Lambda awards, one thing learned

[lexin]

The thing I've learned from the whole Lambda awards brouhaha is short and simple, and I should tattoo it onto my heart in case I ever forget:

when discussing anything which may be in the slightest bit contentious, never, never, NEVER indulge in hyperbole. Because there is no statement so hyperbolic (if that's a word) that someone, somewhere will not take it at face value. And the next thing you know it will be plastered all over the internet that you're any *ist going. And a load of people will not check what it was you said originally, if you were joking or indulging in hyperbole or even if the speaker was lying. They will just take that person at their word, and so the meme will spread.

Hyperbole. It's a risky thing.

Comments

[legionseagle]

Have you ever seen Roxane, the Steve Martin retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac? Because in it the Daryl Hannah character (Roxane) gets locked out of her house, naked (there was a bath, a cat and a faulty Yale lock involved - it was the kind of thing that could happen to anyone). As the local fire-chief he finds her shivering and trying to cover her modest behind a shrub in his front garden, trying to get help, and he says, "You look kinda cold, sure you don't want a blanket or something?" and she, understandably testy says, "Oh, no, I'm doing just fine standing here butt-naked" and he says, "Oh, ok then". After a few minutes, during which he's walked along the lighted sidewalk (Turstme: it's a sidewalk not a pavement - it had firehydrants. That's how I tell the difference) and she's dodged along through various bushes she says, "I was being ironic, you know," and he says, "Irony? Oh, I gave up irony years ago. Far too dangerous round here."

I think it's a bit big for a tattoo, but I know where you're coming from. You could email me the link if you want a quiet therapeutic no-holds barred offline bitch.

[lexin]

Oh, I'm happy to give you a link in the open, the best round up is here. I'll send more in email if I have chance, but I'm meant to be packing tonight as I leave for Yorkshire tomorrow.