Clowns + Guns

When Brontë was five years old, she watched a lot of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. One day, she asked me if unicorns existed in "real life." The question surprised me. I always forget that we don't know what we don't know, you know?

I told her that lots of things we read in books or see in movies are make-believe. Humans create pretend worlds with pretend creatures, pretend lands, pretend inventions. Sometimes the pretend things are lovely, like unicorns, and sometimes the pretend things are scary, like vampires.

People often use pretend things to help us recognize real things. In My Little Pony, the unicorns live in a world built by friendship. This world, and all the ponies in it, help us see that Friendship is Magic! We might not have unicorns in real life, but we do have friends in real life. And friendship really can change our lives in a way that feels like magic!

We took turns naming pretend things in our favorite movies and shows - dragons, talking foxes, magic wands, time machines, Neverland, witches, ogres, Wonderland, vampires. It was fun. Her eyes lit up,

"And a big PHEW that clowns and guns are pretend too, huh?"

Quick tears stung my eyes. I always forget that we don't know what we don't know, you know? I blinked.

"Well, there isn't a creature called Clown, but clowns are real. A clown is a type of performer, like a trapeze artist. Some people are afraid of clowns, but they're just people in makeup. And, well...guns are real, too. Unfortunately."

Her brows came together as she tried to digest this new information. Guns are real, but unicorns aren't? What kind of world is this? It is one thing to accept living in a reality that cannot hold your brightest visions. It is quite another to confront living in a reality riddled with your greatest fears.

Over the past few months, I've watched my government become an authoritarian regime. I've watched my government abduct people. I've watched my government send people to foreign concentration camps. I've watched my government destroy cancer and Alzheimer research. I've watched my government say that people like me should not exist.

I've been writing frantic warnings about this moment for years. Now that it has arrived, I am not surprised. But I must admit I've still felt a bit like five-year-old Brontë. ICE is real, but unicorns aren't? What kind of world is this?

I am trying to remember what I learned while writing the last Pocket Observation. We can come together to imagine potential realities. We can work together to make what we imagine real. Some things, like unicorns and Wonderland, will always be pretend. But liberation? Together, we can make that real. Even in this kind of world.

As we keep and share meaning, we create relationships that extend reality beyond limited men’s limited horizons. What will that reality hold? I can’t be sure. But I think the answer includes an epigram found in the margins of Octavia E. Butler’s archive, "There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns." - Pocket Observation Vol. 1

Big News

I've adapted Pocket Observation, my monthly curriculum, for a GDPR compliant learning platform. Each digital installment features recommended resources and free downloads. You also have the option to keep an observation log on the platform! (Pssst, you can still download the curriculum and print it at home!)

This month's Recommended Resources includes links to work from Mariame Kaba, Garrett Bucks, Kristin Arnett and Octavia E Butler Studies. Creating this has been a learning experience for me. But I am very, very excited about where it's headed.

The Dashboard

The Downloads

Pocket Observatory by Meg Conley is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0