...without the gay community. As we are punched in the face daily by an avalanche of bad news- and bad vibes- it's good to see that someone out there is still celebrating. Hot on the heels of Carnival/Mardi Gras was the Sydney Mardi Gras, which started out as a gay civil rights march and has now become a citywide party for Australians of every possible persuasion. The theme was something vaguely global but the real issue seemed to be taking on homophobia in the Muslim world (finally), a worthy cause for any occasion.
There's something indelibly pagan about Mardi Gras in general and the Sydney Mardi Gras in particular. Indeed, after brutally repressing the Bacchanalias in 186 BC, the Romans later reinvented them as exactly these kinds of parades/festivals. If that was considered the acceptable alternative you can just imagine how dangerous the original rituals were.
And these kinds of pageants have always been a way for marginalized communities to let off steam. Perhaps as all of us are made to feel marginalized and alienated we'll see these kinds of celebrations go mainstream.
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6 comments:
notice the word Freemason on the float at two minutes
waving rainbow flags, I can't help but think of the number 42 after reading The Blob recently
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Ah yes, that's the band the Freemasons, which is the weirdest name for a disco band ever. When I think Freemason the last thing on earth I think of is that music.
I saw a flyer at a local venue in Atlanta for a band called "The Secret Lives of the Freemasons". Another venue has a square and compass sticker on one of their merch tables, but instead of the G in the middle it has an A (for Aton). At least they're being honest, for once...
Isn't this "gay baiting"? :-) Oh yea, the Freemasons, worthy grand mixmasters of Faith Evans' Mesmerized.
James, I'm with you. No. 42 suddenly leapt out personally, and boom, Jake is on the scent. My friend who works at Macy's (red star) reminded me how it is famous for "The Miracle on 42nd St.". Also, Seattle has an ugly black building on 4th and Blanchard that is locally called "The Darth Vader Building" and really I can't see the Dark Lord in it, but whatever... I read that the pitch of the roofs just happen to be... 42 degrees. I just had a thought, I wonder if the pyramids of Giza have 42 degrees encoded in them???
Cheers, TransEgypto Michael
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