GENDER, GENDER EVERWHERE BUT NOT ENOUGH TO THINK!

I wish to share a story with you. In August, this year I attended the International Festival of Glass at Stourbridge. Along with a friend who wishes to remain anonymous, but I will call him Alan since that’s his name, we attended an exhibition where we watched a video focusing on the work of Christopher Day. The commentary shook us by saying Christopher stated he was the only black glassblower in the UK. Alan turned to me and said, “so what”? As I nodded in agreement my mind was racing overtime in thinking how true is that statement. I mean how many black glassblowers are there? I know one or two so was Christopher lying? Was he speaking from a position of ignorance or was he just prejudice? Does it matter? If so, why? Christophers website explains that he is of mixed race. Doesn’t say if he’s any good or what his annual income is or as far as I could tell his sexual preference. So, we have just one insight into a multifaceted human. Just like every single person that is living and plenty more that are not. I like his glass art but not enough to buy any of his work but then I am poor and working class so we as a section of Society don’t deserve art – do we?

I am the only person dead or alive with my teeth! It is said that one can identify a body through dental records. This gives the impression that teeth are personal, very personal. Far more so that colour of skin. A cynic may say if you get too close to the glass furnace your skin will turn black anyway!!! I love the images of coal miners emerging from the mines black as soot!

Then we come to sex which I believe is true when it really does make the World go around. Maybe then its just me who gets so dizzy thinking about this subject. Of course, we are talking about male and female and everyone in between. Life seems to play games in that the underdog (can I say a female dog? Bitch?) is promoted to the detriment of equality. Thus, the American glass art journal, “The Flow” runs every year a photo gallery promotion titled “Women artist in Glass,” but they have never published an equivalent devoted to the male species. Why, why, oh why?

I have been a Beaver Scout Leader for thirty-five years and it was only a few weeks ago that a fellow leader said to me “Ian, do you know you have more girls than boys in your Colony”? I was surprised because I never saw boys or girls, I just saw Beaver Scouts who for those that do not know are humans aged between six years young and eight years old. I deliberated switched the words “young” and “old” to confuse you the reader. Ageism is another subject which I will give my opinions latter in another Blog.

Personally, I am waiting to meet the Worlds first green glassblower but then people will misinterpret that as being environmentally friendly whereas I would see it as sharing the =same colour skin as a pea!

More of sex and thanks to Valerie Barker, a committee member of the Society of Caithness Artists who has spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons of male and female artists selling their work to a public who subconsciously maybe led to buy more from a female artist rather than a man. I know from personal experience at art exhibitions where I have been asked to speak its difficult to avoid the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen.” Back to me Beaver Scouts who are just that, not male, not female, and certainly nothing in between but just being themselves and that is what I strive to be.

In 2010 I was lucky to fall in love again (my first wife died in 2005) and marry my best mate. I have a wide range of friends but my closest was Paula and as the name suggest she was a lady but more than that I chose her to be my “Best Man.” Seemed logical to me but oh dearie me it did raise a few eyebrows. Our song at the wedding ceremony was by the Killers, “Human.” Isn’t that what we all are at the end of the day. Forget about colour or gender if you aren’t an animal. Although I accept a tiger is pretty cool but more of that later.

Interestingly, when I did a spell check of this article, I was directed to use the term “Children” instead of “boys and girls”!!! Really, we are living in a society where the emperor really is wearing no clothes and surely the empress is having a laugh!!!