Damn, the planet just seems to circle the sun a little more quickly every year. Here we go again.
Lots of folks showing their pride today, of course. It’s difficult not to be gay for people out and about, enjoying the sun and such, but …
It seemed to me that there’s an undercurrent of sadness in the event that wasn’t there 20 years ago. In the Gay 90s, when the parade was up on Broadway, there was still something countercultural about the event, a cross between Mardi Gras and St Patrick’s Day and maybe Women’s Suffrage—an opportunity to release all that pent up libidinal energy, or at least imagining more of it, but also to stand up for one’s God given disposition and to go public with it for political recognition. Now there’s a lot of corporate sponsorship and parents, gay and straight, walking around with the kids, and the energy seems as manufactured as a high school pep rally.
In addition to tutus and unicorns and lots of sparkles, a lot of people wore a look of sheer boredom on their faces. Along the lines of, Let’s be good sports and dress up, like we do for Halloween. Or, What now? Oh yeah … Rights! More rights!
Having spotted a number of priests and nuns, if only in costume, I wanted to see a group of women in black burqas show up and just stand there, silent. And/or see a float with an SUV sized cock ejaculating big soap bubbles or something. But no: a huge inflatable plane, emblazoned “Alaska Airlines” and King County Metro … who gives a rat’s ass? Yeah, yeah everybody’s on board now and along for the ride, we get it.
It’s the liturgy of the current civic religion.
Forget the flag. IT’s been displaced by pride parades.
By the way, this is spot on.
Well now.
I noticed similar things. Seems the parade is no longer malaise proof. Binx Bolling call your office.
Here in London I saw in a supermarket they were selling Skittles for Pride. A couple of years ago I had two bags and also some fruit leather and I don’t know that I ate anything else but I had worse potential diarrhoea than I’ve had before – but I don’t know that it was the skittles. I can hardly be bothered to say it now, but that’s largely because of my teeth. Otherwise \i’d still be enthusiastic.
I get the message.