Comments on: Neff: Imagine equality – in bed

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Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:34:01 +0000

[...] Neff: Imagine equality – in bed (365 Gay) I scanned the station offerings on my car radio and settled on my local NPR station. The “Ballad of John and Yoko” caught my ear. “Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton Talking in our beds for a week The news people said, ‘Say what’re you doing in bed?’ I said, ‘We’re only trying to … [...]

By: Drewski

Drewski — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:30:41 +0000

@ Gerry Fisher–Again, rockin’!

@ Sarrellec–NICE distinction!

Lisa, once again…not in-your-face on the surface, but some solid truth that speaks for itself. Thank you.

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:51:37 +0000

Sarrellec, that was a fantastic description of the difference between valuing symbols over substance versus actualizing your beliefs through your actions. Very cool!

The people on the left piss me off when they value emotional symbolism over getting something done, and the people on the right piss me off when they value winning and waging war against their enemies without a thought about the common good.

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:47:00 +0000

For serious Beatle fans like me, it was eye opening to read the latest issue of Rolling Stone with the article about how the Beatles broke up. Although his art is still incredible, my opinion of John Lennon the man was taken down a few notches. I suggest that you check it out, because it gives a graphic depiction of how Lennon (and Harrison) were treating their best boyhood friend at the same time they were looking all saintly, spiritual, and enlightened in public, they were being passive-aggressive, mean spirited, wishy washy, and ridiculously insecure in their personal dealings. Very sloppy.

Yes, both Lennon and Harrison understood that the personal is political (“let’s invite the press into our bedroom!”), but it goes the other way, too. The political is actualized through personal actions. Call me crazy, but how you treat people in your real life matters as much as how good a show you put on before the press.

By: ScottNH

ScottNH — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:12:33 +0000

A well-articulated and helpful distinction, Sarrellec.

By: Sarrellec

Sarrellec — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:38:55 +0000

Right on kiddo!
‘Sides, there’s a big difference between a “hippie” and a “flower child”.
“Hippies”, unfortunately, began the greed movement. Remember, a “hippie” eschewed material things and the responsibility for those material things.
As long as they could use someone else’s things, that is.
Eschewing the responsibility of owning and maintaining a car–as a symbol of their anti-establishment rhetoric–they didn’t mind hitch-hiking in cars owned by others. Or crashing in someone else’s home. Or eating someone else’s food.
The “hippie” of yester-year evolved into the neo-con hypocrite that eventually destroyed this country. Self-centered, self-involved and greedy beyond measure.
*I* was a “flower child”. We had jobs. We put flowers in the barrels of Guard rifles. We held hands and sat in protest of the inequities of civil life while maintaining our responsibility to ourselves and others.
We were the ones who OWNED the cars the hippies took advantage of. We were the ones who paid the rent on the crash pad.
We volunteered and gave what we could and what we had.
We were betrayed by our older brethren, the hippie, because, unlike them, we BELIEVED.
We BELIEVED that government should serve the people that supported it, not abuse and take advantage of our bodies and our lives and limbs for the benefit of a handful of Mad Ave wanna-get-richers.
The hippies left us behind.
They BECAME the Mad Ave wanna-get-richers and, well, here we are.
You strike me as more a flower child than a hippie.
Granted, I was and am an ANGRY flower child, but hey, a rose has thorns.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:00:47 +0000

A beautiful challenge. It reminds me of how the shared bed functions when my partner and I travel. That moment when checking in to the hotel, we confirm for the uniformed associate behind the desk that, yes, we’d like a room with a queen sized bed (we’ll take a king if you have it). They catch on. The housekeeper who sees two men exit the room figures it out when she turns down the shared bed. Thank you for the reminder about what kind of work the bed can accomplish.

By: jlachett

jlachett — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:24:29 +0000

That’s beautiful. Thank you!
John L