Re: And why. . .? (long)

[from Geof. Riggs; not Eliz. H., my better half]

Karl Wee wrote:

> Elizabeth Hubbell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
>
> > [from Geof. Riggs; not Eliz. H., my better half]
> >
> > ....
> > I'm afraid it may be a curious dynamic within certain Wagner groups
> > both online _and_ offline.
> >
> > Certainly, there was a curious dynamic in one offline Wagner group in
> > New York City that Liz and I got along with fine for well over ten years.
> >
> > <SNIP>That said, I have to say that this unpleasant experience has left me
> > occasionally wondering (with, perhaps, only half a grain of salt)
> > whether or not there may not be a vaguely unconscious sexist element
> > latent in a fair number of Wagner groups after all.  While the Fascistic
> > thought-control element that emerged after our social explosion is
> > clearly pathological, the (unconscious?) sexism that may have been the
> > catalyst for all this horror may not be.  It may be more typical than
> > some here might imagine.
> >
> > Thus ended ten of the happiest years of my life.
> >
> > Sadly,
> >
> > Geoffrey Riggs
> > www.operacast.com
>
>
> Sorry to hear what happened in your life.  I'm beginning to realize
> that one of the biggest sins is to appear to be intelligent.  No
> matter how innocent your attitude is, there'll always be at least a
> few who will bear resentment.  George W. may be the most intelligent
> of all, who knows how to get elected President.

LOL.  You know, something uncanny here: sometimes I get an impression of 
George W. as a dim bulb; sometimes one of a guy who is merely putting on 
a show of being dumb.  Yes, the United States now knows we have plenty 
of pretty desperate enemies.  Perhaps, George W. is merely keeping some 
people off balance and guessing by use of his demeanor on TV -- and, of 
course, his policies.

Being myself pretty much a moderate, I neither idolize or demonize the 
man.  Yet his ending up in the White House, in and of itself _may_ argue 
for some smarts.  Hard to say.

Demeanor is where everything counts, sad to say.  There's something of a 
contrast betweeen winning a huge political election versus coping with 
music eggheads of the sort that the Baroque specialist got bullied by. 
While a projection of naivete (feigned or not) may have facilitated a 
win for Bush (a big question, granted), I'm not necessarily sure that by 
substituting a show of naivete in place of her display of searching 
questions the Baroque specialist would have thereby endeared herself 
that much more to that minority of bullies who were determined on making 
life difficult for everyone else until they got their way in everything.

Discussing Wagner is a delicate matter, as many here know.  And at the 
end of the day, it may have been purely the mere presence of a distinct 
and different point of view in itself from a relative newcomer and a 
woman -- _no_ _matter_ _the_ _precise_ _nature_ _of_ _that_ _point_ _of_ 
_view_ -- that tipped the scales enough to turn what had been a 
gloriously lively and freewheeling and inquiring group into a blatant 
snakepit.  True, the more self-effacing botanist fared better, but the 
dynamics with respect to the Baroque specialist may have had as much to 
do with timing as anything else.

Respectfully,

Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com