Zap
Every now and again, I read something that just goes straight to the gut. Though nastiness can do it too, I'm mostly thinking about the stuff that resonates. I can feel the puzzle piece snap into place, filling a hole in my understanding of the world. Sometimes, it's a hole I didn't even realize was there until the right piece showed up. For just a second, the words are the only thing in the world, and a voice in the back of my head says, "Yes."
I found one today, playing Six Degrees of Wikipedia (aka, cat vacuuming). It's a quote from Arthur Evans, recalling his reaction to police raids on the Snake Pit (a gay bar raided about nine months after Stonewall): "There was no division for us between the political and personal. We were never given the option to make that division." Yes. This is the answer to everyone who complains about gay people making their sexuality political and public. We were never given the option to do otherwise. Or at least, our other option was silence and degradation.
I'm amused to note that this quote is part of the Wikipedia article about a particular form of political action. The action is called "zap." Yeah, I felt a little zap. And this little zap reminded me of one from a few months ago. In a long and wandering (and entertaining) comment thread here, much mockery was made of some idiot who said, "There are only three things in the world that women do not understand; and they are Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” And someone else replied, "Why should we? When have we ever known them?" Yes.
Of course, what affects me isn't what affects other people, because my jigsaw puzzle has its own unique gaps. Still, when I find one of those pieces, I like to linger on it for a little while. Sometimes it's good to savor things.
I found one today, playing Six Degrees of Wikipedia (aka, cat vacuuming). It's a quote from Arthur Evans, recalling his reaction to police raids on the Snake Pit (a gay bar raided about nine months after Stonewall): "There was no division for us between the political and personal. We were never given the option to make that division." Yes. This is the answer to everyone who complains about gay people making their sexuality political and public. We were never given the option to do otherwise. Or at least, our other option was silence and degradation.
I'm amused to note that this quote is part of the Wikipedia article about a particular form of political action. The action is called "zap." Yeah, I felt a little zap. And this little zap reminded me of one from a few months ago. In a long and wandering (and entertaining) comment thread here, much mockery was made of some idiot who said, "There are only three things in the world that women do not understand; and they are Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” And someone else replied, "Why should we? When have we ever known them?" Yes.
Of course, what affects me isn't what affects other people, because my jigsaw puzzle has its own unique gaps. Still, when I find one of those pieces, I like to linger on it for a little while. Sometimes it's good to savor things.