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
