Transmissions: We are them

Published 04/19/2012
by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=67641

Walt Kelly, a cartoonist and animator, parodied a quote in the forward to his 1953 book, The Pogo Papers. He later reused the quote in his daily cartoon strip, Pogo , in 1971. The line was a simple one: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

The quote's original context was to lampoon the McCarthy era and the accusations of communism amongst Americans. Kelly's second use was to point out the littering and pollution epidemic of the late 1960s. It has been used in countless other contexts since.

The heart of the quote should be obvious: so often we can be our own worst enemies, working against our own best interests and ourselves. It's as true now as it was in the 1950s or 1970s, and can be applied over and over again. In the context of this column, of course, I'll point the finger at transgender folks such as myself.

Thank you for sharing that.