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Dancin' with the Trickster
This the Year of the Trickster began on November 7, and hasn't stopped since--this wild roller coaster ride, with dimpled, hanging and pregnant Chads. Interesting gender bendering question: do I want to impregnate Chad? The media pundits enjoyed a frenzied field day, predicting that one or the other of the candidates would win, while we sat, some of us turned into TV addicts all of a sudden, going to our offices bleary-eyed after all the late night rendezvousing with CNN.
As the sorry tale of the election fiascos continues to unfold, we have the dubious millennial face of 'Dubya' staring at us from TV and computer screens and our all-American complacency and patronizing attitude toward other countries and their corrupt track record of electoral history received jolt after jolt as it became evident that we were, after all, fast becoming the new United Banana Republics...clearly pax/pox Americana was the new laughing stock of the entire world with people betting on the outcome from New Delhi to Beirut.
In all this, you can see the clear presence of the Trickster archetype. The Trickster in many world mythologies is the god of new beginnings, thresholds, vital communication, sabotage and self-sabotage, and the art of not taking life too seriously.
Hermes in Greek mythology is a trickster figure, as is Eshu in the W.African framework, Coyote in many Native American legends, Krishna and
Shiva in Hinduism.
Odysseus in the Homeric epic is a trickster...the "man of twists and turns", as Homer describes him. But then so is Athena in the Odyssey, with her constant shape-shifting. In fact there are many female trickster figures in world mythology, including some of the faces of Kali, Ishtar, and others.
This is the year of the Trickster, where things aren't going to turn out as anticipated. Expected outcomes, whether in politics, investments, are
going to be subverted, while the wild card, the dark horse win, and constant heart stopping paradox are going to represent the order of the day.
Learning to dance with the Trickster implies a willingness to live with radical uncertainty, to enjoy paradoxes, no matter how bizarre, and to refuse to take others, our “real life” soaps, or ourselves seriously.
Enough for now!
Raj Ayyar
On the Execution of Wanda Jean Allen
Our hearts are heavy today, as last night at 9:21 p.m. Wanda Jean Allen was
pronounced dead after lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in
McAlester.
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It took the State of Oklahoma 21 minutes to kill Wanda Jean, but those of us
who have worked for years on her behalf know that the state began killing
her a long time ago. Though she was convicted of murder, she was executed
because of she was -- a mentally impaired, African-American, impoverished
lesbian. No reasonable person can review Wanda Jean's trial transcripts and
not realize that multiple biases, including anti-gay stereotypes, determined
her sentence. |
 Wanda Jean Allen |
As an Oklahoman and an American, I am deeply saddened by Wanda Jean Allen's execution. As a longtime LGBT rights activist who serves on the board of
PFLAG Oklahoma, I am chilled by this injustice. Wanda Jean Allen should
have been punished for committing a crime. She should not have been killed
in part because of her sexual orientation.
It's not enough to mourn the dead. We must fight for the living.
Joann Bell, Executive Director
Oklahoma ACLU
MTV's The Matthew Shepard Story
 Matthew Shepard |
I just got done watching the movie and i think it was wonderful. I had no idea they could have done such a straightforward and reasonable and evenhanded job of it. It was believable, and very sad.
This is the kind of story that moviemakers can get all PREACHY with, but these moviemakers used a little bit of subtlety and a lot of restraint. I was quite moved by it, and of course, in this movie of Matt's story, just as in the stories of many hate crimes in one's own life, you come to realize that there are usually more than one victim involved. |
This movie made no apologies for the men who committed the crime, but they tactfully acknowledged the sort of damaged goods they were to begin with. It's a very sad situation.
Once again in the Matthew Shepard case, we see one gay man being killed by another. His killer was more afraid of his own sexuality than anything else, and his fear and his rage over that, that's what killed Matt. I thought all of the actors were marvelous, and the man who played Matt Shepard was superb. Good job, all around. At the very end, you see Matthew Shepard's sweet face, and he says " Don't forget me." This movie will help everyone to remember.
Chances R.
Badpuppy Forums
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Pen Points
