"I have noticed that as soon as you have soldiers the story is called history. Before their arrival it is called myth, folktale, legend, fairy tale, oral poetry, ethnography. After the soldiers arrive, it is called history."
- Paula Gunn Allen
"After all, Lewis and Clark's story has never been just the triumphant tale of two white men, no matter what the white historians might need to believe. Sacagawea was not the primary hero of this story either, no matter what the Native American historians and I might want to believe. The story of Lewis and Clark is also the story of the approximately 45 nameless and faceless first- and second-generation European Americans who joined the journey, then left or completed it, often without monetary or historical compensation. Considering the time and place, I imagine those 45 were illiterate, low-skilled laborers subject to managerial whims and 19th century downsizing. And it is most certainly the story of the black slave York, who also cast votes during this allegedly democratic adventure. It's even the story of Seaman, the domesticated Newfoundland dog who must have been a welcome and friendly presence and who survived the risk of becoming supper during one lean time or another. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was exactly the kind of multicultural, trigenerational, bigendered, animal-friendly, government-supported, partly French-Canadian project that should rightly be celebrated by liberals and castigated by conservatives."
-- Sherman Alexie, in a Time magazine essay entitled "What Sacagewea Means to Me"
“My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.”
-- Armistead Maupin
"You can hurt me. You can hate me, but do it because you know me, not because I’m a member of a group. Anyways, people aren’t grapes --- you can’t weigh them in a bunch, but I guess it’s easier than dealing with people as individuals. There, I’ve solved the riddle of prejudice: it saves time."
-- author, Rita Mae Brown
“The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself.” -- Rita Mae Brown
“No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody.”
-- Rita Mae Brown
“I believe in not being put into ‘either/or’ -- instead, I choose ‘and.’" -- Mandy Carter, black lesbian social justice activist and co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, explaining that she doesn’t have one identity that trumps all her other identities
“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” -- Euro-American anthropologist, Margaret Mead
“For the very first time the young are seeing history being made before it is censored by their elders.” -- Margaret Mead
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Meme Maze
By Sankara Saranam
Heathenism is a type of sanity that has never reached epidemic proportions.
Littering is a symptom of insanity.
A pregnant idea can bear a thinker a million children.
To kill an idea, you must kill very holder of the idea; and even that does not kill the idea.
Self-sacrifice, self-knowledge, and self-expansion are the three hidden ideas underlying the most influential ideas from human history.
The strength of a birth pang of a new idea is proportional to its scope.
A good idea is always subversive to other ideas, and it’s always a good idea to have a good idea.
By a meaningful life, meaning beyond mining for means is meant.
Silly people have no idea, but mentally sick people have only one idea.
People who reflexively call a good idea foreign only expose their knack for redundancy.
An error is an idea disconnected from other ideas.
Whatever you do, don’t jump to the gun when you hear something new.
We are a self-mystifying species, living largely by make-believe.
Acting is a first career to all, which means actors are actually acting as if they are acting.
Choose your illusion wisely, but don’t bother choosing no illusion as it will only mean you choose not to acknowledge your illusion.
How can people say self-delusion is not dependable? It’s the one thing on which people depend!
A good fantasy game beats any reality show.
Imagination, when present, is always stronger than will power.Having vision must be the worst crime, because it is never pardoned.
By Sankara Saranam
Heathenism is a type of sanity that has never reached epidemic proportions.
Littering is a symptom of insanity.
A pregnant idea can bear a thinker a million children.
To kill an idea, you must kill very holder of the idea; and even that does not kill the idea.
Self-sacrifice, self-knowledge, and self-expansion are the three hidden ideas underlying the most influential ideas from human history.
The strength of a birth pang of a new idea is proportional to its scope.
A good idea is always subversive to other ideas, and it’s always a good idea to have a good idea.
By a meaningful life, meaning beyond mining for means is meant.
Silly people have no idea, but mentally sick people have only one idea.
People who reflexively call a good idea foreign only expose their knack for redundancy.
An error is an idea disconnected from other ideas.
Whatever you do, don’t jump to the gun when you hear something new.
We are a self-mystifying species, living largely by make-believe.
Acting is a first career to all, which means actors are actually acting as if they are acting.
Choose your illusion wisely, but don’t bother choosing no illusion as it will only mean you choose not to acknowledge your illusion.
How can people say self-delusion is not dependable? It’s the one thing on which people depend!
A good fantasy game beats any reality show.
Imagination, when present, is always stronger than will power.Having vision must be the worst crime, because it is never pardoned.
"How could I have been anyone other than me?" -- gay South African rock star, guitarist and vocalist Dave Matthews
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -- American author of Spanish, Cuban, French and Danish descent Anais Nin
"Don't you ever wish You were someone else You were meant to be The way you are exactly
Don't you ever say You don't like the way you are When you learn to love yourself You're better off by far
And I hope you always stay the same Cause there's nothing 'bout you I would change" -- Joey McIntyre, "Stay the Same" from the 1999 CD of the same name
"How could anyone ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful How could anyone ever tell you, you were less than whole How could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle How deeply you're connected to my soul." -- Libby Roderick, "How Could Anyone (ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful?)" from the CD If You See a Dream
"...but here am I; Once a caterpillar, now a butterfly." -- Pet Shop Boys, "Metamorphosis"
“I don't think that [the issue of] sexuality and disability is controversial because of genitals. I don't even think it's controversial so much because of pregnancy. The major reason it's controversial is that it would force a massive reevaluation of who disabled people are.”
-- Dave Hingsburger
"I have said to you to speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse. " -- Oscar Wilde, De Profundis
"From an early age, we're taught not only bigotry but also to feel helpless and hopeless when confronted with it, as if it is a force of nature--like gravity--that we cannot control. This is the lesson we must unlearn. We must break free of the mindset that tells us we have to accept injustice, intolerance, and bigotry..."
-- Kevin Jennings, from "Learning to Swim Upstream"
"The most exciting thing is not doing it. If you fall in love with someone and never do it, it's much more exciting." -- Andy Warhol
"Can I tell you guys something?" Joe says. "Will you promise not to laugh at me or say it's gross?" "Promise," I say, and Skeezie goes, "Pinky swear," and smiles. "You know what I want more than anything?" I am guessing by the way he takes a deep breath that the answer to this is not to be found in any of Joe's usual wish-list categories, such as home decor or celebrities-I'd-most-like-to-be-stuck-on-a-desert-island-with.
"I think about this a lot, but I've never told anybody. Not Aunt Pam or anybody. What I want more than anything is to hold hands with somebody I like.
Joe pulls his knees up then, sharp, and crosses his arms over them, so he can lay down his head, like now that he's told us this terrible secret he doesn't want to see our faces telling him what we think.
"Does that gross you out?" he asks from inside his folded-up arms. "No," I go, and so does Skeeze. "If that's how you feel, then you should just go for it, man," says Skeezie, getting all serious. "I mean, you're a pretty outrageous character, JoDan. I never seen you exactly lacking for nerve."
Joe lifts his head. "Right. Can you see me walking down the hall holding hands with Colin the way Brittney holds hands with Will, or Sara with Justin? Not that I'm saying Colin would want to or anything, but it's not fair."
-- James Howe, The Misfits, pp. 121-2
"Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader (who was what we would describe today as bisexual)
"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture of their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."
-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., American clergyman, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner
"I feel honored that I have the opportunity to be a role model for younger people. I want to educate the kids that it's not OK to hate individuals because they're different. It could be their brother, their sister. It also could be their best friend."
-- Esera Tuaolo, retired NFL football player and openly gay partner and dad
"I didn't come out -- I was out. The media was, 'Oh my God, you're gay,' and I'm like yes -- I've been out my whole life to my family and friends. Everyone in the skating community knew. But just because I won the national title, it's like, 'Oh, my God, you're gay.' The judges would say, 'You have to tone down your costumes, your choreography,' and I'm like, 'No . . .' I wanted to skate for the audiences, not for the judges."
-- Rudy Galindo, Olympic figure skater
"see, i was afraid of redicule. it totally freaked me out. i remember a few times being made fun of by guy friends in elementary. they said sometimes i would act like a girl, or run like a girl. so i fought hard. everyday to make sure i showed no sign of my femme side."
-- Ashley, trans youth who tells her story at comingoutstories.com
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader
"If a boy and a girl are able to go to a dance, then two boys ought to be able to go to a dance." -- Virginia Uribe, now-retired founder of Project 10, the first school-based dropout prevention program for students facing sexual orientation discrimination and harassment
"What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine."
-- Susan Sontag
"Why shouldn't I take a chance when romance passes by? Why shouldn't I know of love?" -- Cole Porter (lyrics from the song Why Shouldn't I?")
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -- American author of Spanish, Cuban, French and Danish descent Anais Nin
"Don't you ever wish You were someone else You were meant to be The way you are exactly
Don't you ever say You don't like the way you are When you learn to love yourself You're better off by far
And I hope you always stay the same Cause there's nothing 'bout you I would change" -- Joey McIntyre, "Stay the Same" from the 1999 CD of the same name
"How could anyone ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful How could anyone ever tell you, you were less than whole How could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle How deeply you're connected to my soul." -- Libby Roderick, "How Could Anyone (ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful?)" from the CD If You See a Dream
"...but here am I; Once a caterpillar, now a butterfly." -- Pet Shop Boys, "Metamorphosis"
“I don't think that [the issue of] sexuality and disability is controversial because of genitals. I don't even think it's controversial so much because of pregnancy. The major reason it's controversial is that it would force a massive reevaluation of who disabled people are.”
-- Dave Hingsburger
"I have said to you to speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse. " -- Oscar Wilde, De Profundis
"From an early age, we're taught not only bigotry but also to feel helpless and hopeless when confronted with it, as if it is a force of nature--like gravity--that we cannot control. This is the lesson we must unlearn. We must break free of the mindset that tells us we have to accept injustice, intolerance, and bigotry..."
-- Kevin Jennings, from "Learning to Swim Upstream"
"The most exciting thing is not doing it. If you fall in love with someone and never do it, it's much more exciting." -- Andy Warhol
"Can I tell you guys something?" Joe says. "Will you promise not to laugh at me or say it's gross?" "Promise," I say, and Skeezie goes, "Pinky swear," and smiles. "You know what I want more than anything?" I am guessing by the way he takes a deep breath that the answer to this is not to be found in any of Joe's usual wish-list categories, such as home decor or celebrities-I'd-most-like-to-be-stuck-on-a-desert-island-with.
"I think about this a lot, but I've never told anybody. Not Aunt Pam or anybody. What I want more than anything is to hold hands with somebody I like.
Joe pulls his knees up then, sharp, and crosses his arms over them, so he can lay down his head, like now that he's told us this terrible secret he doesn't want to see our faces telling him what we think.
"Does that gross you out?" he asks from inside his folded-up arms. "No," I go, and so does Skeeze. "If that's how you feel, then you should just go for it, man," says Skeezie, getting all serious. "I mean, you're a pretty outrageous character, JoDan. I never seen you exactly lacking for nerve."
Joe lifts his head. "Right. Can you see me walking down the hall holding hands with Colin the way Brittney holds hands with Will, or Sara with Justin? Not that I'm saying Colin would want to or anything, but it's not fair."
-- James Howe, The Misfits, pp. 121-2
"Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader (who was what we would describe today as bisexual)
"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture of their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."
-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., American clergyman, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner
"I feel honored that I have the opportunity to be a role model for younger people. I want to educate the kids that it's not OK to hate individuals because they're different. It could be their brother, their sister. It also could be their best friend."
-- Esera Tuaolo, retired NFL football player and openly gay partner and dad
"I didn't come out -- I was out. The media was, 'Oh my God, you're gay,' and I'm like yes -- I've been out my whole life to my family and friends. Everyone in the skating community knew. But just because I won the national title, it's like, 'Oh, my God, you're gay.' The judges would say, 'You have to tone down your costumes, your choreography,' and I'm like, 'No . . .' I wanted to skate for the audiences, not for the judges."
-- Rudy Galindo, Olympic figure skater
"see, i was afraid of redicule. it totally freaked me out. i remember a few times being made fun of by guy friends in elementary. they said sometimes i would act like a girl, or run like a girl. so i fought hard. everyday to make sure i showed no sign of my femme side."
-- Ashley, trans youth who tells her story at comingoutstories.com
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader
"If a boy and a girl are able to go to a dance, then two boys ought to be able to go to a dance." -- Virginia Uribe, now-retired founder of Project 10, the first school-based dropout prevention program for students facing sexual orientation discrimination and harassment
"What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine."
-- Susan Sontag
"Why shouldn't I take a chance when romance passes by? Why shouldn't I know of love?" -- Cole Porter (lyrics from the song Why Shouldn't I?")
Monday, February 12, 2007
African proverbs:
"He who cannot dance will say:The drum is bad."
Ashanti
----------------------------
"Thought breaks the heart"
Cameroon
-----------------------------
"Even over cold pudding the coward says: "It will burn my mouth."
Ethiopia
------------------------------
"He who has done evil, expects evil."
Guinea
-------------------------------
"The heart is not a knee that can be bent."
Senegal
found at the Jonathan Carroll blog
http://www.jonathancarroll.com/indexframes.html
If you haven't read any of his books do so. You won't be disappointed.
"He who cannot dance will say:The drum is bad."
Ashanti
----------------------------
"Thought breaks the heart"
Cameroon
-----------------------------
"Even over cold pudding the coward says: "It will burn my mouth."
Ethiopia
------------------------------
"He who has done evil, expects evil."
Guinea
-------------------------------
"The heart is not a knee that can be bent."
Senegal
found at the Jonathan Carroll blog
http://www.jonathancarroll.com/indexframes.html
If you haven't read any of his books do so. You won't be disappointed.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
CarrollBlog 1.10
Two hours before my dog Jack died, I took him to see the Christmas trees. A week ago it was discovered that he had cancer everywhere although he was only six years old. The doctor said the disease was moving so fast that the kindest thing I could do was to put Jack to sleep while he was still alert and filled with lebensfreude, as the German language puts it. The greatest thing about Jack was how funny he was. I have never owned a dog that made me laugh as much as he did. His last morning was no exception. For some reason, the dog had always loved Christmas trees. He loved to smell them and rub up against them. When there was a tree in the house over the holidays he was in heaven. To everyones amusement, he would delicately sniff it all the time and stand unmoving as if stoned under its branches for long minutes so that he could feel them on his back. A year ago I wrote about there being collection places around Vienna after Christmas where you can leave your tree and eventually city workers will take them away to the dump. One of these drop off places is in the park across the street, so on our final walk together I purposely took him to see the trees. It was the first week of the new year and most people in the neighborhood had already brought their trees or Christmas wreaths and made a giant pile of them. Jack was mesmerized. He kept looking at them and then up at me as if to say, isnt that amazing! Look at how many there are! After gazing in wonder for a while, he literally threw himself into that high pile, like a musician doing a stage dive into the audience. He burrowed and leapt around and grunted in total delight. His lungs had been badly damaged by the cancer so he was very short of breath. But he would not stop flipping and flopping. A young couple walking by stopped to watch him. They started laughing because he was so nutty in his ecstasy. Back and forth, wiggle waggle, stop, wiggle waggle some more. They laughed, my beloved friend Jack frolicked, and the only thing I wanted in the whole world then was for that moment to go on and on.
--Jonathan Carroll
Two hours before my dog Jack died, I took him to see the Christmas trees. A week ago it was discovered that he had cancer everywhere although he was only six years old. The doctor said the disease was moving so fast that the kindest thing I could do was to put Jack to sleep while he was still alert and filled with lebensfreude, as the German language puts it. The greatest thing about Jack was how funny he was. I have never owned a dog that made me laugh as much as he did. His last morning was no exception. For some reason, the dog had always loved Christmas trees. He loved to smell them and rub up against them. When there was a tree in the house over the holidays he was in heaven. To everyones amusement, he would delicately sniff it all the time and stand unmoving as if stoned under its branches for long minutes so that he could feel them on his back. A year ago I wrote about there being collection places around Vienna after Christmas where you can leave your tree and eventually city workers will take them away to the dump. One of these drop off places is in the park across the street, so on our final walk together I purposely took him to see the trees. It was the first week of the new year and most people in the neighborhood had already brought their trees or Christmas wreaths and made a giant pile of them. Jack was mesmerized. He kept looking at them and then up at me as if to say, isnt that amazing! Look at how many there are! After gazing in wonder for a while, he literally threw himself into that high pile, like a musician doing a stage dive into the audience. He burrowed and leapt around and grunted in total delight. His lungs had been badly damaged by the cancer so he was very short of breath. But he would not stop flipping and flopping. A young couple walking by stopped to watch him. They started laughing because he was so nutty in his ecstasy. Back and forth, wiggle waggle, stop, wiggle waggle some more. They laughed, my beloved friend Jack frolicked, and the only thing I wanted in the whole world then was for that moment to go on and on.
--Jonathan Carroll
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