My next paper will be about the things that students write in the stalls of public restrooms around campus, preferably the UGLi. In order to get a real start on my paper, I have to do some research to answer a few questions that I had about these writings. For example "What do most people write about?", "What kinds of people seem to have the most presence?", and "What is the driving force that causes people to write their life stories while squatting over a toilet. Are these "entries" simply artistic expressions, cries for help, or a way for one to feel as though they have a voice, even if a small one, in their short getaway from the hustle and bustle of their day. I think that it will be relatively easy for me to write without using satire because there is so much to talk about, in reference to people's lives and how they are displayed in these "writings", that I don't have to focus on humor to present something really meaningful.
I would like to relate the themes that I find on campus to the rest of the world and the part that they play in stall conversations, because these conversations are not limited to this college campus. What does this behavior say about Americans, people in general, and how we tend to express ourselves. Are we so starved for honest expression and sincerity, for someone to listen to us that we are drawn to jump on the first opportunity we find, even if in a public facility? Or are we so afraid to be truthful with ourselves and those around us that we are forced to release our thoughts in a place where no one will ever know that they were our thoughts? These are the themes that I would like to explore about this topic, unless I get better ideas once I actually begin to take a closer look at what goes on in these stalls.
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This is a great topic because since you don't know who writes on the stalls, or why either, it automatically puts you in the position of an outsider. Sometimes, however, there are not grand, dramatic reasons for doing something, like writing on a stall. It could be helpful to consider the anonymous mask as a form of protection from the rest of the judging world. No one knows the writers, so the writers can get feedback on their thoughts and ideas without having to worry about any possible consequences that reach farther than the bathroom stall door.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite aspect of bathroom stall communication is that it is the most indeterminate form there is--you can have anything from poetry to public polls to bold proclamations to artwork all together, and it fits. If you wanted to, perhaps you mention something along the lines of this quality--but it's your paper, obviously.
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