So there you have it, Rhodes and Raffles and Clive: all primal and indeed seminal queer-bashers. Their tiny bureaucracies allied with Christian missionaries managed, in a mere century or so, to overturn millennia of tolerance and even approval of homosexuality everywhere south of the Levant and East of Suez.
Monday, 22 December 2008
Quote of the Month
From They're Joking, Aren't They? on how the colonial ambitions of the Victorians are to blame for persecution of homosexuals. Or not:
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The wording is chilling: "Whoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery, committed either with mankind or an animal, shall be liable to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for a term not exceeding 10 years."
TJAT links to Seabrook's 2004 article, which contains the above. Now, 10 years of hard labour seems an entirely fitting punishment for animal buggery, and, curiously, Seabrook has little concern for the unconsenting animals.
One thing puzzles med, too. Since Raffles was an entirely imaginary person, being the hero of the crime novels of E.W.Hornung, how can he be responsible for anything?
From his photograph I found it difficult to tell what sex Seabrook is, shows what a chauvanistic bastard I am, I suppose. Still, the last line made me laugh (actually, the whole article made me laugh):
"Jeremy Seabrook is working on a book about cross-cultural dialogue between Indian and western gay men."
Christmas best-seller then!
"Since Raffles was an entirely imaginary person, being the hero of the crime novels of E.W.Hornung, how can he be responsible for anything?"
Homophobe!
"Now, 10 years of hard labour seems an entirely fitting punishment for animal buggery..."
I can think of a far more fitting one....!
"Christmas best-seller then!"
It's probably on every Guardian reader's list already!
I can think of a far more fitting one....!
Well so can I; but 10 years of hard labour will do nicely.
Anyway, I am reminded of the animal buggerer who came home exhausted after a hard day at the orifice.
Lol!
"One thing puzzles med (sic), too. Since Raffles was an entirely imaginary person, being the hero of the crime novels of E.W.Hornung,
Brian, I was thinking of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, the founder of the city of Singapore.
Or maybe I've missed your irony, in which case, apologies. It's been a long week.
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