Re: OT: piano (jara: Coming out)

Stone Gordonssen wrote:

> It wasn't so much that playing the piano was non-conservative nationwide,
> but iit was something that "real" men did not do - period.
> ......
> Where I was reared,
> piano = higher culture = upper-class = them!
> and
> male pianist = fop = fag (i.e. homosexual male)
> female pianist = unmmarried female
My parents (who were straight out of Lewis' "Main Street" and "Babbit")
seemed to have the attitude that _a little_ culture was a good thing, but
you didn't get serious about it, or about anything where "you'll never make
any money at that!".  Business came first.

And although I think they qualified as "upper class" (but Very Small Town,
Big-Fish-in-Small-Pond variety), they had nothing but scorn for the _real_
upper class i.e. those rich effete hoity-toity Easterners.
>
> Other things "real" men didn't do where I was reared:
> 1. wear cologne
> 2. examine their nails by spreading the fingers and looking at the back of
> the hand
> 3. strike matches away from the body rather than towards
>
Omigod. <groan> those dreary dreary stereotypes from the late and very
unlamented "good old days".....

(Write 100 times on the blackboard:  I will not Rant.)