THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS

POP UP!

THE LAMB & FLAG

IDENTITY

1 WITNESS PROTECTION

2 IMPRESSIONS

3 THAT’S HISTORY

1 WITNESS PROTECTION

The government is going to do their best to conceal you.

As long as you are unidentifiable, you will be safe.

But this is going to be one of their biggest jobs yet. The people they are protecting you from:

Are clever and experienced at tracking people down
Have connections around the world.
Really want to get you; you are the only person able to testify against them.

All links with your past identity must be severed.

You’ll start with plastic surgery to transform your face, elocution lessons to transform your accent, and learning an entirely new family history to make you convincing.

You mustn’t reveal your true identity to anyone ever again.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Will you still be you?
Will you be someone else?
What will you lose?
What would remain?
Besides safety from the mob, how might the opportunity to transform completely improve your life?

SOURCE: BA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Member

2 IMPRESSIONS

In a 2018 article about David Lynch, the reporter describes David Lynch and sets the scene:

“David Lynch seldom smiles in photographs. His etched Easter Island statue of a face doesn’t glower so much as brood; lips pursed and eyes hooded, he looks every inch the auteur in winter. The quiff completes the effect, its lush swirl seemingly frozen in place by alarming, Lynchian thoughts.

Lynch sits in a corner, hunched over a lithograph. The tabletop brims with paint pots, lotions, chemicals, gel formula cement, lithographic paper, pneumatic drills, cables, wires and paintbrushes. There is a mug of coffee, a pack of cigarettes. The director wears cracked, ancient boots, ragged chinos and the remnants of a black buttoned-up shirt that looks to have been shredded by a badger.” (Carol, 2018)

This is a strong first impression. But then we’re given some more information and a different perspective:

“It’s a scene that might be intimidating were it not for a great, largely untold secret: David Lynch is a cheery, congenial soul who rivals the Simpsons character Ned Flanders for howdy-doody niceness. “Hey, bud!” he greets the assistant, offering me a handshake and wide smile. He laughs, often, and yearns for peace on Earth. “I love my life and I’m a happy camper,” he says. “It would be nice if we were all able to fulfil our desires and live good, long, happy lives.” (Carol, 2018)

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

How did you feel about David Lynch when you read the first description?
Did that change with the second perspective?
How important is a first impression?
Why do you think the two descriptions are so different?
How likely is it that a first impression will be so different from a true impression?
How might a reporter describe you?
What would they get wrong?
What would you want them to capture?

SOURCES:

Carol, Rory (2018). David Lynch: ‘You gotta be selfish. It’s a terrible thing.’ The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jun/23/david-lynch-gotta-be-selfish-twin-peaks

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3 THAT’S HISTORY

Maria is 81. She’s made an effort to ‘get to know’ herself over the course of her life.

She’s written a diary, gone to therapy, and reflected on who she is.

She knows a bit about her family history and heritage. She is mildly patriotic about her country of origin.

She feels pretty settled and sure of her identity.

For her 82nd birthday, Maria decides to do a DNA test. She is curious about science and wants to see how it works, but she doesn’t think she’ll be very surprised by the result.

When the results arrive, there is (of course) a surprise…

Maria is not from where she thought she was from… which means that one of her parents can’t have been her parent… which means her family history is all wrong… and her patriotism is based on nothing…

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Is Maria still the same person?
How has her identity changed?
If she doesn’t tell anyone about this, will her identity stay the same?
What is identity based on?
How important is history to identity?
In what ways could Maria resolve this?
How would you feel if you found something out about your past like this? Would it change your identity?

Source: BA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Member