of these pitfalls before and now I am hesitant to engage with others and expand our friend group. I will often avoid creating new relationships because I am content with the ones I have and I do not care to let myself or my friends create any more negative relationships. This pitfall is important to understand because it can limit what we do with our lives and hold us back from many great opportunities in life.

          Conquergood's four pitfalls were a subject in class that I enjoyed learning about from the first reading. I enjoyed understanding some of the deeper parts of negative interaction and learning about where these problems might arise in my own life. This was important information to learn because it is going to be extremely helpful moving forward as I can easily apply this to real life and even help others understand more about foundations of poor relationships.