When I look back at my school photos, it is always with a sense of embarrassment. The valure track suits, the giant basketball clown shoes three sizes too large. The hair. Oh god, that hair. Yup, embarrassing. Embarrassing both to look at, and embarrassing to realise that *at the time* I thought I was the coolest cat in the neighborhood. I thought I was ‘right’. Time is a cruel mistress indeed. So too I feel the same about some of my an outdated political views. I feel a strange cocktail of (yet more) embarrassment about what I used to believe, and yet an underlying sense of pride about how much I’ve grown. Still – it brings up an interesting phenomenon of how in the present moment we can feel so strongly we are right, and vindicated even, about who we are. We will put on the shiny baby blue tracksuit and giant basketball trainers with pride, and gel the hair within an inch of its life. We will look in the mirror at the fashion catastrophe reflected back, and not only think we look good, but actually take the time to photograph it too. So with that in mind, going forward in time, I wonder who is looking back at today through parted fingers? Who winces and cringes at the things they said, did, or didn’t do? How will we look back at these times; when we did so little for men and boys, and allowed such cruelty toward them? Will it be out great shame? What do you think? ~ DV stats Mary Curnock Cook

2023-09-04