% Demo file for using ScriptTex 1.03%version

% This isn't a particularly exciting script, but it is demonstrative of what
% you can do with ScriptTex.

\input ../screenplay.tex

% optional \twoside
% optional \jlbrooks

\TV % or \movie (\TV is default)
\proof % or \manuscript or \shoot  (\proof is default)

\series{}  % Optional
\title{The Welcoming Committee} % used on title page and in \proof footlines
\author{Joseph Mack} % used on title page and in \proof footlines
\basedon{Inspired by Jen and counselling session of 20 Jul 2015}
\draft{First draft} % used only if \proof is in force
%\date{25-OCT-1991}  % defaults to \today
\showcopyright{\number\year}
\address{5112 Longwood Dr \\
         Durham, NC, 27713-8010 \\
         (919) 401-2047}

\maketitle % creates a title page

%%%%
%%%% Main script begins here.
%%%% For the first part of this script, I won't take advantage of any synonyms
%%%% or shortcuts.
%%%%

\stage
Authors Notes:

\stage
Script help: Jen, Anoo and her public speaking class, Judy. 

\stage
This piece was prompted by a lunchtime conversation with Jen,
who now lives in Austin, TX, at Anoo's summer Intensive.
This was followed by a pair of e-mail exchanges with Jen 
and a counselling session a month later
when I realised what had really happened at the lunch.

\stage
I met Jen a couple of months later, when she returned to town for a friend's wedding.
It was clear that she had no idea what had happened 
at my end at that lunch, and wasn't even all that interested.
It was like I'd been enlightened and all she wanted was to talk about the weather.
The words I put into the immigration officer's mouth are what I heard Jen saying at lunch that day.
It seems like I made up her end of the conversation.
I thought that a woman (here the immigration officer) had recognised my progress
towards the goals set by women's lib back in the '70's.
I thought it worth writing a sketch about my journey and what I found on arrival at my destination.
In fact Jen hadn't recognised any such thing,
and no self proclaimed feminist had acknowledged my progress.
As a man, I was hardly in a position to ceclare that I'd done what the women's libbers had asked.
So nothing had happened at all at the lunch with Jen
and no feminist had recognised my achievement.

\stage
I put the sketch aside, 
thinking there was no point in a sketch about an event that only happened in my imagination.
Then in Jan 2016, I mentioned the sketch to Connie, who wanted to read it.
I no longer had the validation from Jen that I'd arrived at the destination set
for men by women's libbers in the '70's.
However the point was still valid that women's libbers had never been interested in men's liberation,
or having men as partners; the convention hall was empty, there was no party and no welcoming committee.
I don't need confirmation from women's libbers for that even if I haven't reached their goal for men.
I now know that they were never interested in anyone being happier 
and that they'd set a goal for me that would not help anyone.. 

\stage
Naomi Wolf's book "Fire with Fire" is an analysis 
of the failure of the Feminist movement to acheive its goals.
On just perusing the chapter headings and from my own life, 
the most obvious failure is that feminists didn't enlist men, 
their natural allies, in their cause.
Men, who are prepared to die to defend their country and the women and children in it,
understand as well as anyone, that none of us are free until we're all free.
Men were alienated by being ignored or treated as the enemy.
Naomi's book does mention that men were often not welcome,
{\it e.g.} men weren't allowed to step on buses going to women's rallies.
It's clear that Naomi doesn't regard men as the enemy.

\stage
However being a man, I thought we at least deserved a subsection,
if not a chapter. 
We do hold up half the sky after all.

\stage 
I accept that for women to have brought men on board would have been difficult.
However the consequences of not doing so has lost 50 yrs 
and alienated several generations of men.

\stage
I presented this at Anoo's public speaking course on 28 Jul 2015.
From comments from Annabel, it's clear that the treatment that
some women have received from men has made it impossible for them
to think rationally about men.
Men have no idea of the magnitude of the problems.
It's clear from Annabel that we have a lot further to go than I thought.
Annabel being angry last night reminded me of Lynn being angry at me over the phone.

\stage
Where I am is not obvious. 
When I approached the immigration officer, 
Anoo thought I was dead.
The location is a place in my mind;
I've arrived where, back in the '70's, the women's libbers told me 
that I had to reach before they would have anything to do with me..

\stage
Even in RC, men have not heard many stories from women.

\stage
It's no wonder that the women in RC didn't want men to get out of their distress.
They would have made up anything to leave men where they were.
This basically destroyed RC.
No-one could trust RC when it allowed men to twist in the wind.
The women in RC expect men to behave in a way that doesn't trigger their stuff.
Since the men weren't doing anything wrong,
other than being men, this removed the men in RC from those women's worlds.

\stage
Naomi Wolf in "Fire with Fire" p152-160, tells the story of a rape crisis
center that over two years self-immolatied through burn-out of
the counsellors and strict adherance to doctrine that didn't work.
RC did the same thing.

\stage
It's not surprising that the feminist movement 
would do the same thing by alienating the men.

\stage
The scene about "Misconceptions" happened outside the Whole Foods in Chapel Hill.
I was talking to one of the vegetarian, liberal people who purchases 
food that's supposed to foster good health and conciousness raising.

\stage
The second random women talks about "The Women's Health Collective Table" 
a sketch which some will have already heard.
It's about how I wasn't welcome at a women's health collective table.

\introduce{Joe} 

\introduce{random females}

\introduce{immigration officer} female

\act % begins demon act

\open{fade in}

\scene{int.\ convention hall~--- day}

\stage
Joe holding Naomi Wolf's "Misconceptions".

\dialog{random woman}
\paren{polite but curt}
What's the book by Naomi Wolf you're reading?

\dialog{Joe}
"Misconceptions". It's about birth in the US for-profit medical system.
I'm hoping to learn the things I missed.

\dialog{random woman}
\paren{sarcastic}
So you're going to be a mother are you?

\stage 
woman walks off

\dialog{Joe}
\paren{looking at her as she recedes into the distance}
There's things in this book I, as a father-to-be, wish someone had told me.
I'm going to do something to make sure women, 
giving birth in the US,
are treated as people, rather than cattle.

\stage
edit

\dialog{another random woman}
You! You were at the women's health collective table.
What the hell were you doing hanging around a table about women's health?

\stage 
woman walks off

\dialog{Joe}
I was hoping to have a woman in my life sometime,
and to be aware of her health.

\stage
edit

\stage
Joe holding Brittany Gibbon's book

\stage
Immigration Officer walking across stage sees Joe's book 
and sits at the passport booth, 
puts on officer's cap, 
motions Joe to step forward.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
\paren{pleasant but official}
why are you reading that book?

\dialog{Joe}
Brittany Gibbons is a woman who weighs 300 lb.
She stood in front of TV cameras
in a bikini in Times Square, 
to show the world what a 300 lb woman looks like in a bikini.
She did the same thing later in a TED talk.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
Why do you care?

\dialog{Joe}
Because she's a woman 
and she's prepared to tell me about her world,
something most women won't do.
Women are oppressed, 
but if they won't tell us about their world,
it's hard to know what to do about it.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
Tell me about her world.

\dialog{Joe}
I couldn't believe she made it through high school.
She didn't really.
She had an awful time.
She's only made it in adulthood because she has a personality,
courage and can laugh at her appearance.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
how important is appearance to a woman?

\dialog{Joe}
It's a matter of life and death.
If you fail, you don't find a mate, 
you don't reproduce your DNA 
and you'll spend your life alone.
You'll do anything to avoid that,
including leading a miserable life.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
OK. passport please.

\stage
Immigration Officer motions for Joe to give her his passport.
Joe hands it over.
Immigration Officer opens it up crossways, 
looks at Joe and then the photo, 
checking that they match.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
\paren{matter of factly}
Just checking you're a man.

\stage
Immigration Officer flips pages, looking through passport 

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
I see three disasterous relationships with women. 
With one you produced a child of whom you're very proud.
I also see three ex-girlfriends, you're still on good terms with.

\stage
Immigration Officer runs the passport through the mag card reader,
photocopies the front page, 
stamps the passport and hands it back to Joe,
who puts it in his shirt pocket.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
How long did it take to get here?

\dialog{Joe}
50yrs

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
how was the journey?

\dialog{Joe}
It had its ups and downs.
... So I'm here?

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
It's your journey.
Why don't you tell me where you think you are?

\dialog{Joe}
Well I was expecting lots of happy faces,
happy women, some happy men.
I didn't know how many men, but there had to be some.
It wasn't easy getting here ...
I thought I might be a welcoming committee ...
But the place is dusty and empty and it doesn't look like
anyone has ever been here.
Am I the first?

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
You don't care whether you're first.
Did you really struggle for 50yrs to be the first?

\dialog{Joe}
\paren{ruefully}
No, I didn't ... I did it so I wouldn't have to spend the rest of my life alone.

\stage
Immigration Officer gestures, matter of factly, to the empty convention hall behind her.

\dialog{Joe}
... and now I find that I'm alone,
as alone as I ever have been, 
and alone as I feared I would be if I failed.

\dialog{Joe}
But looking around and seeing no-one here, 
I don't care that much.
Mostly I really didn't want to miss out on the humanity 
of being with people like me, 
or whatever fun I thought the people were having, 
while I was slogging my way here.

\dialog{Joe}
Now I see that there's nothing going on and no-one's here. 
It seems I didn't need to hurry.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
What makes you think this is your destination?

\dialog{Joe}
You're here.
You're a feminist. 
You gave me a pass just now.
I must be somewhere.
You recognise me as a man who knows 
that an oppressed woman can't be a real partner.
You're the first one I've found.
I assume I've arrived at the outskirts.
There must be others here as I get closer to the centre.
I must be here.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
It was just chance that you're talking to me. 
I happened to be walking through. 
I saw you with that book and I sat down.
A minute earlier or later, 
you would have found yourself talking to a woman,
who wouldn't understand why you were reading a book by Brittany Gibbons
or if she did, 
she wouldn't talk to you about it.

\dialog{Joe}
so where are the rest of the feminists? 
Why aren't they here?

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
You know where they are.

\dialog{Joe}
still calling men assholes and trying to overthrow the patriarchy?

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
did you really think they'd be waiting here for you 
and looking out for your arrival?

\dialog{Joe}
yes I did. They lied to me. 
This is where they told me I had to get to,
but they never intended to be here 
and had no interest in welcoming me when I did arrive.
There isn't a happy world of feminists here.
I see this isn't my destination.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
are you done here then?

\dialog{Joe}
yes. I guess so.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
OK. passport please.

\stage
Joe hands over passport.
Immigration Officer stamps passport, then hands it back.

\dialog{Immigration Officer}
All the best for the rest of your journey.

\stage
Immigration officer exits. 
Joe stands ruefully/philosophically looking at his passport.

\fadeout
\theend

%%%% Always end with \bye.
\bye % cleans up and exits
