1130  Tango, war, judgment, transcendance

Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 10:47:52 -0800
From: Barbara Garvey <barbara@TANGOBAR-PRODUCTIONS.COM>
Subject: Tango, war, judgment, transcendance

I pondered about sending this to the tango-L, not wanting to prolong the war
thread, even though I am thoroughly against censorship of the list. The only
connection to tango is the *connection* of tango, which I have hoped
transcended nationality and even politics, so you all can erase it now if
you wish.

It should be obvious to most US Americans that this would not be a friendly
time to visit Europe. For me it would not be a friendly time to visit many
parts of the US as I am opposed to this war and live in Northern California
surrounded by a large proportion of people who feel the same.

However the La Rogaia message saddened me, as it implied that US Americans
are being judged by tangueros for the actions of our government, whose very
legitimacy is questioned by some of us. Note that the same warning was not
given to citizens of Britain, Spain or even Italy (whose government I
believe also supports the action in Iraq). Anti-war demonstrations in dozens
of countries have shown that sentiment is divided, to put it mildly,
world-wide.

Shouldn't tango, of all social art forms, bring with it the understanding
that individuals should be judged individually? Are the denizens of the
Tango-L as ignorant as those who would order Freedom Fries and boycott
French wines and Russian vodka (this could go on and on-- enchiladas,
Canadian bacon, Brussels sprouts?), or revile tourists carrying an unpopular
passport? I

t seems to me that this is a time to cherish the universality and
individuality of tango, not using it as an escape from present reality but
as a declaration of our connection beyond national and idealogical
boundaries. And let's hope that if any of us find ourselves in an
unfamiliar cityor country that we can count on a welcome from the tango
community regardless of past or ongoing history.
Barbara Garvey