In the workshop, she tells us all the things we shouldn’t say. We shouldn’t say but or sorry or this isn’t my area of expertise. We shouldn’t say in terms of or I think or I feel.
None of us are sold on this.
What about the things we do think or feel?
What about the things that aren’t our area of expertise?
What about when we are sorry?
We all say the banned words frequently in trying to dispute them.
I don’t think that sounds…
I feel like sometimes…
But…
But… aren’t we policed enough?
But… isn’t there a way to make things different, instead of keeping them the same?
A week earlier, my friend had said Oh, you’re doing the How To Be A Man workshop.
And I’d laughed and cringed. And now here I was.
But… are men taking workshops on how to be less… um…?
She tells us the stats about men and women that we already know.
She tells us, encouragingly, that we need to be fearless.
She tells us we can say and instead of but.
And… she tells us not to apologise.
But…
Afterwards, we go for drinks.
We go for drinks on all three nights, actually.
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A version of this post was sent by email on the 16th February 2019 as part of Internet Care Package – a weekly memoir project in the form of a newsletter. It also includes links to the best things I’ve found on the internet each week and occasional updates on my theatremaking. This blog is a select archive of those emails. Subscribe to get them right in your inbox.
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