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DURING THE SPRING OF 1984, WHILE FINISHING MY PH.D. IN PSYCHOLOGY, I WAS TEACHING AN UNDERGRADUATE COURSE IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY. THIS WAS A ONCE-A-WEEK EVENING COURSE WITH ABOUT 50 STUDENTS. I DID A LITTLE LECTURING AND A LOT OF ACTIVITIES DURING THE TWO-AND-ONE-HALF-HOUR CLASS. ONE OF MY COVERT GOALS FOR THIS CLASS WAS TO:
AND GET THEM TO BE MORE CREATIVE OR AT LEAST GET THEM TO VIEW THEMSELVES AS HAVING MORE CREATIVE POTENTIAL THEN THEY HAD EVER THOUGHT BEFORE THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL GOAL FOR A TRADITIONAL PSYCHOLOGY COURSE, BUT IT WAS A PART OF A "SCHOOL OF THOUGHT AND GOOFING OFF" I HAD DEVELOPED CALLED My "New Wave Psychology" notions were influenced in part by my participation at that time in the energetic local Akron/Kent New Wave music and art scene. ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 14, 1984, AFTER GIVING A BRIEF LECTURE, I INTRODUCED THE MAIL ART EXERCISE I HAD SCHEDULED FOR THAT CLASS (SEE SYLLABUS BELOW). |
BEFORE BREAKING THE CLASS UP INTO HALF A DOZEN SMALLER GROUPS WORKING IN DIFFERENT ROOMS ALL OVER THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT:
AND INSPIRED BY THESE MAIL-ART EXAMPLES! I DIVIDED THEM UP INTO GROUPS AND SENT THEM OFF TO THEIR WORK ROOMS. IN EACH WORK ROOM I HAD PUT LOTS OF MATERIALS FOR MAKING "INTERESTING" POSTCARDS: BLANK CARDBOARD STOCK ABOUT THE SIZE OF LARGE POSTCARDS (OBTAINED FROM THE TRASH BIN OF A BOX FACTORY NEAR WHERE I LIVED), A SUITABLE-FOR-MAILING CARDSTOCK CUT-OUT OF THE HEAD OF "JOHN DOE" (OUR "NORMAL PERSON" CLASS MASCOT; SEE GRAPHIC BELOW), LOTS OF SCISSORS, GLUE STICKS, COLORED PAPER, MAGIC MARKERS AND PENS, STRING, TAPE, VARIOUS SIZES OF ADDRESS LABELS AND COLORED STICKERS, AND A BUNCH OF MY OWN XEROX LICK-N-STICK SYMBOLS OF ODD IMAGES (E.G., COWBOY, NURSE, IRON LUNG, TARGET). |
"Interpersonal Junk Mail" sticker to put on each card:  Actual sticker size was approximately 3" x 3/4" and came in gold, green, pink, and white. WAS AN INCREDIBLE SUCCESS! THESE "NORMAL" AND "NOT ESPECIALLY CREATIVE" PEOPLE (AS THEY DESCRIBED THEMSELVES) WENT WILD. THEY MADE A LOT OF GREAT AND CREATIVE MAIL ART. I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE AMOUNT OF IMPROVISATION. ONE PERSON HAD USED PAPER CLIPS TO WIRE A TOOTHPASTE TUBE AND TOOTHBRUSH TO A THICK CARD. ANOTHER PERSON CRUSHED A POP CAN AND BOUND IT TO A CARD WITH STRING. ANOTHER PERSON TIED SEVERAL CARDS TOGETHER TO MAKE A TRAIN OF CARDS. PEOPLE CAME UP WITH TRICKS AND IDEAS THAT I HAD NOT YET SEEN IN MY SEVERAL YEARS OF ACTIVE MAIL ARTING. THEY LOVED THIS ACTIVITY, AND I WAS THRILLED. MANY MADE MORE THAN THE ASSIGNED THREE CARDS. MANY STAYED PAST THE NORMAL END OF CLASS TO FINISH THE LAST CARD THEY WERE WORKING ON. I EVENTUALLY HAD TO THROW A FEW PEOPLE OUT OF THE BUILDING WHO WERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN THEY COULDN'T STOP WORKING/PLAYING. AFTER EVERYONE ELSE WAS GONE, I GATHERED UP ALL OF THEIR CARDS AND "MAIL OBJECTS." THERE WERE MORE THAN 175 PIECES OF MAIL AND THEY COMPLETELY FILLED THREE GROCERY SACKS! I WAS A PROUD FATHER. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, I WENT FROM OFFICE TO OFFICE IN THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT POURING OUT THE CONTENTS OF THE SACKS BEFORE MY AMAZED AND IMPRESSED PROFESSORS AND GRADUATE STUDENT PEERS. "A PSYCHOLOGY CLASS DID THIS?! YOU'RE KIDDING!" AND SLY COMMENTS LIKE "I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TREATING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR, BUKOFF, NOT PROMOTING IT." I BELIEVE THIS PROJECT EXPANDED THE REALM OF TEACHING POSSIBILITIES FOR MORE THAN A FEW PEOPLE. THE TROUBLE STARTED THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT HAD PREVIOUSLY AGREED TO PAY THE POSTAGE BY LETTING ME JUST SEND THE STUFF THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY MAIL SYSTEM. THIS MEANT THAT THE UNIVERSITY MAIL OFFICE WOULD HANDLE THE MAIL (I.E., WEIGH IT AND ASSIGN POSTAGE) AND THEN BILL THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE COST OF THE POSTAGE. SEVERAL FACULTY MEMBERS WHO LEARNED OF THIS PLAN, HOWEVER, BECAME CONCERNED THAT THE MAIL OFFICE AT KENT STATE WOULD NEVER FORGIVE THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT FOR "ALL THIS TROUBLE"...THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO GET FAVORS FROM THEM IN THE FUTURE. EVEN "THE CONCERNED" COULD NOT GET TOO HEAVY ABOUT THIS, HOWEVER, BECAUSE THIS WAS, AFTERALL, JUST FUN STUFF. TO APPEASE THESE CONCERNS, HOWEVER, I AGREED TO BYPASS THE UNIVERSITY MAIL ROOM, AFFIX THE STAMPS MYSELF, AND TAKE ALL THE MAIL DIRECTLY TO THE LOCAL POST OFFICE. AFTER ESTIMATING HOW MUCH POSTAGE I NEEDED, THE DEPARTMENT BUSINESS MANAGER PURCHASED THE NECESSARY STAMPS. IN ALL, I SPENT ABOUT FOUR HOURS WEIGHING AND CAREFULLY AFFIXING STAMPS.  NEARLY A WEEK LATER, AT THE BEGINNING OF SPRING BREAK, I TOOK THE BAGS OF STAMPED POSTCARDS AND "MAIL OBJECTS" TO THE LOCAL KENT, OHIO, POST OFFICE. I HAD MAILED AND RECEIVED MANY ODD PIECES OF MAIL THROUGH THIS POST OFFICE--USUALLY WITH AN APPROVING CHUCKLE OR SMILE FROM THE COUNTER CLERKS. BUT WHEN I SHOWED UP WITH THREE GROCERY SACKS FULL OF THE STUFF, THE CLERK WHO WAITED ON ME GOT A LITTLE NERVOUS AND CALLED IN HIS SUPERVISOR. THE SUPERVISOR CALLED THE ASSISTANT POSTMASTER, WHO, FINALLY, CALLED THE POSTMASTER. EACH OFFICIAL IN TURN INFORMED ME THAT MOST OF THESE MAIL PIECES CLEARLY VIOLATED POSTAL REGULATIONS AND COULD NOT BE MAILED. I, IN TURN, INSISTED THAT I HAD PERSONALLY MAILED AND PERSONALLY RECEIVED MANY SIMILAR ITEMS. I KEPT POINTING OUT THAT THIS WAS A FUN UNIVERSITY-CLASS PROJECT AND THAT I HAD PROMISED MY STUDENTS THAT I WOULD GET ALL OF IT MAILED. THE POSTMASTER AND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER STARTED TO GET UPSET. BUT HOW ANGRY CAN GROWN MEN ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE IN PUBLIC ABOUT SOMETHING AS HARMLESS AS FUN MAIL? THEY ARGUED THAT I MUST BE MISTAKEN IN MY CLAIMS THAT MAIL VIOLATING U.S. POSTAL REGULATIONS HAD EVER GONE THROUGH EITHER THEIR POST OFFICE OR THROUGH THE U.S. MAIL. I OFFERED TO PROVE IT BY BRINGING IN POSTMARKED EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION. THEY DECLINED TO SEE THESE EXAMPLES. FINALLY, I WAS INVITED TO THE POSTMASTER'S OFFICE (THIS WAS HOLDING UP THE LINE AND BECOMING QUITE AN ATTRACTION IN THE FRONT OF THE POST OFFICE). BACK IN THE POSTMASTER'S OFFICE, WE BEGAN TO INSPECT THE MAIL, ONE PIECE AT A TIME. THEY BEGAN TO ILLUSTRATE THEIR ASSERTIONS BY SHOWING ME--IN PRINT--THE VARIOUS REGULATIONS THAT WERE BEING VIOLATED. I WAS ACTUALLY QUITE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THERE WERE SUCH STRINGENT REGULATIONS GOVERNING U.S. MAIL. I HAD JUST ASSUMED FROM MY MAIL ART EXPERIENCE THAT YOU COULD MAIL JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN ANY FORM AND THAT THE POST OFFICE WAS COMPELLED TO HANDLE IT [HOW HAD I BEEN SO MISTAKEN? HOW HAD SO MUCH MAIL ART GOTTEN PAST THESE REGULATIONS?]. IN SEVERAL INSTANCES, I QUESTIONED THEIR SPECIFIC INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION OF THE REGULATIONS. THIS WOULD PROMPT A BREAK IN THE DISCUSSION WHILE ONE OF THEM CALLED A REGIONAL POSTAL GOVERNING AUTHORITY TO GET "RULINGS" ON THESE INTERPRETATIONS OR ON THINGS NOT EXPLICITLY COVERED BY THE REGULATIONS. WE GRADUALLY ARRIVED AT SOME SORT OF ACCOMMODATION. THEY "HELPED" ME FIGURE OUT HOW THESE CARDS AND OBJECTS COULD BE MAILED WITHIN REGULATIONS. SOME OF THE PIECES WERE GOING TO HAVE TO BE PUT IN LARGE ENVELOPES AND MAILED THAT WAY. OTHER PIECES WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL POSTAGE (THE POSTAGE NOW COMING OUT OF MY POCKET). MORE WORK. MORE TIME. I HAD TO CONFER WITH THE POSTMASTER AND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER SEVERAL MORE TIMES BEFORE I WAS FINALLY FINISHED. HOW ABOUT:
WHEN MY STUDENTS CAME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK, I TOLD THEM OF ALL THE "TROUBLE" WE HAD CAUSED--AT THE UNIVERSITY AND AT THE U.S. POST OFFICE. THEY LOVED IT. WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT MEANT AND WHAT WE HAD LEARNED FROM OUR ADVENTURE. THEIR MAIL HAD GOTTEN QUITE A RESPONSE FROM THEIR VARIOUS RECIPIENTS...FROM "IS THIS WHAT WE'RE SENDING YOU TO COLLEGE FOR?" TO "IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU. I LOVED THE FUN MAIL!" THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD BEEN CREATIVE AND THAT THEY HAD DISTRUPTED AN ALL-TOO-OFTEN RIGID AND RULE-BOUND WORLD. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY KENT-OHIO MARCH 1984 |
Ah, yes...the New Wave Psychology Newsletter ...that's another story for another time
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