Like many other writers, I love the magical power of words and their various meanings. Here's one example. Three strands of American history weave together through Stonewall, a word that means different things to different people, but also means all three things at once.
After all, how many other words unite the Gay Rights Movement, Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon, and the American Civil War? And the wonderful truth is we can pinpoint the exact moments when the word Stonewall began its arc toward prominence in all three cases -- variously as noun, verb and adjective.
Stonewall: a police raid in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969, triggered the Stonewall Riots that propelled the Gay Rights Movement into a worldwide arc that continues right through 2007. In fact, this month the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street where the riot began is being reopened; the building is now a nationally registered historic site. The struggle for civil rights, for human rights regardless of sexual orientation, necessarily must continue, thanks to myopic resistance from homophobes and certain religious dogmatics and lunatics.
Stonewall: Watergate coverup. Richard Milhaus Nixon to his inner circle: "I want you all to stonewall it, let them plead the Fifth Amendment, cover up, or anything else." (March 22, 1973). To the greater American public via TV broadcast: "I condemn any attempts to cover up in this case, no matter who is involved." (April 17, 1973). Stonewalling became widely disseminated as meaning blocking the truth, or repeatedly passing off lies as the truth (a la the current Bush administration).
Stonewall: Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824-1863). On July 21, 1861, at the (First) Battle of Manassas / Bull Run during the American Civil War, Jackson's brigade lined up to face a Union attack; Confederate units on the far left flank were falling back in disarray toward his position. C.S. Brigadier General Barnard Bee yelled at his retreating remnants something to the effect of, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians! " The exact wording is not really known. A flowery apocryphal version has Bee stopping in the middle of a firefight to orate: "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Follow me." Bee was cut down and died before he could recount what he actually yelled. He may have been irritated when Jackson didn't advance to help his boys out. This version: "Look at Jackson standing there like a damned stone wall!" Yet another version: "Lookee yonder! There stands [that bastard] Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians! " All rather Biblical, with multiple gospel versions and all. In any case, Stonewall Jackson is a hero to many, aided by the fact that he was mortally wounded (by his own men) and died in 1863, well before the war's end. Pro-Confederates -- who are probably also homophobic Nixonians at heart -- still mutter: "If only he'd have lived!"
Three Stonewalls, three Americas-in-one.
Today's Rune: Harvest.
Birthdays: Kay Boyle (1902/1903-1992), Carson McCullers (1917-1967), Jeff Daniels (b.1955) .
Stay strong, dogs!
7 comments:
Frodo Lives. Enjoyed your post today. MW
This is really timly stuff - as I'm looking at the origin of word meanings, and how they develop, split off into different routes etc. Might use this entry as a future resource.
Great stuff!
Many of gay writer Edmund White's works deal with the Stonewall Riots.
It's fascinating that the same term could pop up in American culture in three different ways.
Great book: Martin Duberman's book "Stonewall." It's an oral history of the Stonewall riot-- he talked to six people involved in it. It was interesting to see what a diverse group they were- how dissimilar, rather than similar they were.
Interesting how word meanings shift over time. I had never heard of the Stonewall Riots. Good information.
Thanks, y'all for the comments! Much appreciated.
Johnny, there's another one, too: David Carter's Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked The Gay Revolution. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004.
Oh those poor pro-Confederate folks, don't you think you're a tad bit harsh on them; hey, all they want to do is wave their confederate flag over their state capitol buildings. It doesn't mean anything. Yeah right!
Post a Comment