The "Audience" experience

[Gordon C. Landis]

Audience stance . . .

I'm not sure I've got my brain firmly wrapped around the stance issues yet, so apologies if this isn't actually as relevant to the issues as it seems to me.  And - heck, let me just dive in:

I've been on vacation - horseback riding in Idaho, combination instruction/recreation - and one evening, we watched a very interesting video.  Titled (I think) "How hard can this be?", it was about a workshop where educators and family members (and others?) of learning disabled children (mostly)were given a chance to experience what it was like to be learning disabled - as well as to learn about general "issues" (not necessarily disabilities) with learning styles, how different people learn, and etc. (the horseback riding clinic included instructors, undoubtedly the main target of this video).

At the very opening of the video, the guy leading the workshop made an interesting statement, something like "This is NOT a roleplaying exercise.  Do NOT try and act like a child, or a Learning Disabled individual.  This is a simulation - be yourself.  The simulation will handle giving you the experience."  [ASIDE - These are obviously his definitions, in the context of his world/profession - I'm NOT trying to imply or argue that in RPGs Simulation isn't Roleplaying, or anything like that.  I'm quite certain that what is typically called simulation here most certainly is part of the roleplaying hobby.  But for him, in his meanings, for his goals - they are, it would seem, mutually exclusive.]  As the video continued, he was true to his word - between the clever exercises they put together and the personality/style of the way he delivered it, he created (to my eye) a remarkable simulation of what being in the "typical" classroom is like for someone with, say, dyslexia, or other difficulties.  And not just the exercises, but the social and emotional situation as well - the environment led to the workshop participants behaving in many of the ways (apparently - I'm no expert) LD children do - e.g., catching each other in mistakes and "telling teacher" even when he had (intentionally) ignored the mistake.

Let me give an example.  A picture was displayed (at a bit of a distance), pretty clearly (to me and all 20 or so folks who hadn't seen the video, as well as the workshop participants) a picture of a skull, and the "class" was asked to write down a title for the picture (push yourself well away from your monitor, fuzz your eyes a bit take a look at http://www.annexed.net/box/escher/oi/tour7.html to attempt to replicate the effect).  After a few moments, the "teacher" asked for anyone who thought they had a good title, one good enough to read for the class, to raise their hands.  A few did (they were pretty wary at this point), he picked one, read the title to himself, and started to badger the "student".  "Do you think this is funny?  Are you trying to be funny?  We'll send you to the principal and see if he thinks its' funny. " etc. etc.  The title was "Deathstalker" - a good title for a picture of a skull.  Except, of course, it wasn't REALLY a picture of a skull - in a classic "illusion", similar to but more sophisticated and "leading" than the two faces/one vase drawing, it was REALLY a woman sitting in front of a mirror doing her hair.

So . . . I'm wondering, is this type of "Simulation" a form of "Audience Stance"?  Where the rules and the GM (exercises and "teacher") produce an experience in the PLAYER that is in many ways independent of how the player "stands" regarding the character?  I'm reminded of the GURPS D-Day scenario (web search finds . . . http://www.geocities.com/thesnarkhunt/brutaltruth/brutaltruth.html) - more complicated than it needs to be, no doubt, but perhaps a form of this "Audience"("Experience"?) stance/mode?

Seems like there's something valuable/interesting here, but I'm not quite sure what.  Make of it what you will.

Gordon

PS - Gee, you folks have been busy while I was gone.  Great stuff!  And Ron mentions me in the new essay acknowledgements - how cool is that!  Thanks, sir - I'm honored he found something I said even a little valuable.