New Words "Hellenic" and "Thracian"
Ezekiel Krahlin
Someone posted a private e-mail regarding my use of a new word for
"gay". Here is the account of my response, that others in soc.motss
may enjoy what was shared, and contribute their own insights.
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At 08:05 PM 3/20/97 +0100, you wrote:
>Please advise, when, by whom Thracian was first used
>to denote gay or queer. It sounds to me, a slight
>knowledge of classical Greek in background,
>like a sensible alternative for "gay" people or
>tendencies, which to not conform to the usual
>stereotypes - but who does, anyway...
Thank you for your interest. The idea to use "Thracian" as an
alternative for "gay male" came from one person, and one person alone:
me. I was thinking about a Greek word to mirror the one we already
have for "gay female", which is, of course, "Lesbian". So I first
tried to find a Greek island that sounded good, but I didn't. I
laughed when I thought of the island Crete, for surely "Cretan" was
not a good word. Then I though of different towns and cities...but
alas, nothing seemed right there, either. Then I decided to examine
regions of Greece, especially in the ancient eras.
During this research, I learned that ancient Macedonia--which gave
birth to our magnificent Alexander the Great--was originally called
"Thrace" by the ancient Greeks. (Later, after calling it Macedonia,
they called the region further east, "Thrace".) Thrace and Macedionia
both have a rich cultural influence mixed with the great history of
Hellenic and Hellenistic cultures. So "Thracian" became the word I
decided to use...both for all GayFolk (males and females), as well as
for gay men specifically.
An Internet acquaintance, Fireweaver, suggested we use the term
"Hellenic" (instead of Thracian) for all GayFolk, and reserve
"Thracian" as a specific alternative to "gay men". I found that to be
an excellent idea, as it would eliminate the chauvanist application of
"gay" to define homosexual women and men, as well as just the men. So
now, we have this lovely triad: Hellenic, Lesbian, Thracian. I have
begun using "Hellenic" and "Hellene" per Fireweaver's wonderful
suggestion.
>I would like to herad in more detail, what you
>mean by Thracian? Is it just amother word
>to contrast with common usage - or do you
>mean something specific to certain "gay" tendencies?
I mean "Thracian" as common usage, not as something to describe a
particular type of gay person. However, this word does instill a more
dignified sense of the homosexual male...with a hint of the warrior.
And this, I do like.
To me--as well as to others--"gay" comes off as another stereotype
word that creates an expectation of homosexual men to behave flighty
like a butterfly. I now quote from my recent essay, "New Declaration
Of Independence":
---begin quote
Be it known that I am proudly homosexual, that I am a
Christian who respects all other beliefs as equal, that I
presently go by the name Ezekiel Krahlin (formerly Gene
Catalano). Be it also known that I propose the new label
"Thracian" over "gay male," to symbolize the new-found
empowerment of the homophile community in this century's closing
decade. The word "gay" perpetuates a stereotype of ourselves as
flighty, emotional, and frivolous...not to be taken seriously, as
a citizen, as a human being, or as anything else! (Surely, women
have a similar complaint against male chauvanists.)
"Lesbian" is a beautiful term for the homosexual female; as
its name comes from a Greek Island with a rich, classical
history. The region of Thrace also has a great history, and
likewise plays an honored role in Hellenic culture...hence I coin
the term "Thracian" for those who are commonly thought of as "gay
male". Ancient Greeks first called their northern neighbors
"Thracians," and later, "Macedonians"...the people from whom
arose Alexander The Great. "Hellenic" can be the general term
for both homophile women and men, who are sick of the belittling
and ineffectual descriptor, "gay". This caps a nice balance on the
other two Greek words, to form an elegant triad: Hellenic, Lesbian,
Thracian. It also does away with the chauvanistic stance of using
"Gay" to represent both male and female members, as well as males
only. (Credit for the idea of "Hellenic" to replace "Gay" goes to
Fireweaver, an internet friend.)
---end quote
>Thank's for your consideration
Not at all. I encourage all Hellenes to come up with additional,
graceful and dignified words to add to our very limited lexicon. Any
society that reveres, respects, or loves something...usually has many
words as subtle variations on the object of that love. And very few
words are provided for those things a society cares little about. I
believe as we enter the age of global village extended societies, that
many doors of diversity will open up for our Lesbian/Thracian
family...and it's only up to us to grasp the opportunities, and
reinvent ourselves in much greater and brighter ways.
To learn more about my viewpoints, I invite you check out my new web
page, of which I am quite proud. I also invite you to contribute
something you have written, drawn, or painted, which reflects some
positive aspect of being Hellenic. My web page describes what sort of
materials I accept, and how to post them to me.
---
My web page kicks ass!
http://www.fog.net/ekrahlin
ekra...@fog.net
Public dialog only, no spamming.
Hostile private replies will be publicly posted.
Dimitris
On Fri, 21 Mar 1997 05:23:14 GMT, NationO...@NuWorld.com (Ezekiel
Krahlin) wrote:
>Thank you for your interest. The idea to use "Thracian" as an
>alternative for "gay male" came from one person, and one person alone:
>me. I was thinking about a Greek word to mirror the one we already
>have for "gay female", which is, of course, "Lesbian". So I first
>tried to find a Greek island that sounded good, but I didn't. I
>laughed when I thought of the island Crete, for surely "Cretan" was
>not a good word. Then I though of different towns and cities...but
>alas, nothing seemed right there, either. Then I decided to examine
>regions of Greece, especially in the ancient eras.
>
>Not at all. I encourage all Hellenes to come up with additional,
>graceful and dignified words to add to our very limited lexicon. Any
>society that reveres, respects, or loves something...usually has many
>words as subtle variations on the object of that love. And very few
>words are provided for those things a society cares little about. I
>believe as we enter the age of global village extended societies, that
>many doors of diversity will open up for our Lesbian/Thracian
>family...and it's only up to us to grasp the opportunities, and
>reinvent ourselves in much greater and brighter ways.
What's the point in trying to invent a new lexicon?
Besides:
1. Language is alive, a living organism, that grows, evolves, changes,
dies.
2. New words, that is new denotational-connototional meanings to an
already existing word/form, comes naturally in the members of a
liguistic community. It is not something that can be artificially
created (even though it has been tried, and failed.)
3. What is significant is the meaning that a linguistic community
ascribes to a word (this is how jargon, slang is created etc.)
4. I very much like the word gay=happy, cheerful etc.
Notice that I am Greek!
Luv-u-lite
Dimitris
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'Who says you have to be happy to be happy?'
Starbuilders
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Darklady
Ezekiel Krahlin <NationO...@NuWorld.com> wrote in article
<333a179a...@news.wco.com>...
> On Tue, 25 Mar 1997 01:33:30 GMT, gp...@groovy.gr (Dimitris) said:
> >1. Language is alive, a living organism, that grows, evolves, changes,
> >dies.
>
> Nonsense. Human beings often create new words in order to keep up
> with technological, social, and other changes. You only described
> part of the picture, per your convenience.
It's not nonsense... and it supports your decision to add new words,
so I don't know why he's arguing against you and you're arguing back.
Because language is dynamic, and new words come while old ones pass
away, there is no reason why gays shouldn't develop nouns they feel defines
them more accurately. Other "minority" groups do it all the time:
African-Americans once were "colored" and then chose to be "black."
I don't personally know that using "Hellenic" or "Thracian" are
particularly accurate but that's not my point here, either.
> The Greeks of today have very little to do with the Greeks of
> Socrates' time...other than geography. They are a homophobic, macho
> culture...quite unlike the classical era.
Oh, they're more alike than you'd think. The classical Greeks were
pretty damn macho, too. And homosexual behavior between adult males wasn't
exactly endorsed. Older men were supposed to take young men under their
wing and teach them about life... including male-male sex. But it was
still the duty of all men to marry and have children, although one rarely
loved one's wife. Love was something that was seen as more proper between
men and between men and the heterie (spelling?)... an elite form of
prostitute who was not simply beautiful but also intelligent and educated.
-- Darklady
--
http://www.spiritone.com/~darklady (optimized for IE 3.0)
http://www.bcmark.com/exotic.html (my new book!)
http://www.xmag.com (the magazine I edit)
Ezekiel Krahlin
On 4 Apr 1997 18:09:54 GMT, "Darklady" <dark...@spiritone.com> said:
> Because language is dynamic, and new words come while old ones pass
>away, there is no reason why gays shouldn't develop nouns they feel defines
>them more accurately. Other "minority" groups do it all the time:
>African-Americans once were "colored" and then chose to be "black."
Certainly!
> I don't personally know that using "Hellenic" or "Thracian" are
>particularly accurate but that's not my point here, either.
Well, "Lesbian" is not necessarily an accurate choice, either, but we
gotta start somewhere. So I'm building on the Greek heritage
approach, to help take us beyond the simple lexicon of "gay,"
"homosexual," and "queer."
>> The Greeks of today have very little to do with the Greeks of
>> Socrates' time...other than geography. They are a homophobic, macho
>> culture...quite unlike the classical era.
>
> Oh, they're more alike than you'd think. The classical Greeks were
>pretty damn macho, too. And homosexual behavior between adult males wasn't
>exactly endorsed.
I may as well take this opportunity to state that while I do espouse
some of the perceived "ideals" of the Classical Greeks, I do not
believe in following everything they practiced...for instance, slavery
and misogeny. I believe in taking the best, and building on them from
the best of other cultures, as well as the innovations we come up
with, that are benevolent and empowering to the human spirit.
>Love was something that was seen as more proper between
>men and between men and the heterie (spelling?)... an elite form of
>prostitute who was not simply beautiful but also intelligent and educated.
I would say, by the elegant and educated form your words take in these
newsgroups, that you would have been the envy of many a heterai (sp?)
of that era.