Does Not Equal — Expanded for Publication
STEPHEN JOHNSON’S DOES NOT EQUAL
Does not equal does not equal does not equal
Excerpts from a Disquisition on one contribution to
Gatherings, Issue One, after "The Paradox of the Actor" by Denis
Diderot. Performed at the first Gatherings Cabaret, 25 March 2018.
1. Acting, Being, Character
Does not equal does not equal does not equal
Does not equal does not NOT equal does not equal
BUT Does not equal does not equal does not equal
Acting does not equal Being
Acting does not NOT equal Being
BUT Acting does not equal Being.
Acting does not NOT equal Character.
Being does not NOT equal Character.
Pause. Review terms.
What is Character?
[In Monotone] "He's a real Character" does not equal "He has real Character."
Stop. Repeat "in Character."
"He's a real CHAR-ac-TER" does not equal "He has REAL CHAR-acter."
AND, of course, NEITHER "He's a real CHAR-ac-TER"
NOR "He has REAL CHAR-acter"
EQUAL
[In Character] "Oh...TskTsk...He has no character."
Character does not equal Character does not NOT equal Character.
Term is suspect. Review argument.
Stop. Pause. Reflect. Review proof.
2. The Self-Reflexive Aside
Does not Equal Does Not Equal Does Not Equal
Stephen at 63, looking distinguished
Does not Equal Stephen at 7 with kittens
Pause for audience shock at image of cute child with kittens
Allegedly Stephen.
Stephen at 63, looking distinguished
Does not NOT Equal Stephen at 7 with kittens
BUT -- IT SEEMS CLEAR --
Stephen at 63, looking distinguished
Does not equal Stephen at 7 with kittens
Stephen at 63, looking distinguished
Does not Equal Stephen at 26 with hangover.
Pause for audience shock at image of young man with hangover
Allegedly Stephen.
Instead, hearing murmer of recognition, move on....
More to the point.
Stephen at 7 with kittens does not equal Stephen at 26 with hangover
Stephen at 7 with kittens DEFINITELY does not equal Stephen at 26 with hangover
AND YET -- REALLY -- PACE DIDEROT
Stephen at 7 with kittens does not NOT equal Stephen at 26 with hangover
Does not NOT Equal Stephen at 63, looking distinguished,
Leaving just a hint of gray....
3. Tomorrow Morning
Does Not Equal Does Not Equal Does Not Equal
Stephen at 63 looking distinguished
At 7 with kittens
At 26 with hangover
All do not and do not NOT equal Stephen TOMORROW MORNING--
Reviewing with coffee and heavy lidded, down cast eyes,
The previous evening's daft Didero-dian display of
Does not equal Does not equal Does not equal--
Keenly aware of the passage of time
Keenly aware of the transience of character
Keenly considering his arithmetical symbols
And whether he does not NOT equal
Himself with kittens
Himself with hangover
Himself distinguished, with just a hint of gray--
Keenly considering
Whether he's a real character
Or has real character
Or has no character--
And whether acting does not NOT equal being--
To his touch, over coffee, tomorrow morning
Character disintegrates.
Pause. Reflect.
Note to Self. To Character. To Actor. To Self.
Oh, Diderot!
***
