Ode To Distraction

So, here I am, yet again, unable to work on my papers but perfectly capable of using the internet. Blah. I want to do it this time, I do, but I'm just a bit distracted by the events of a few nights ago and ensuing dialogues. It's all I can think about. It's all anyone can talk about. And it's distracting. Let me elaborate.

First, imagine Ode to Joy. Now imagine a loud moaning/crying sound interjecting every 5 seconds. Annoying, right? Right. So now I'll tell you what happened. Last Sunday was an orchestra concert at WSU. We played Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (I got to play the triangle!). It's a pretty big deal in case you don't know--only thing on the program cuz it lasts over an hour. 75 person orchestra, 100 person chorus, 4 soloists, and the audience was full (1200 people) and of course it was to be recorded. Here's the scene as I experienced it from the back of the stage: the conductor was about to begin the final movement (literally he was already swinging the baton) and there comes a cry from the audience. He stops, puts down the baton, a little angrily, and turns around and says "Bye," obviously indicating that the offending child be removed. No one leaves. He waits for a while, turns back around, waits for a while, mutters stuff that only the 1st chair players can hear, and after realizing that they aren't going to leave he begins the movement really.

After a few minutes the cry was heard again. All of us on stage heard it, were annoyed, but kept going. Then it came again. Annoyed, yes. And again. A few times. These were about 5-10 seconds apart. Once the music settled into the Ode To Joy theme for the first time--it's a lovely delicate place--the cry was heard again and the conductor cut off the music, slammed down his baton again, and turned around to the audience. He said something about children not being allowed and that he was sorry but they shouldn't have been admitted. No one moved again but I was told later that another professor out in the audience approached the source of the noise. Someone yelled "they're handicapped" and then the audience was all disturbed. They either finally left or were escorted out but some other people talked back and left too. Conductor says we will begin the 4th movement again and we do, but the players are a bit flustered and mess up a difficult part so we start it one more time. Then we get to finish up the whole thing, I get to play my triangle part, and it was amazing and fun. I had put the incident out of my mind, it was more important that I had just been a part of the real and entire Ode to Joy by Ludwig van Beethoven!

So that was the events. It's all anyone can talk about at school. I wrote the conductor a thank you email for letting me be a part of Beethoven's 9th. Now, I just found out today that a news article about it had been posted on a reputable news website. I read it and was utterly shocked to see it was a one-sided piece about how one person was offended that they would throw out a mentally handicapped person. Then the more-than-100 comments on the story. Most were completely uninformed. I've gotten more facts bit by bit from multiple first-hand sources, and the people associated with the disruptive audience member had been told to leave multiple times before the conductor did it himself.

So why did the conductor "cause a scene?" It is not his arrogance, nor insensitivity to the handicapped, nor pride, nor attentiveness to etiquette, nor anything else related to him. It is clearly the guardian of the handicapped individual. If you have been asked to leave for being disruptive, and you don't, it is extremely rude. You don't get a pass just because of a handicap. You are not exempt from concert etiquette, and to that guardian, what kind of example does that set to other children when you don't do as directed, and then talk back? That disgusts me. I don't hate handicapped people, but a handicap is not a free pass to be disruptive at a concert, ESPECIALLY after someone has asked you to leave.

I don't think I conveyed why I am so distracted. It's partly my disgust at the news for reporting in such a way as to make people think less of my school which is the best in the world at some things. Partly my disgust with society for arguing about whether or not it is appropriate to ask someone to leave a classical concert when they are being disruptive because of a handicap. Partly my worry about how far people will go to get back at the conductor because they disagree with him about having a quiet audience while recording Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Some of the other students started organizing other ways to show our appreciation to the conductor which I heartily joined. But there's not much else I can do, so why can't I freakin' concentrate and write my papers?