Re: Bursting the Gay Cloud (again)

["Ronald W. Garrison" <rwgarr@intrex.net>]

K Bacon wrote:
> 
> At 19:41 10/11/97 -0600, you wrote:
> >I have been lurking for awhile here, but have to come out to say that
> if
> >you think Cloudbursting is about being gay......
> >
> >OH NO!!  I said "I have to come out"... therefore, I must be gay!
> >NOT!!!
> 
> Obviously you have 'selective reading'...many of us have already
> responded
> to that comment, in depth.
> 
> >I wonder how many other songs there are in the Kate catalog that
> certain
> >people on this list think are "special" songs.
> 
> I personally feel that *every* Kate Bush song is special - both as
> individual songs (with the original Kate Bush meaning), as well as the
> personal response I feel when I experience the music.
> 
> >Songs with "hidden meanings" that us "normal" (whatever that means),
> fans
> >just don't have the brains to pick up on.
> 
> "whatever that means"?  Exactly - you nearly answered your own
> question -
> there is *no* meaning from what you typed (unless you are trying to
> marginalize people on this email list - but I'm sure that you wouldn't
> possibly be trying to do that.  Of course not.  Maybe not...).
> Interpreting
> songs has nothing to do whether a person is "normal" or whether they
> "have
> the brains" to do it...it's the experience of listening to music
> coupled
> with personal experience.
> 
> >Sorry to ramble. but this "Cloudbursting is
> >about being gay" thread makes me want to puke...
> 
> Really?  Go ahead then.  When people tell me they want to puke when
> hearing
> gay issues, I always encourage them to follow through...perhaps it
> would be
> good for you to vomit that homophobic garbage out of your system.
> Either
> that, or open your mind and educate yourself.  It might be easier to
> puke,
> but the rewards are greater when you open your mind.
> 
> >If Kate reads this list,
> >I am sure she is getting a good laugh out of this one!
> 
> This is a total indictment against gay people, if you are indeed
> implying
> that Kate Bush would find a gay interpretation ridiculous.  This is
> what is
> the most upsetting on this issue - many people seem to trivialise
> 'coming
> out' (as with every other gay issue), and it is really disturbing.
> 'Coming
> out' is a major event for gay and lesbian (and also transgender)
> people -
> sometimes with major consequences.  The reason I'm writing this is
> because I
> actually saw *just YESTERDAY* a friend at university who has just been
> kicked out of home, after being physically attacked by his father, for
> being
> gay.  Yeah, really funny Mark, just hilarious.  What about the higher
> than
> average rate of suicide for gay teenagers - who are often either
> unable to
> 'come out', or who were physically/emotionally abused by parents after
> they
> 'came out'.  Dead teenagers...are your sides still splitting with
> laughter?
> I feel that Kate would be proud to know that there are fans out there,
> who
> give such an important - and personal - interpretation to
> Cloudbusting.  If
> one fan always thinks of his/her sister (etc.) when listening to
> Cloudbusting, or perhaps to starving refugees even - because they may
> have
> seen/experienced that when they first listened to Cloudbusting - I
> don't
> think Kate would laugh at that.  What if a Kate fan thinks of his/her
> *own*
> father whenever they hear Cloudbusting...is that also "ridiculous"?
> (Anti-'gay-interpretation' emailers must think that since they claim
> that
> they are *not* homophobic (thus treating every interpretation
> 'equally')).
> Gay people, issues and INTERPRETATIONS are not the be all and end all
> of
> things, but they still deserve to be treated with the respect shown to
> any
> other important/personal experience.
> 'Coming out' is not a trivial issue, and I do not believe that it in
> *any*
> way trivialises Cloudbusting...so I think people who are emailing
> about how
> "ridiculous" it is, should think twice about future emails with claims
> of
> how 'stupid' and 'ridiculous' the interpretation is.
> 
> >But even though
> >I want to puke, this whole subject has been quite entertaining!!   :)
> >Mark
> 
> Unfortunately, *you* haven't been.
> 
> Thanks (yet again) everyone for taking the time to read (and hopefully
> consider too!) my email :))
> Till next time,
> Kim :)

=============
<SARCASM)
OK, Kim, you win, we all cry uncle. Those of us whose opinions differ
from your own are hopeless homophobes, completely beyond redemption. If
Mark said he wanted to puke over something, if *must* be a slur against
gays too--even if was referring to a particular behavior in these
newsgroups as a cause of his nausea, that is quite beside the point,
isn't it, because you know what was *really* on his mind. So go ahead
and plop down the sexual orientation card, and play it for all it's
worth.
</SARCASM>

As for me, I acknowledge that my point of view is only my point of view,
but you have to have *some* viewpoint, and I'm entitled to mine, as I am
entitled to point out the reasons for holding that viewpoint (although I
don't *have* to point them out at all).

I strongly encourage anyone who still has any interest at all in
following this thread to pay particular attention to Kim's postings,
especially this latest one. A little consideration of what is really
going on here may be very edifying.

--Ron

-- 
http://www.intrex.net/rwgarr/