What a wonderful way to describe the parallels between witch burning in the past and witch controlling in the present! The rhymes seem clear only if you’re looking for them, so it is people like you who point them out in such a compelling way who make a difference. I must admit that you’re “preaching to the choir,” if you’ll pardon the expression when used by an atheist. I hope there are many of us singing with you. Great essay, April.
Thank you April. I too am seeing the “Rhyming” of today’s political landscape with the Witch hunts of centuries past. It’s a very concerning time right now.
Amazing correlation. With that filter over the lens it would be difficult to not see the true colors of the unfolding events. While I see the same tactics, I see a difference in the victims. Luckily there are many that stand in solidarity. And numbers mean something, even if they are not successful every time. The message is still shouted by many voices. Voices that may be afraid of being singled out but also stronger and louder as they grow exponentially. There is also an entire generation of individuals who sit like dragons on gold. They believe destruction is safer than creation, because creation still requires choice. People who shouldn’t be strong enough to make their own choices but do anyway are dangerous dissenters. It’s easier to annihilate dissenters than propagate changed minds.
I’m always fascinated by where your research takes you. Grimm’s Tales were allegorical and have since been so Disneyfied that they have lost all edge or meaning. I’m not sure if their messages were good or bad at this point. What I am sure of is that literature and art can be mistaken for entertainment and beauty because the ignorant privileged follow the ignorant privileged and the marginalized dream of better lives, look for signs of hope, see hidden messages of humanship, and imagine whole worlds where the eye upon us is far away on a tower built on lies and betrayal that will crumble if we stop giving it the air it needs to burn.
I know humanship is not a word, but humanhood doesn’t quite sound right. Brotherhoods, sisterhoods, neighborhoods are too small to describe what I’m trying to say. Relationship, companionship, kinship, friendship — these are bonds. Humanship is a bond we should all be part of. I hope we don’t wait until the angry exonauts looking for heavy water descend and make us form a ragtag motley alliance for survival. But it does sound like a great plot for a story. We only need a motherless princess, a forgotten family connection, a thief and grifter, a magician, some comic relief, and a tormented but handsome man that is both detestable and surprisingly reliable and oddly sings the saddest songs like a fallen angel. Skirt optional.
If you're interested in a recent look into the Witch Trials, Lucy Worsley did a fantastic series with the BBC on that and also other ways in which women were perceived throughout history - a grim watch, but definitely stories that need telling.
What a wonderful way to describe the parallels between witch burning in the past and witch controlling in the present! The rhymes seem clear only if you’re looking for them, so it is people like you who point them out in such a compelling way who make a difference. I must admit that you’re “preaching to the choir,” if you’ll pardon the expression when used by an atheist. I hope there are many of us singing with you. Great essay, April.
Thank you, Vicki!
Thank you April. I too am seeing the “Rhyming” of today’s political landscape with the Witch hunts of centuries past. It’s a very concerning time right now.
Amazing correlation. With that filter over the lens it would be difficult to not see the true colors of the unfolding events. While I see the same tactics, I see a difference in the victims. Luckily there are many that stand in solidarity. And numbers mean something, even if they are not successful every time. The message is still shouted by many voices. Voices that may be afraid of being singled out but also stronger and louder as they grow exponentially. There is also an entire generation of individuals who sit like dragons on gold. They believe destruction is safer than creation, because creation still requires choice. People who shouldn’t be strong enough to make their own choices but do anyway are dangerous dissenters. It’s easier to annihilate dissenters than propagate changed minds.
I’m always fascinated by where your research takes you. Grimm’s Tales were allegorical and have since been so Disneyfied that they have lost all edge or meaning. I’m not sure if their messages were good or bad at this point. What I am sure of is that literature and art can be mistaken for entertainment and beauty because the ignorant privileged follow the ignorant privileged and the marginalized dream of better lives, look for signs of hope, see hidden messages of humanship, and imagine whole worlds where the eye upon us is far away on a tower built on lies and betrayal that will crumble if we stop giving it the air it needs to burn.
I know humanship is not a word, but humanhood doesn’t quite sound right. Brotherhoods, sisterhoods, neighborhoods are too small to describe what I’m trying to say. Relationship, companionship, kinship, friendship — these are bonds. Humanship is a bond we should all be part of. I hope we don’t wait until the angry exonauts looking for heavy water descend and make us form a ragtag motley alliance for survival. But it does sound like a great plot for a story. We only need a motherless princess, a forgotten family connection, a thief and grifter, a magician, some comic relief, and a tormented but handsome man that is both detestable and surprisingly reliable and oddly sings the saddest songs like a fallen angel. Skirt optional.
I like the idea of humanship. Humanity is the one thing we all have in common and it's so much more than the sum of its parts.
If you're interested in a recent look into the Witch Trials, Lucy Worsley did a fantastic series with the BBC on that and also other ways in which women were perceived throughout history - a grim watch, but definitely stories that need telling.
Thanks for the recommendation.
No comments please, about men wearing skirts! Sorry, joking. Would you like a free ebook? https://www.amazon.com/Slim-No-Chance-Stories-Twisted-ebook/dp/B0BS3ZQGD8/