Saturday, 8 January 2022

The Human Minority

The People Of The Wind, II.

Human beings are a minority in the Domain of Ythri, a handful on a single planet. Daniel Holm says:

"'...we get around, we do well for ourselves, but the fact won't go away that we're not a terribly significant minority in a whole clutch of minorities.'" (p. 460)

Suddenly realizing that you are in a visible minority comes as a surprise - our street when we first moved onto it; a bar in Manchester where only my comrades and I were white - but you soon get used to it.

Holm assures Ferune:

"'You know I respect your ways. Always have, always will.'" (ibid.)

That is going to be followed by a "but."

"'It's just...just...we rate respect too. Don't we?'" (ibid.)

Yes. But there is no sign of anyone disrespecting human Avalonians. Holm's querulous query sounds like: "White heterosexual men also have rights!" Of course we do: the same human rights as everyone else.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And Daniel Holm's comments reminded me there were other, non-Ythrian species within the Domain than the humans. How were they faring under Ythrian rule, and what did they think of the Domain? We don't know. About all we can say is that since the Domain lasted for centuries, matters must have been handled well enough that these other non-Ythrians were not hostile to it. As was also the case with the Empire.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

I spent a lot of my childhood in Africa. Of course, one Anglo-Saxon is a majority... that's -our- tradition! 8-).

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Haaaaaa!!! You are being droll!

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Sort of semi-droll. That -has- been a traditional English attitude for a long time; mutant varieties remained strong in the US, Canada, etc.

There's a humorous skit that sums it up: an English explorer lands on a beach, runs up the Union Jack, and claims the land in the name of the Queen (probably Victoria).

A native runs up and begins protesting loudly.

The explorer tilts back his pith-helmet, looks down his nose and drawls in Oxbridge tones:

"Do you have a flaaag? Can't have a -country- without a flaaag, don'cha'know, old chap..."

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

British humor on TV years ago:

Explorer lands. Local chief runs out and shouts, "Stop! Land mine!" Explorer replies, "No, land ours!" He walks forward and blows up.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!

Mr. Stirling: Ha! Amusing, I agree! Reminds me of what I saw, I think in one of Allen Drury's books, of a surviving Englishman, Frenchman, American and Russian meeting after the US and USSR blew up the world. Three of them said something stereotypical of their countries, then the Englishman said something like this, in achingly posh tones: "I say, old chaps," and everybody else felt immediately inferior. (Smiles)

Paul: Well, strictly speaking, in Queen Victoria's time landmines as we know them did not exist.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
Indeed.
Paul.