Why Did the Chicken Do Anything?

Please Pay Attention Please

Please Pay Attention Please by Bruce Nauman

I’m up in this room again, staring out of the window at the chickens that have taken up residence in their new pen. They haven’t quite taken to the coop part, and every night I have to slide on my belly in the shavings and poop to retrieve them and tuck them away safely inside. Sometimes they squawk at me, loudly, full of fear, and from somewhere close a fox howls back in a warning… when you least expect it, mother fuckers. Sleeping in the coop is for their own good, dammit. If they would just tuck themselves in on their own, I wouldn’t have to do this nightly slither under the coop to save them from themselves. Every night, one goes in on its own, and over several minutes, the rest follow. I can see them having a wordless conversation—the fearless ones leading, trying to convince the others that it is safe, dry, and warm. Ultimately, the madness of the crowd overtakes them, and they retreat, becoming more sheep than chicken. They huddle in a corner—out in the open—for any passing predator to smell—dumb clucks.

Why is convincing something/one to act in their best interest so hard?

Just had to Google how to stream Kimmel Live, and I’m wondering how everyone will be able to watch tonight with all their subscriptions canceled. It’s only been 14 days since all hell broke loose, and already things feel like they are moving forward again. The Texas Tribune did a longer-format story on the A&M debacle, which is a great, in-depth read, although it may not matter to those who’ve already made up their minds one way or the other. Also, I’ve been really impressed with The University Star (Texas State’s student newspaper) for its keen reporting and well-written follow-ups in the aftermath of the campus turmoil. They had a great story this week on the Black Student Union’s reaction, as well as a heartbreaking interview with the student who was forced to withdraw.

I had a friend counter recently with how people on the other side have been canceled, losing their jobs over inflammatory language for a while now, but something about what’s going on now is scaring everyone, I think. My friend and I have historically agreed on most things, but recently, they’ve done a 180 and are taking a very different path than the one we’ve been on together. It’s been troubling, but it’s also made me reflect on my own views in a way that’s more good than bad. Ultimately, even if we disagree, I firmly believe both our hearts are in the right place. We’ve figured out how to continue loving each other despite the fork in the road.

I used to think it was all about people paying more attention. That if we all just dug deep and paid attention, we’d all get to the same conclusions. But that’s the thing about the world of endless information and ideas, our deep reads can all be different, and lead us down paths we never imagined for ourselves. All of us, we will never agree on most things. If we can’t agree on everything, we have to be able to agree on this. Without free speech in America, are we even free anymore?

I also recently heard someone ask, "If you aren’t religious, how do you have a moral fiber?" How do you know the difference between right and wrong? As someone who is not deeply religious, the questions seemed absurd to me because my worldview seems so apparent, so undeniable. But the more I thought about it, the more I understood that this person didn’t understand someone like me. Was it my job to help her understand that I do believe in right and wrong? Yes? No? Probably. We should all be pushing harder to understand and be understood, even when it's uncomfortable. Even when it sucks.

No matter what your views are on the current state of the union, know that (almost) no one side is wholly evil, no matter how much we disagree. If they have the power to shut one of us up, they have the power to shut us all up. In short, I’ll keep putting the chickens in the pen until they figure out the pen is a safe place. If I don’t, I’m sure there’s a fox out there who wants to convince them otherwise.