Day 243 -- power in relationships

Yesterday evening I attended the last production of the local summer theatre series. The show had received good reviews locally, much as it did both off- and on Broadway. Venus in Fur is an intriguing play. The content is definitely adult in nature as it explores the power bases of romantic relationships. It does this as a play within a play and with only two characters involved. Each actor did an amazing job last night. It was billed as a comedy, but at its heart was something much more serious. Comedic moments did exist and were likely necessary to deal with the tensions at the crux of the play.

The play left me with many thoughts as it did not tie things up in a neat and tidy bow, leaving us to ponder the nature of power in any relationship -- where power resides and how it moves between people in the relationship. In my view of life, I prefer that power in any relationship -- romantic or otherwise -- be shared fairly equally among participants. I do recognize that this may not always materialize, but again, in my post-modernist way of seeing the world, that would be the ideal. I do strive to share power in research situations -- as researcher I don't feel that I should hold power over the researched. They have much to provide and without them there would be no study. In the classroom, this can be more challenging, but there are aspects that help to share power a bit more -- the opposite of the 'traditional' positivist educator who holds all the information and metes it out as they see fit, never taking in any new information from those in the class itself. I find I learn much with each class. Students have many experiences to offer insight into topics of discussion. And, I do know I don't have all the answers <smile>. Surprise! Participatory approaches to learning may appear more difficult and push folks out of their comfort zones -- students and instructors -- but the end results are much richer.

The play began with a song from the late 1960s that I will share here today. I also want to share a second song from the late 1950s. Each has the same title and deals with the same goddess, and each carries a definite power base. Enjoy!

Venus -- Shocking Blue

Venus -- Frankie Avalon