(no subject)

[felis_ultharus]

So, in addition to being le Saint-Jean here in Quebec, it's Stonewall Day. Which is an event I've had mixed feelings about since I started reading up on queer history.

Not that it wasn't a wonderful event. It was the turning point of the American movement. The problem is, most Canadians think it was the turning point of the Canadian queer movement as well. Actually, we already had political organizations, and they'd won legalization earlier that same year -- May 14, 1969.

(That bill, C-150 or the Omnibus Bill, legalized homosexuality, abortion, and easy divorce, all at the same time.)

There's nothing wrong with Americans celebrating it, or Canadians offering our best wishes. But the problem with being queer and Canadian is that your history gets forgotten twice. Canadians in general can't be bothered to remember their own history, and a disturbing number of queer Canadians confuse our country with the one to the south -- for instance, quite a few believe that they aren't allowed in our military (to cite one example).

History's not well-respected these days, but I think that losing one's history is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a community. Forgetting the past usually opens the door to self-destruction.

On a more fun note, there shall be a game tomorrow. Noon, among the boxes here. I am also more than a third through my major edit.

Comments

[teecs.livejournal.com]

Who knew? I am so glad to call you my friend...
You don't let me forget who I am or where I am from.
Good luck with the move next week. I hope it goes smoothly for you...

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and thanks :)

It doesn't really surprise me too much that most people outside of historical studies don't know this stuff. What really rankles me is that well-respected scholarly publications repeat this stuff as if it were true.

This is especially true whenever American publications turn their attention to Canada. The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality practically just stops short of saying, "Awww, isn't it cute! They're trying to be just like us!"

And even Canadian historians parrot it. It's a bit frightening, really.

[em-fish.livejournal.com]

I agree that forgetting History is a scary thing, but sometimes I think that we focus too much on the factoids of history and forget the lessons and commonalities that reveal to us profound truths about human nature.

My History and Philosophy teacher, Mr Thorn, told us the stories of people and societies past and showed us how they were still relevant. The revelation that knowledge of the past could bring us direction and wisdom for the present and future, that was a gift.

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I understand you.

History is good for drawing lessons from the past, but that's not all it's good for. It's also necessary to understand where you've come from, and have some sense of where you're going. Without that knowledge, you're stumbling forward, and can't change direction if you need to.

History is a prerequisite to any healthy use of free will.

Learning the history of Belgium is marvellous from a pleasure-of-knowledge standpoint, and from a lessons-of-the-past standpoint, but it's not going to tell you where this country is, where it's going, and what are the forces slithering around in its Jungian shadow.

By contrast, a lack of one's own history history is the slippery road to self-direction. Look at the places where languages were recently destroyed, histories erased by a conquering power, and I will show you a place either embroiled in civil war, or deep in the depths of alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide.

And borrowing another person's past means losing your own -- it's a poor substitute, really.

And those last three things are common among gay men and lesbians in North America. I remember learning that we had existed and had been erased largely from history and literature as a teenager -- it was one of the things that kept me from killing myself.

That's largely why I've worked so hard to excavate that past. Not just queer Canadian history, but Canadian history in general -- there's so much we've forgotten.

[em-fish.livejournal.com]

I guess my point is, if we focussed on the human interest rather than the dates and niggling details, history would be harder to forget. We have to find a new way of looking at it; rather than chastising people for losing interest, we should change the way we think of history.

In short: history would matter more to us if the people who were the gatekeepers to it (teachers, scholars and otehr academics), didn't suck the life out of it.