August Post

One of the concepts, taught both in class and found in the reading, that stuck out to me the most was Conquergood’s Performing as Moral Act. The acts plays an active role into everyone’s day to day life, even if it goes unacknowledged. Conquergood’s multiple acts each play a separate role in communication. The “custodian’s rip-off” is when a speaker, or possibly both, only talk to each other to further themselves or to get something out of the conversation. The “enthusiast’s infatuation” is ignoring the variances between the speakers. The “curator’s exhibitionism” is not moving past the variances between the speakers. The “skeptic’s cop-out” is a refusal of speakers to converse due to their variances being too prominent to move forward from. I saw nearly all of Conquergood’s moral acts in motion this past weekend through my sorority’s recruitment.

Throughout the near 55 strangers I met with, I constantly found myself acting within the roles of the “enthusiast’s infatuation” and the “curator’s exhibitionism.” The short conversations I had with these girls were very surface level, as you cannot get to truly know someone within a matter of five to ten minutes. With that in mind, I looked for the easiest way to connect with the girls I was meeting. There were two options I found the most simple to categorize the conversations in were: someone who I am nothing alike and wants to talk more in-depth or someone who does not want to explore our differences. Within the first few questions I had asked, I either picked up on similar life experiences or vice versa. If the girl I was talking to seemed passionate about the things she was talking, yet I could not relate, I would use the “curator’s exhibitionism” and give my attention and bring the conversation back around to hear the variances between our lives. On the other hand, if the girl seemed to have no interest in explaining or hearing the variances in our lives, I would use the “curator’s exhibitionism” and move past our differences and attempt to find something we had in common. Without even knowing of the moral acts, I was still utilizing them in conversation to attempt to connect with strangers within a matter of five to ten minutes.

When first learning about the moral acts, they seemed like such specific ways of communicating that did not really apply to my everyday life. However, examining my life and my interactions with others, I am guilting of using them all. Whether it is acting in the “custodian’s rip-off” in wanting to hear the latest gossip, or meeting new people, or acting in the “skeptics cop-out” when avoiding confrontation with those I disagree with. I think the acts are something worth keeping in the back of your mind when conversing with others. You may continually fall into a certain act and not even realizing it. Challenging yourself to use other acts serves as an opportunity for personal growth and possible deeper human connection.