Arts of Resistance Tags
In leading the silence with Rhett and Julia, we hoped to touch upon the idea/act of "silencing," rather than the more internal, personal silence that we so frequently experienced in silent activities over the course of the semester. We adapted the game "Killer" to be about silencing and being silenced. Here are the instructions:
1. Everyone stands in a circle with their eyes closed, except for the facilitator. The facilitator travels around the circle and taps the shoulders of two people who will be the "silencers." When both people have been tapped, everyone opens their eyes.
2. You are all at a dinner party! (But a silent one). Everyone walks around greeting each other non-verbally, by shaking hands. The two silencers have the freedom to "silence" those they greet by scratching their palms when they shake hands--however, they do not have to do this to everyone they greet.
3. If you have been scratched, you continue to shake two more people's hands until you have officially been silenced. At that point, you step to the side and cover your mouth with your hand to indicate that you are no longer playing.
4. All this time, if someone has a guess as to who might be the silencer, they can raise their hand. The facilitator freezes the game and the guesser whispers their guess into the facilitator's ear. If the guesser is correct, the silencer has been silenced, and is out. If the guesser is incorrect, the guesser has been silenced, and they are out. The game continues until both silencers have been guessed, or until everyone else has been silenced.
Reflection Questions:
- What did it feel like to be a silencer?
- What did it feel like to be silenced?
- What was the process like of guessing who was silencing others?
- What did it feel like to name the silencer?