“I want the world to stop demanding gratuitous details in exchange for empathy. Entertainment in exchange for understanding. But I am not in charge of the world. I am not even in charge of my own story, because, as I am so fond of saying, there is no such thing as a straight line through trauma.”
― Ten Steps to Nanette
― Ten Steps to Nanette
“K is for kingdom. And this here? This is mine.”
― C Is for Country
― C Is for Country
“If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.”
―
―
“Some people, most particularly the guy who came up with the concept, will tell you that 'The Grim Reaper' was a work of genius, a revolutionary approach to television advertising. But I’m here to tell you that was, and remains, a total and utter shit stain of an idea. And you don’t need to go any further than the first line of the ad to understand why:
'At first, it was only gays and drug users being killed by AIDS.'
It is the word 'only' that pisses me off. 'Only gays and IV drug users.' that is to say: 'Only' people who don’t matter. 'Only' people whose suffering should be of no concern to you. Like I said. A total and utter shit stain of an idea. Defenders of the ad might argue that the 'only' was simply about identifying those whom the AIDS epidemic was affecting, and not a statement of this demographic’s value to the community. To which I would say: If you’re such a genius at mass messaging then you should be aware of how the word 'only' would work in the minds of those who are already looking for ways to subjugate the humanity of the people who are listed after the world 'only'.”
― Ten Steps to Nanette
'At first, it was only gays and drug users being killed by AIDS.'
It is the word 'only' that pisses me off. 'Only gays and IV drug users.' that is to say: 'Only' people who don’t matter. 'Only' people whose suffering should be of no concern to you. Like I said. A total and utter shit stain of an idea. Defenders of the ad might argue that the 'only' was simply about identifying those whom the AIDS epidemic was affecting, and not a statement of this demographic’s value to the community. To which I would say: If you’re such a genius at mass messaging then you should be aware of how the word 'only' would work in the minds of those who are already looking for ways to subjugate the humanity of the people who are listed after the world 'only'.”
― Ten Steps to Nanette
“Y is for y’all. We’ve got love for everybody, no matter who you are, where you’re from, what you look like.”
― C Is for Country
― C Is for Country
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 307386 members
— last activity 6 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Sam’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Sam’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Sam
Lists liked by Sam



























