Taylor is by no means a child anymore, and the defense believes it would be an error to dismiss her finger gun as a naĂŻve prop from a game of cops and robbers. Unlike her male counterparts in Exhibit A, she is drifting into adolescence, a space where the dark swirl of adulthood untethers us from our innocence. Adolescence is when many of us begin to grope the paradox of our isolation from and desperate need for companionship with others. These needsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for acceptance, for understanding, for supportâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;help us navigate our mortality. Maybe at thirteen years old Taylor is experimenting with adult concerns for the first time, reaching out to her peers in a form that is comfortable and familiar. Her impulse is one we all share, exacting regularly with whatever means we have on hand at the time: EXHIBIT C Â&#x2021; <RX PDNH WKH VLJQ RI WKH FURVV Â&#x2021; <RX IOLS WKH ELUG Â&#x2021; <RX ORYH URFN PXVLF SDUWLFXODUO\ KHDY\ PHWDO Â&#x2021; <RX WKLQN VRPHWKLQJ LV Âł$ 2ND\´ Â&#x2021; <RX DUH D IDQ RI Star Trek, particularly Spock Â&#x2021; <RX JLYH D WKXPEV XS Â&#x2021; <RX JLYH D WKXPEV GRZQ Â&#x2021; <RX JLYH WKH SHDFH VLJQ Â&#x2021; <RX WXUQ \RXU SHDFH VLJQ DURXQG DQG JLYH VRPHRQH WKH ROG IXFN you Â&#x2021; <RX EHOLHYH \RXU WHDP LV QXPEHU RQH But the gestures listed in Exhibit C, unlike that of a finger gun, each mean only one thing. They lack the social versatility of the finger gun and its proclivity for improvisation, a characteristic that leaves open the full spectrum of our humanity to its disposal. The defense believes it is now appropriate to ask: How many bullets have you blasted from your fingertips? How many of your family members and friends have you gunned down with a steely grin, mouthing
98 | STEPHEN J. WEST