So, my conversational partner noted at one point how odd it was that here we were discussing politics on Leather Navigator. I responded, "Not odd at all. In fact, I find it to be generally true that leathermen tend to be extraordinarily intelligent, thoughtful, and insighful. I think there's a direct correlation between a superabundance of brains and adventurous, transcendent, powerplay-oriented sex."
Here's the text of our exchange uninterpreted. Mind you, Leather Navigator is where horned up leathermen from around the world connect in order to get their respective rocks off.
London Calling: sorry missed that last message, my pc is a bit shit
Yours Truly: When I was in Vegas I took the same tack. Found nothing of interest in the town. The so-called leather bar was without a doubt the worst I've seen. But I headed out and had a great time at Zion National Park and Death Valley.
London Calling: I didnt even bother to check out the leather sceene there, I dont gamble but had a great time. Was only there for two days tho. We flew over the Grand Canyon and we stopped in a ghost town called Calico. Its the kind of place you either love or hate. LA was a dump and I would never recommend it but I met some great people there which made the trip
Yours Truly: I could move to LA tomorrow. Ever been to Fort Lauderdale? A sleepy south florida beach town with a population of 1.5m and 6 leather bars. It's sort of becoming for leathermen what San Francisco is for gays in general.
London Calling: That will have to go on the list then. I found LA to be a constant beauty parade. When you walk in a coffee shop all the heads turn, they could almost hold up score cards. They are also really flaky people, obsessed with their looks and all thinking that thats what everyone else is like. I had a great night of passion (not leather) with the editor of one of your national gay mags.... cant remember its name but he was a really intelligent guy and we had fun.... so I have only good memories of LA
Yours Truly: I find that LA attitude to be refreshingly honest in a way. Sort of primal. I have to run off and get something to eat now. When you're in town, give me a call. I'm away from the 10th to the 14th, but if we're both in the city at the same time and it's convenient, I'd be happy to buy you a beer or meet up for dinner.
London Calling: That would be nice, my email is justneveryoumind!@aol.com wd probably have to be a beer with the bf, he is LCsBF. What is yr number?
Yours Truly: (Sorry, Readers. Ya gotta ask me for that) is my mobile. That's the best way to reach me.
London Calling: OK will do
Yours Truly: Great. My long weekend in Portland, Oregon will serve as what's called 'disruptive interference' in cognitive psychology. Please don't be offended if I pick up the phone and say, "Now, who are you?", totally forgetting this conversation
London Calling: Oh your a psychologist then, the long weekend doesnt sound like a barrel load of laughs
Yours Truly: Not a psychologist, just a dilletante. The long weekend will be a lesbian wedding, including lots of friends from college I haven't seen in 15 years or more. And, I hope, whipping some local boys while I'm in town.
London Calling: lol - be careful, portland oregon sounds like small town land to me, I bet the lesbians can be pretty butch out there too
Yours Truly: Portland is an amazing place. The surrounding area is beautiful, and folks who move there do so for that reason. Lots of former (and current) hippies. You can't go too far without running across someone smoking pot. Every man in Portland has calves like melons. From hiking I imagine. My friends who are getting married meet no definition of butch that I can think of. Well, Carol prefers dogs to cats... They're both very brainy and very religious. Conversations--always intense--tend to go on and on into the wee hours of the morning.
London Calling: That sounds great, I think the west country is a bit like that, particularly Bath and Bristol. I went to a rave down there this summer, in between a railway line and a canal. It was amazing to enjoy the dawn with a load of drugged up hippies and my mates, very straight tho. So what do you do for a living then?
Yours Truly: I'm switching jobs. Right now I run a social services agency. We do needle exchange and other services to drug users. On Oct 21, I start my new job as chief of staff to a member of the State Legislature. He's one of the most liberal elected officials in the city (and therefore the world), and I'm fairly conservative in my politics, but I worked for him years ago, and we get on well, so it should be a good run. And, politics of whatever stripe is always an interesting game.
London Calling: I used to be very active in the Labour party but its gone far too right wing for me now. I worked on my MP's campaign when he first won the seat that had once been the safest Labour seat in the UK. The week after I took him to Madame JOJo's to celebrate. It was his first time in a gaybar and I was so proud of him, he could have got a lot of flak for that had the press caught him. He is now the Minister for London. I reckon you'll enjoy working for him, maybe he will tease out some more liberalism in you.
Yours Truly: Or the opposite might be true. He has a staff of talented young people to work on all the lefty issues, and I can devote myself to economic development, public art and architecture, and care for stray dogs. He was first elected as openly gay and openly HIV positive, and I worked hard on his campaign way back then. Keep in mind that in this part of the country, Republicans like myself would more likely be Democrats anywhere else. Our mayor and governor are both persona non grata in the national party.
London Calling: It soulds like you've got all the interesting stuff anyway, part from the stray dogs. I have a great interest in economics and am pretty keynsian. I can't really understand Republicanism, Regan was a worry and I think Bush may be worse. From over here it seems as if Clinton put the USA back on track for a while. I guess we could have a really good chat if we meet up
Yours Truly: For me, it comes down to a keen awareness of the limits of what government can do. Morality cannot be legislated, but neither can compassion, kindness, civility, guidance, values, tolerance, or generosity.
London Calling: I agree, we had a Tory PM John Major, he set off a moral crusade called 'back to basics' Cabinet ministers were losing their jobs left right and centre as a result of affairs. However it has now come to light that he was having an affair with one of the women who he later promoted into the cabinet. Gross hypocracy really. I find the conservatives here are the first to sit in judgement against the rest of society whilst not applying that morality to themselves. I totally agree that morality cannot be legislated. I'm not so sure that Government cant have a good or bad effect on society and values such as kindness compassion and civility. Margaret Thatcher declared that there was no such thing as society, only indivividuals. A lot of people hold her up as a great leader. I think she was an evil witch who presided over the destruction of many of our great achievements, the worst of her work was in changin peoples belief away from compassion and kindness and towards greed and commercialism.
Yours Truly: I'm a great believer in compassion, kindness, and civility. But I think that smaller, local, and more appropriate communities (church, social groups, etc.) are best suited to engender those values. Vast portions of this country (notably the West) have raised rugged individualism to great heights. The result is an overall 'live and let live' outlook that leads to self-reliance, intelligence, and (dare I say) happiness. Most people don't hope to become wealthy beyond their wildest imaginings. They just want to be comfortable and to be left alone in peace.
London Calling: Thats one of our big differences, you have space. We are a little island with a 60m population thats one sixth of the US. We dont have space for rugged individualism, we have to live in small spaces in cities.
Yours Truly: Very true. Before I wanted to jump in and say that Maggie had a point, it occurred to me that whereas that might make sense in Montana, it might not translate well to Leicester.
London Calling: I think that the US is still a land of opportunity, it is possible for the individual to work and make a life, I know that you have a great deal of shiftless poor (we do see Jerry Springer) as do we, I think that they are better looked after here. I know there is an argument that the successful should not have to pay for the feckless. I understand it entirely and I think it lives at the heart of Republicanism as well as Conservatism. However, in my view our system is more caring and compassionate, we have a great National Health system and have not yet completely dismanteld the welfare state. We made all of our progress after the two world wars, because ordinary people wanted a better world for everyone. If you look at real wealth and power it is held not by rugged individuals who have made their way in the world, it is managed and owned by relativley few, most of whom have inherited it. The system is rather too exclusive for my liking. The values that I hold have not come from a christian foundation. My parents were hard working blue collar types who worked and made a lot of money for others and a little for themselves. I have done a lot better but I will never forget the injustice of my roots. I bet you never expected to get into a political debate here did ya?
Yours Truly: I find it just about universally true that leathermen are all brilliant. I think there's absolutely a correlation between a superabundance of intelligence and adventurous, powerplay oriented sex. My people were coal miners. One of my great grandfathers got off the boat one morning from Poland and was down in the mines before the sun set. They got themselves or their children out of the mines as soon as was possible. They were all religious, though not fanatically so. More as a safe haven when times were tough. I've always said that the only prejudice I really harbor is towards the wealthy, whom I expect to be idiots.
London Calling: Ahah we are both coming from the same direction, just ended up in different destinations. I did have a christian upbringing, never found the church to be very gay friendly what with leviticus and all that. So where you see the government screwing the working guy I see it as capitalism. I think our system was influenced by the soviet union to a greater extent than is ever admitted. We both live under benevelent capitalism, where there is an understanding that the working guy needs to be looked after (of course we can also thank the french revolution and the war of independence). The wealthy are not all idiots and if they are they get some talent in to look after the baubles. Thats how the likes of you and I do okay I think. Of course leather guys are the best and the brightest, you gotta have a bit to buy the gear in the first place. I'm planning to add to the collection while I'm there.
Sort of high-fallutin' discourse, no?
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