"Yarning" A Playful, Precarious, Potential Right Relationship

Our concluding activity is a diffraction of Eve Ensler's litany, Karen Barad's concept of entanglement, and John Humbach's discussion of right relationship.

Each member of the class wrote their individual contribution to the litany enumerated (anonymously) below. The model we offered was, "I am over ______./, (and) I commit to ______." All of the slips of paper were mixed together before being passed out at random. One by one, we entangled our ideas by tossing the ball of yarn to the member of the class whose utterance was shared. They then read the slip in their own hands and repeated the tossing process, being careful to pull enough excess string from the ball of yarn prior to toss! Below is a cropped image of our circle and the yarn, captured by Anne Dalke.

Please, classmates, return here for inspiration and conversation. If I did not procure your contribution, feel free to email me (jmussa@haverford.edu) and I'll gladly add it to this post. The semester is coming to a close now, but we're just getting started, eh? ;)
 
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I'm over observing from the sidelines as a passive ally for rape and sexual assault survivors. I commit to the active pursuit of JUSTICE.

I am over seeing academic disciplines and departments as boxes across which it is impossible to think, and I commit to furthering interdisciplinary and transdivisional academic work, both personally and in the Bi-Co community.

I am over feeling the need to fit the expectations of those around me. I commit to let my hair go frizzy, don my (Bryn Mawr) sweatpants, and eat whatever the hell I want.

I am over Bryn Mawr College's cissexist and transphobic admissions policy towards trans women. I commit to presenting a Plenary Resolution at Bryn Mawr's Spring Plenary recommending unconditional acceptance of applications by prospective trans female students for review by the Bryn Mawr College Admissions Department.

I am over presumptions of tragedy, courage, and brokenness with respect to those who have faced adversity, and I commit to being an active listener who is free of judgment and full of support.

I am over trying to handle too much on my own, and I commit to strengthening the power of my alliances and right relationships.

I am over queer-targeted bullying and I commit to forming right relationships with those who need help, and speaking out for those who are silenced.

I am over my fear of posting publicly on Serendip and I commit to speaking my truth to power even in situations of precarity.

I am over the comparison of myself to others, and I commit to a diffractive understanding of those around me, may they be friends, family, peers, teachers, or whatever entangled relationship exists. 

I am over the fear of social rejection and physical harm that many fear as result of "coming out" and I commit to respecting people as whole beings and helping others do the same.

I am over my own silence. I commit to speaking up.

I am over letting my friends' homophobic comments and language go unconfronted and I commit to attempting to end this behavior through education. 

I am over intellectual paralysis and I commit to doing what I can.

I am over people using the internet to perpetuate violence and bullying and I commit to tackling a big problem in any small ways that I can. 

I am over boredom. I am over stagnation... and I commit to speaking up and shouting out what I know and believe to be true. I commit to naming inequtiy when and where I see it. I commit to acting to end it.

I'm over theory used only for discussion and I commit to applying concepts to life in a physical way.

I am over being a victim and I commit to being myself again.

I am over self-deprication and petty belittlement and I commit to entangling my mind and body in a more peaceful intra-action.

I'm over believing a class could not be interdisciplinary and commit to considering the un-named overlaps between subjects.

I'm over institutionalized silence surrounding sexual violence at Haverford College, and I commit to stand up and shout until I have no voice or posters left.

I am over being concerned and preoccupied with the number of men and women in my classes. I commit to encouraging my classmates to not care as well. After all, I'm over the gender binary.

I am over cultures of apathy and neglect and I commit to action and engaged conversation (even when it's uncomfortable or ambiguious!). 

I'm over my own precarity and I commit to silencing it.

I am over the assumption that disciplines and departments are boxes outside of which it is impossible to think and I commit to furthering interdisciplinary and transdivisional spaces, conversations, and knowledge-production, both for myself and the Bi-Co community.

I'm over sitting silently in the name of the normal majority. I commit to living my life freely and honestly, and speaking up louder and prouder for gender, sexuality, and disability rights.