Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Recurring dream of forgetting name
• Leads to panic, feeling of being judged

Personal Background

• Visual artist with humorous work
• Creates animations with various character voice-overs
  • Examples: Bear, Whale, Greeting Card, Frankenstein's Monster
• Created an educational video about the history of video games
  • Dream of being a voice for Space Invader

Response to Online Comments

• Initial positive comments on video
• Negative comments focused on voice and accent
  • Perceived as "annoying" and "unintelligible"
• Personal struggle with accepting criticism
  • Reminder of childhood challenges with speech and stuttering

Speech Challenges

• Stutters since childhood
• Avoidance of speaking situations
• Fear of public speaking and introducing self

Overcoming Challenges

• Use of voice in animations a significant step
• Audio editing as a tool to "sound normal"
• Stopped using voice after negative online feedback

Understanding "Normal"

• "Normal" is shaped by expectations
• Ancient story of Homer and color perception
  • Cultures recognize colors they can create
  • Blue was perceived much later

Reflections on Normal and Discrimination

• Expectations influence perceptions of normal
• Bias in education and employment based on race and gender
  • Studies show discrimination often based on favoritism
  • Early relationship formation impacts perception

Representation and Visibility

• Lack of diversity in children's literature
  • Only 11% of books feature characters of color
• Importance of representation
  • Minority narratives are less visible
  • Need for majority groups to see similarities

Conclusion

• Challenge the notion of "normal"
  • Use voice and work to broaden the definition
• Accepts fear of public speaking as part of the process
• Emphasizes continuous challenge of norms to expand society's understanding