The Queer Art of Failure

I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't put this book down! I appreciated how he took the time to think about how the public looks at LGBTQ's and understands that part of the misconception and trepidation people feel is based on a lack of concrete knowledge. When I examined myself coming into this class, I wondered what it would be like? Would I understand the theories and concepts? And what I have come to love about this class is it's honesty, I can say I asked myself if I would feel weird. I am a heterosexual married woman who has been with her husband since we were in high school. But I think the cheesy cliche's end there, because I have always had the mindset that people and their choices are their business. Who am I to judge them? There's enough judging going around the world, that's for sure, so why add any more onto someone's plate? I say all that because The Queer Art of Failure captured what I felt coming into this class and delivered to me a beautifully funny and irreverent yet serious message that I understood.

I am a television and movie nut. Although I think I should have prefaced that by saying I am a Food Network and Cooking Channel nut who throws in some other shows so the icons don't get burned into the bottom of the screen like the HSN logo on tv's in old folk's homes. I felt a kindred spirit in Jack. (I hope that is right--I would hate to feel connected to what he was saying and get his name wrong! I know the book says Judith but I believe he is going by Jack now so I am taking a leap of faith!) in that he uses popular television and film culture to explain high theory in a low theory kind of way so that people--much like myself walking into a class like ours--would understand and hopefully have some of those moments like I did where they say "Hey, I understand that!" or "I can relate to that!".

I think that as graduate students we are already those folks who walk into the program with an enormous amount of pressure. If you think about it, we are those people Jack describes as being on the precipice of failure, but where I think graduate students are blessed is that if we do fail at this monumental financial and mental burden that is our desire to be Master's we are still miles ahead of most people. We are college graduates and just based on that can go be a manager at McDonald's should we so desire to do so. Where I feel Jack deviates from the fall-off-the-horse-and-get-back-up motto is that he says it's not about that you can get back up it's that you fell in the first place and experienced some of that crushing tidal wave of despair at seeing your plans go down the crapper. It is here in that place that we are open to understand what the Queer community goes through just to be themselves. This is what opens minds and hearts to embrace something different. It doesn't mean that you fail grad school and decide that means you should be a trapeze artist now, but it means that you understand that being a trapeze artist is just as much a gift and expression of inner strength and beauty as holding that grad school diploma.

In closing I would like to say that I enjoyed this class VERY much and I am sorry to see it end. I hope to see you all in another class.

And Dr. Whitlock--thank you for teaching such a class. I truly enjoyed every minute and every page that you assigned. It opened my eyes to new ideas and even if I had to break out the dictionary on Butler I still enjoyed the experience. Blessings to you and your family and I hope to see you again.

--Amber--