“Zeitgeist, U.S.A.” Erupts - Now Can We Come Together?/play review by LS Lokey

“Zeitgeist, U.S.A.” Erupts - Now Can We Come Together?

Last week I walked into a local culture corner for some coffee and smack into a furious eddy of conversation. The topic? John Biscello’s most recent literary-cum-dramatic ejaculation, “Zeitgeist, U.S.A.” Not since “The Vagina Monologues” – which I also enjoyed multiple times – have I seen a gender’s voice so effectively exposed. I’ve been wondering when the voice of Manthing would cry out from the psychosexual wilderness.

I’d say the veil on American femininity was fully shredded by the time the Queen of Camelot scrambled across the back of that Cadillac for scraps of JFK’s brain. With that one money shot, integrity, accountability and compassion were no longer hallmarks of strength. A threatening demeanor, success of ones lies and the degree to which one is feared meant power. It’s good to be hard.

So this “argument” I walked into was about Biscello’s relentless emphasis on the – you know what. Well, yeah. It is written by a man, about the perverse notions of “manhood” in this culture. Of course there’s dick jokes. That’s the sad & beautiful point. This society (which includes women) has supported men in turning themselves into big dick jokes. Young boys watch the truth murdered over and over and Pop just changes the channel. Stoicism and silence (except of course when motorized) meet the bewildered looks and uncomfortable questions. Drunken rants and random brawling are excellent ways to defend one’s honor. The idea of “embracing the feminine within” is just – gay.

The other source of furor in this inadvertent forum were the “gleeful cheers”
- mine surely being one - when aforementioned you know what is vanquished at last.
It’s shameless “white-male guilt” pandering to “man-haters!” Look, I cheered because
I LOVE men. My heart aches from watching irrelevant, transparent and futile defensiveness cripple their powerful souls. I saw “Zeitgeist, U.S.A.” as a gleeful cheer in favor of decapitating the tyrannical caricature of JoeWhiteMan.

Long since dismissed and sleeping aspects of his nature are awakening. He shrugs off the mantle of golden boy expectations, kills father’s ideology; entering a womb of his own creation. Unashamed, integrated and celebrating, he’s “halfway there.” Life shifts from the illusion of dominating others into a very real discovery of himself in relation to them.

I can see how that might be difficult to grasp. Especially while holding on too tightly to anything else. The arcane “brotherhood” is bust. Biscello’s prowess flays open the idea that a stiff upper lip (among other things) is the true measure of a man. Keep it up.