first word
by julie parker

Okay, okay, I confess. Here at WNC WOMAN, we discriminate. Wantonly, regularly, and without regard for the feelings of our fellow fellows: yes, my friends, we discriminate on the basis of gender. Well, this is called WNC WOMAN, after all. But, we got to feeling guilty, (especially since there are some wonderful men among our staunchest supporters!*) and so we decided to dedicate our August issue to those of us walking about with Y chromosomes. And we've selected (at random, from a hat) a few good WNC men—men we'd like to applaud for their contributions to life as we know it here in these beautiful mountains.

Also, in honor of our fellow fellows, we here at the offices of Western North Carolina Woman decided to scratch and spit this month, and generally do guy stuff like click the remote for dear life and drop towels on the floor.

[Hey! This is humor! We are not callously perpetuating gender stereotypes!] Well, maybe just a little.....

*THANK YOU Sam Sutker, Steve Koletnik, David Kemper, Ed Wolfsohn, Max Poppers, Louis Miles, and Matt Restivo! MWAA!

WNC WOMAN is of, by, and for thewomen, it's true, but this month we've invited some men to join us at the table.

While the whole point of WNC WOMAN is to celebrate the strength, wisdom, and grace of women, this month we choose to honor our brothers as well as our sisters—we celebrate their yang to our yin.

We open this issue giving the gentlemen the floor. Then we continue with a few profiles of Western North Carolina men we appreciate. Finally we play ourselves a bit with the male/female thing.

It's a funny thing how people tend to find great comfort in similarity. I suppose it starts on the playground, when little bullys actually hit someone, just because they are different. Kids go to great lengths to fit in, to not be different in any way.
Adults are similarly threatened by difference. It is politically incorrect to note any differences between races, genders, etc. People visit a drastically different culture and they say "You know, they are really just like us!" and people nod—comforted, reassured. With the unrest around the world between those who are different from each other, everyone rushes to show how much we are all alike.

I, uh, beg to differ. We all are very, very different from each other! No two of my friends are alike beyond having the requisite pairs of eyes, arms, legs, etc. Kids in the same family are different. Cultures are different. Genders are different. Get over it.

Yes, we are all One in the grand scheme of things, but that is in the unmanifest, Absolute. Once we start our human journey, we each have our own unique beauty. A peony is nothing like a marigold...thank heavens! A poodle has little in common with a dachshund. An apple bears no resemblence to a kumquat. Why would be want it any other way?

Myself, I have always relished being different. If a clerk in a store tells me the shoes I am trying on are all the rage this year, I immediately ask what else he has.

If it is fashionable, I don't want it. When the Beatles came along, I staunchly held myself apart from the crowds infected with Beatlemania. Not until the furor died down did I allow myself to love them. (Okay, so I tend to take it to the extreme!)

Men, God love 'em, are totally different creatures. Perhaps John Grey really does have their number and they are indeed all from Mars... I am often baffled by their thinking processes, and sometimes hum the "Ruben, Ruben, I've been thinking" song, but all in all I am delighted they are sharing this planet with us and say:
Vive la difference!