Friday, 26 March 2010 -- Day 96 (109)

I had the house to myself for a few hours this evening so after yet another hectic week, I put in one of my other "feel-good" movies, Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen is my absolute favorite author b/c she mocks the constraints of her contemporary society. Austen's works give us a true look at her time, and I find that refreshing even over 200 years later. This particular novel and movie are my favorite, although Persuasion runs a close second, b/c of the obvious snobbery based on a person's station in life. There is much pettiness and triviality even today, but every once in awhile my breath catches b/c something monumental happens. Last night sitting at Avenue Q is a perfect example. Before the performance a local man went onstage to acknowledge and thank the people who had made the evening possible. The first people he recognized were himself and his husband. Right there in Mason City, Iowa, on the campus of North Iowa Area Community College a man could proudly announce the contribution he and his husband had made to their contemporary culture. It gave me hope that the pride and prejudice that pervades our society, much as it did in Jane Austen's, is starting to break down.