Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00496)

At 02:11 PM 5/8/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Alex,
>If you think it's just getting to the point where people are taking us too
>seriously, ok, but it would still be fun to give greetings from us at the
>convention.
>
>Chuck the Atrocious MTI, FTSA
>Heretic
>Troublemaker
>
>Chuck:

The trouble is not that they're taking us too seriously, but that they're
using the sobriquet to AVOID taking us seriously. I think they, or rather
Eldon, coined it to make us, as a group look ridiculous. I also think he
didn't really know or realize how insulting it was (The original Gang of
Four were a bunch of murderous thugs). Now I think our taking it for a
symbol rather than simply taking umbrage was the right thing to do. That's
why I've compared us to Cyrano de Bergerac so frequently. Adopting a
sobriquet as a motto is an accepted method of "de-fanging" the insult.
That's why "Queer Nation" calls itself what it does. But I was beginning to
see that it had reached a point were at least two people included in the
"gang" were objecting to it (JRC and Alan) and so, to me, that said "time to
let go".

Now maybe we ought to actually choose a name for ourselves as a group, for
group we're becoming. Think of some choices why don't you? I'll try too.

alexis d.