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Steven and Tiwonge, the two young Malawian men who were sentenced to fourteen years of hard labor, have been pardoned by Malawi's President, who has called for their immediate release from prison.
It's worth noting that the President, when announcing the pardon, stated that the two are criminals. In other words, international pressure worked.
"These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said after meeting Mr Ban.
"However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions."
Notice how, in bending to the will of an outraged world community, the leader speaks in terms that preserve his nation's confidence that his power is intact.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thing for a leader to be able to abandon a bad policy by cloaking his surrender in face-saving language.
Mitch, I respect what you are doing and how you are doing it, both here and on other blogs. So let me ask you a question.
I'm struggling with my way of communicating. Some people tell me I talk as if I were carrying the tablets down from the mountain. All my stories are long, accurate, and fascinating - to me. The people I know best want to talk with me the least. Here, I can edit what I post. But when I speak, I speak volumes, filled with the results of a lifetime of experience and study. But all the volumes are unedited!
What do you think, Mitch? Is there any hope for a 60-year-old Gay Rights pioneer back in the day who bores the socks off everyone he meets?
Say, would you like to hear about the time I met Harvey Milk? It was a short encounter, but the way I tell it, it's a long story.
;>)
Thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteI'd hazard a guess that the main problem here is that you've found unappreciative audiences, not that your stories are uninteresting. Do you know anyone who could interview you? Just having an interviewer guide a conversation can be very helpful, and if you recorded the interview, it would be possible to post-edit the parts that were less-than-stellar. Whatever you do, please don't let your knowledge and wisdom disappear just because you haven't found the right audience yet.
I'm closer to your age than to the young'ns. It's hard to remember exactly how much things have changed in the two generations since Stonewall. I suspect young people, especially those living in areas where acceptance is widespread, find it somewhat disconcerting to listen to those of us who may think of "gay lib" as an us vs. them thing. You might try focusing on the social changes you've seen more than on the battles you've fought. It's still possible to talk about the battles, but if they're framed in the context of the resulting social change, they might be of greater interest to young folks.
In any event, good luck. Sure, why not post a comment about the time you met Harvey Milk. And if you live don't already know about them, check out the Billy Club and the Radical Faeries. All ages, and the younger people are more likely to be interested in stories from the "pioneers."
Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful reply, Mitch.
ReplyDelete