The Latest Lunacy

Complaints have been made recently about a ‘straight’ actor being cast as a ‘gay’ character. There are ‘so many gay actors, why couldn’t one of them have been offered the role?’  This is political correctness, or sensitivity, or equality, or whatever else one could call it, gone stark raving bonkers.  Using this argument, one could insist that only straight men should be cast as straight men, or train drivers as train drivers, soldiers as soldiers, paedophiles as paedophiles.

Aren’t they all actors? And isn’t the whole point of being an actor that he or she should inhabit and symbolise the character being presented?

I don’t know what letter of the alphabet represents you – there are so many nowadays – L,G,B,Q,T for example. How about adding a few more? F for Fed up, D for Disinterested, HTWIWB for Happy The Way I Was Born, GINGUITCW for Glad I’m Not Growing Up In This Confused World.

While on the subject, or one associated with it, there are people being given gender assignment or reassignment surgery on the NHS, the much loved and now elderly and creaking public service available ‘free at the point of delivery’ in the UK. I have some issues with that surgery being offered although I appreciate there is a very small minority of people truly troubled by the belief that they have been assigned the wrong sex at birth. See this fascinating TED talk by Paula Stone Williams.

However, what I really cannot stomach is the complaints that have been made by a few that they are unhappy with the results and want them reversed (!) or improved (bigger breasts, for example, because the recipient is suffering mental stress.)

I will write a post about the NHS another day.

For now, I will finish this by stating that I will never call myself ‘cis’. I am a female (and yes, I am becoming a Grumpy Old Woman, but better to be a GOW than a COW!)

From Wikipedia: Cisgender (often abbreviated to simply cis) is a term for people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth. Cisgender may also be defined as those who have "a gender identity or perform a gender role society considers appropriate for one's sex". It is the opposite of the term transgender.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 Z is for Zest

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

Z is the ultimate letter in this sequence of 26 short stories of 250 words or fewer. This final story is just a little longer – 385 words. All the stories are about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

Z is forZest

Alice shepherded everyone into the sitting room. It was a tight squeeze but everyone found a seat. The granddaughters sat on the floor while their babies and toddlers played around them.

The last time the whole family had gathered was for Norman’s funeral three years previously. Alice’s 85^th birthday made a good excuse to meet under happier circumstances. Emily and her family had travelled from Paris the previous day. Alice didn’t see them very often though she did occasionally travel by Eurostar to visit them. Rebecca’s children lived in and around London and she  saw them more frequently, though they were very busy – no-one could live in London and not be busy, she thought. It was Ted’s family she saw most – they all lived nearby – and of course, Ruth was a regular visitor.

While Alice played with her great-grandchildren her daughters organised tea. Afterwards she unwrapped a mound of gaily-wrapped gifts and was touched by the thought that had gone into them – National Trust membership, a subscription to a favourite magazine, gardening and book tokens, a large print of one of her favourite photographs, a voucher for a spa day. Then Rebecca’s husband gave her a DVD and urged her to play it for all of them. He had compiled it from family photographs and video recordings and set it to music.

Alice’s life unfolded before her. Monochrome gave way to colour and she thought that was a fine allegory for life. There were her parents and her three strong brothers. What fine young men they had been. Here was Norman, smiling into the camera, looking ridiculously young and so proud on their wedding day. She watched her babies grow into toddlers and then into young adults with babies of their own. The final photograph was of all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including the youngest, four-month-old Rosie.

Everyone clapped and cheered and Ted produced a bottle of champagne with a reassurance that there were another two in the fridge so there would be plenty for everybody. They drank Alice’s health and commended her zest for life. She nodded and smiled, quite overcome.

Later, after everyone had left, Alice watched her DVD again, pausing it now and then to study an image more closely. ‘What a wonderful gift,’ she thought. ‘Photographs hold the greatest memories.’

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 Y is for Yarn

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

Y is the penultimate letter in this sequence of 26 short stories of 250 words or fewer. All the stories are about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

Y is forYarn

Through all the years of their marriage Norman was always able to make Alice laugh. He had a sense of the ridiculous and one of the things Alice loved about him was his ability to spin a yarn. He could elaborate on the most mundane event until his audience was laughing so hard they were gasping for breath. It didn’t matter to her that she had heard his stories many times before. A large part of her enjoyment was seeing the pleasure they brought to others. A shared sense of humour was one of the most important things in any relationship, she thought.

She considered her children. Ted had a pronounced sense of fun. He stopped short of practical jokes and she was grateful for that. It always seemed a cruel kind of humour that made people anxious or embarrassed them.

Rebecca shared Norman’s aptitude for story-telling and revelled in her daughters’ antics. She was quite as skilled as he at holding her listeners’ attention.

Emily, Alice’s youngest child, was quieter than her siblings, more introspective. She often said she couldn’t tell a joke to save her life and it was true – she always forgot the punch line – but she loved puns and witty repartee.  Alice supposed Emily was more like her than Norman, though Alice never claimed to be witty.

Alice was pleased that each of them had partners with whom they could share laughter. Laughter, as well as love, made the world go round.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 T is for Tempus Fugit

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

The next story in this sequence of 26 short stories of 250 words or fewer about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice brings us to T.

T is for Tempus Fugit

No sooner had Alice and Norman accepted the responsibilities of parenthood than their children were transformed into adults or so it seemed. The traumas of childhood and adolescence and the hurdles of examinations and first job interviews had been conquered. Norman and Alice considered their children as friends. She knew how fortunate they were. Some of their friends were estranged from their children.

Ivy was 89 and still living in her own home. A few years previously she suggested Ruth move in with her. They each worried about the other so it was to their mutual benefit they should live together. Ruth had trained as a nurse and was a practice nurse at the local surgery. Returning to her empty house each day had become burdensome. Now she went home to Ivy’s cooking and warm companionship. It was most satisfactory.

Emily’s 21^st birthday in October was cause for celebration and she chose the occasion to announce her engagement. She planned to marry her French fiancé the following year and they would be starting their married life in Paris. Everyone cheered.

There was a further announcement. Ted said, ‘I don’t want to hog my little sister’s special day but I thought you’d like to know we’re expecting twins next March.’

There was general uproar and much kissing and hugging. Ivy said, ‘I’ll have to look out my crochet patterns.’

Alice smiled at Norman. ‘We’ve only been parents for what feels like five minutes. Now we’re going to be grandparents. Time flies.’

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 S is for Silver

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

S is the next letter in this sequence 26 short stories - 250 words or fewer- about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

S is forSilver

Alice and Norman had a garden party to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary in 1981. It’s always a gamble organising an outdoor event in England but August that year was mostly warm and dry and the day of the party dawned bright and clear.

Alice watched Norman as he chatted with their guests. His hair was greying and receding at the temples and his laughter lines were deepening but he was still a good-looking man. Alice had discovered silver in her hair, too, but her hairdresser disguised it.

She looked at her children, young adults now. Edward John, more usually called Ted these days, was studying medicine and intended to marry once he had qualified.  Rebecca was a journalist on the local paper and hoped to make a career in the national dailies one day. Emily, sweet sixteen, was considering teaching as a profession.  

Alice breathed in the jasmine-scented air and smiled. She was so fortunate.

Her mother hadn’t been so lucky. She had lost all three sons. Though Daniel still lived his mind had wandered far away. John had died fourteen years ago and Ivy was lonely. Norman had offered to build a ‘granny annexe’ so she could live with them but she had declined - she valued her independence. Ruth spent a lot of time with her but Alice wondered if that was always helpful. They had both loved Daniel and grieved for him. Raking over the past didn’t help either of them, visiting Daniel even less so.