Thursday, November 23, 2017

Another Time


Another Time
The Sexes

Sometime between 1991 and 1999, during the period when Boris Yeltsin was president of the new post Soviet Union, Russia, I was watching the news; I was living in Italy at that time. Somewhere in the Kremlin, President Yeltsin was changing locations and his passage from point A to point B, the cameras followed him as he past a long table where a row of women were working at something with their backs to the President. As he was walking past, he reached out smacked one of the women on the behind. There was a burst of laughter that lasted five to ten seconds; President Yeltsin laughed, the women laughed, the television people laughed and I laughed. Within seconds everything went back to covering the news of the event in progress. I had a feeling at that moment the whole world had laughed together for a few seconds.

What’s happening to us?

Beyond this point it’s an extremely complicated, provocative and clearly dangerous subject, I’m trying to stay contemporary. Learning the new protocols is a course in progress. Much of the continuous news is extremely clear; we have had an abundance of terrible examples from men in high positions that clearly demonstrate what is not acceptable; it’s easy to watch the news these days and to feel a sense of guilt just by the fact of being a man.
It’s clear that the time for change has arrived and the new protocols need to be observed. I.E., don’t touch, be careful what you say and  ….. STOP, wait! Don't look!? I am comfortable with the first two protocols but #3 is a problem for me. It means I have to stop going to the Zocalo (city Plaza in Oaxaca) {sometimes it’s a superb ‘people watching’ venue} and stop giving masterclasses, where there are always beautiful, intelligent, strong character young ladies with whom I have to concentrate on not looking at. Even before the new protocols arrived I had to concentrate not to look.

I expect to stay a man through my duration.


Roger Bobo, November 23, 2017, Oaxaca, Mexico