{"id":5683,"date":"2016-11-20T13:23:43","date_gmt":"2016-11-20T19:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=5683"},"modified":"2016-11-20T20:44:19","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T02:44:19","slug":"the-hamilton-kerfuffle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/11\/the-hamilton-kerfuffle.html","title":{"rendered":"The Hamilton kerfuffle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AHamiltontrumbull-crop.jpg;<\/p>\n

So, raise your hands if you\u2019ve seen the reports about the speech that a Hamilton cast member gave with Mike Pence in the audience.<\/p>\n

Yeah, at this point, far more people have heard about this than really should have \u2014 it just shouldn\u2019t have been particularly newsworthy. \u00a0For the small number who haven\u2019t, the story goes like this: \u00a0Vice-President-elect Mike Pence attended the musical on Friday night, and, at the curtain call, cast member Brandon Dixon read a brief speech, as follows (per CNN<\/a>, but, really, all over the place):<\/p>\n

We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us. All of us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Trump reacted by tweeting, saying that Pence was \u201charassed,\u201d and the cast was \u201crude\u201d and should apologize.<\/p>\n

And immediately, facebook and twitter went nuts with fears that this was proof that Trump would censor performing artists once he took office.<\/p>\n

But \u2014 cue the video! https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GMp6WHWJHf4<\/a><\/p>\n

This is what I noticed:<\/p>\n

First, yes, there were a mix of cheers and boos in the audience, but not from the cast. \u00a0At the same time, one could take issue with the words themselves, or, rather, the first sentence. \u00a0Paraphrased, Dixon said, \u201cyou have given us reason to think that you will not protect us,\u201d which is not exactly\u00a0neutral and respectful. \u00a0But, to be sure, watching the video, the tone didn\u2019t project that; from that tone, he intended to be more uplifting that the words of that sentence suggest. \u00a0Could he have apologized, in words expressing, \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to imply that . . . \u201c? \u00a0Sure. \u00a0But it\u2019s not a big deal.<\/p>\n

On the other hand: \u00a0just prior to that speech, he encouraged the audience to record the speech and share it widely. \u00a0He wanted the speech to go viral, which means that his audience was not really Pence, and his words were not really directed at him. \u00a0What was Dixon\u2019s objective? \u00a0Did he simply want everyone to know that the cast of Hamilton was right-thinking, and get publicity for the show (not that it needs any!)? \u00a0That seems unlikely.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s assume that\u00a0he didn\u2019t have such self-serving motives in mind, but something bigger. \u00a0In that case, it seems to me that his objective was to model, for those disappointed in Trump\u2019s election, a proper response \u2014 acknowledging the fears people have, but also expressing hope and good will, and moving forward in love (because Dixon prefaces these remarks with the statement that \u201cwe\u2019re all here sharing a story of love\u201d) and charity \u2014 and that, not because Trump is \u201cdeserving\u201d of good will, but because the alternative, a determination to carry on with hate and anger indefinitely, is destructive, to one\u2019s self and the country.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AHamiltontrumbull-crop.jpg; By John Trumbull [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, raise your hands if you\u2019ve seen the reports about the speech that a Hamilton cast member gave with Mike Pence in the audience. Yeah, at this point, far more people have heard about this than really should have \u2014 it just shouldn\u2019t have been particularly newsworthy. \u00a0For the small number who haven\u2019t, the story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":5648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[503,502],"class_list":["post-5683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hamilton","tag-mike-pence"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Hamilton kerfuffle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So, raise your hands if you've seen the reports about the speech that a Hamilton cast member gave with Mike Pence in the audience. Yeah, at this point,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/11\/the-hamilton-kerfuffle.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Hamilton kerfuffle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So, raise your hands if you've seen the reports about the speech that a Hamilton cast member gave with Mike Pence in the audience. 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