A Gift of Words
Words. I’ve loved ‘em ever since I was a little kid. Nobody ever needed to convince me that the pen was mightier than the sword. After all, the right word at the right time can change the world for the better, whereas a weapon, no matter how delicately or diplomatically wielded, can produce only destruction.
It’s no wonder, then, that when I get frustrated and depressed, I turn to the writings of the great wordsmiths to help me understand and deal with my feelings.
Right now, a small sign hangs over my desk: “To the people of Tahiti, worry over the future was unknown; their language indeed contained no word with which to express such an idea.” That’s from Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. I make myself read it aloud every time my “what ifs?” start to get the better of me.
Another quote, by Saki, reminds me that, “Once you have taken the impossible into account, its possibilities become almost endless.”
This year as a present to myself, I decided to track down a few quotes by my favorite lesbian and bisexual women. And as I was surfing the net doing just that, it occurred to me that these quotes wouldn’t make a bad holiday present for the people who read this column, either.
So, here these women are, in all their wit, wisdom, and justified outrage. Happy Holidays.
CULTURE/SOCIETY/HISTORY
A few political…er…pundits, would have us believe that lesbians exist only in the world of erotic nightclubs and steamy sexual liaisons. I wish. The truth is, we live in the same world as everyone else. Here are a few thoughts from lesbians about current and past events:
What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews? --Ellen DeGeneres, explaining why she was the natural choice to host the 2001 Emmys.
The nuclear family is the building block of American society, and the social, religious, educational and economic institutions of society are designated to maintain, support and strengthen family ties even if the people involved can’t stand the sight of one another. --Del Martin in her 1977 book, Battered Wives.
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
If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influences from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would be pretty much left with Let’s Make a Deal.
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