[pct-l] pct fag

[Tim Rice]

Well said Matt.  We truly are all One.  Strong reactions to others is
simply resistance to an opportunity to look in the mirror. The
stronger the reaction, the stronger the reflections of ourselves we
are resisting. Labeling leads to separatism and dualistic thinking.
Let's leave the labels for kitchen spices.  Tim  OneStep

On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 5:22 PM, Matt Geis <mgeis at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Wow.  It was 10 years ago that one gay hiker had "PCT FAG" on his
> person, and people are still talking about it.  I guess that got the
> message out there that straight AND gay people alike are out there
> hiking the long trails and appreciating nature.
>
> I was on the trail in the same area at the time, and John and I talked
> about it later.  I'll let him speak for himself on that topic if he
> wants to, but I do remember some ignorant and particularly insensitive
> comments by some of the scouts in the area and/or other hikers.
> Often, people are freaked out by what they see as different than
> themselves, until they realize just how much they do have in common.
> Flying a flag like that (almost literally) lets people know -- hey,
> that crazy scary image you have about "fags" (insert whatever other
> stereotype you like here) is probably exaggerated and unfounded, and
> you don't have to look very far to meet one of these people in the
> flesh.  (anybody see "Borat", where Borat has an insane idea that Jews
> are literally giant fanged monsters in the vein of those from "Where
> the Wild Things Are" ?)
>
> As for me, I did my hike when I was 30, with no kids, a fiancee, no
> particular religious views (humanist, if anything, but maybe opposed
> to organized religion), and some pretty liberal politics.  I met
> people who were much younger than me, much older, straight, gay,
> parents, single, divorced, married, atheists, VERY engaged with their
> faith, liberal, conservative to the point of being hawkish.... and I
> found not only common ground with all of them, but also gained an
> understanding of who they were in a way that I could appreciate and
> value it.  I don't mean an understanding of their differences in a
> "hike your own hike" sense (a phrase that some of heard frequently
> delivered with enough sarcasm and disapproval that it's real meaning
> was "go fuck yourself") -- I mean it in the sense that this common
> ground of putting down miles on trail together allowed me to trust
> that these other people and I were certainly more alike than
> different.
>
> So, if "PCT FAG" still bothers you, my suggestion is go spend some
> time on the trail.  Meet a lot of new people.  Get to know them, with
> an open mind and heart.
>
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