Sapphic Voices General Fiction

Social Conversations

“No one loves me, no one likes me, no one wants to be my friend.” Freda said to herself, chanting the words like a mantra. Polly looked around and raised an eyebrow at her.

“What did you just say?” Polly asked.

“Just that no one seems to want to talk to me, except you. I came to mingle, and I end up stuck in the corner watching other people talk.” Freda said.

“Well nothing is keeping you from walking up and joining in the conversation, that is what these get together’s are for.”

“But that seems so forward, and I am awkward at the whole conversation thing.”

“You know you can sit in the corner making excuses, or you can get out there and meet some nice people and get into interesting conversations with them. It really is up to you.” Polly said as she turned and scanned the room.

“But if someone wanted to talk to me they would come by and say hello.” Freda pouted.

“Keep telling yourself that and see where it gets you.” Polly said.

“Well I am talking to you, so that counts for something.” Polly laughed at that.

“But I am not even really here, I am just a projection of your id.”

“Just because that is true doesn’t mean you don’t count.” Freda said.

Freda spied Valery across the room and sighed.

“So why don’t you go and talk to her, I mean she has looked your way and not run screaming from the room, so she probably doesn’t find you hideous and stupid at first impression.”

“Oh and you would have me go over there and remove any doubt as to my stupidity?”

“She can only get a first impression once, now is the time to try and make it a good one.” Polly coaxed.

Freda moved out of her corner and walked towards Valery feeling self conscious and vulnerable.

“Hello Valery, you are looking well tonight.” Freda found herself saying.

“Why hello Freda, thanks. I am feeling a lot better than I did this morning. I decided to come to the get together and mingle.”

“So did I, but I have a small problem with the mingling stage of the thing. I am too scared of looking stupid and horrible.”

“Well you are doing fine so far, just keep on innocuous subjects and you should get by.”

“I would, if I could figure out what they would be.” Valery smiled at that.

“Well small talk is an acquired skill, one you can only learn by doing. I am not very good at it either. I depend on serendipity to keep a conversation going for the most part. Subjects seem to come along when they are needed at times.”

“I am a not so lucky, I seem to attract the awkward silences.” Freda said.

“Well sometimes you have to help it along a little by injecting a comment or observation.”

“See, that is where I get in trouble, most of the time I say something totally inappropriate or stupid, and it goes downhill from there.” Valery nodded her head.

“That is usually when I fall back on the old staple of small talk, the weather.”

“But what if you want to steer the conversation to some other subject, like the Sassanid Persian Empire and its conflicts with Rome.”

“It depends on if you are talking early empire or late. When the empire was first founded its conflict with Rome was largely territorial, in that the empire tried to expand into lands claimed by Rome.”

“I think a claim could be made that all their conflicts were territorial in origin.”

“Well no, during the later period of the Romans, the Sassanid Persians had conflicts over religion, as well as territory. There were persecution of Christians and Jews in places like Armenia.”

“I think an argument can be made that territory lies behind most of the conflicts that the Persians and Romans had, especially the Eastern Romans who sought to expand into Armenia.”

“It depends on which of the periods you look at.”

“Are we having an argument about the Sassanid Persians?” Freda wondered aloud.

“Yes we are and if you look at the later dynasties, religion becomes more of a factor than early on.”

“Well the persecution of the Christians by the Zoroaster priesthood might of led to friction, especially in Armenia, but I think a case can be made that territory lay at the root of the conflicts that they had.” Freda said.

“Well I think the religious controversies helped push things along, creating the needed friction for conflict to arise. Much like is happening in the world today, with radical Islam trying to push out more moderate regimes.” Valery said firmly.

“Well we have a totally different set of circumstances than what was happening back during Imperial times. Most state borders are fixed and mostly immutable. Wars of expansion are just not possible due to the way the world works. The wars of expansion have been overtaken by wars of liberation.” Freda told her.

“A case could be made that some of those wars of liberation are at heart wars for the expansion of territory."

“Okay, name one?” Freda asked.

“Vietnam, the north launched its war of liberation to reclaim the south which was sectioned off by colonialism and western imperialist machinations.” Valery answered.

“Okay, I suppose a case could be made for calling it a war of expansion by the north using different means than invasion. The thing is South Vietnam was an artificial construct and the people of the north and south were split for political rather than cultural reasons.” Fred said.

“Of course you have the ethnic Chinese of the south who agitated for their own state and with their colonial masters forced a artificial division of the country.” Valery told her.

“But then as early as the late 1940’s you had communist agitators in the south laying the ground work for a war of liberation.” Freda said.

“So how did we get from the Sassanid Persians to the Vietnam conflict?” Valery asked.

“I guess our conversation just followed a natural inclination to compare then with now. I mean it is something I find myself doing in history all the time. To really understand something I have to draw comparisons between what was and what is. It seems to be a fairly human thing to do, because I notice others doing the same thing.”

“Well it is natural for us to want to compare something unknown to a known quantity. Say I was trying to describe the flavor of a fruit to you, I would compare it to something that you have already tasted. I think the human mind just naturally looks for these sort of associations, even when it is something as disparate as Sassanid Persia and Vietnam.” Valery said.

“Colonialism, of one form or another seems to be the common factor, the expansion of the influence of a nation over other nations, one group of people over another people. A case could be made that America is the most successful colonial state the world has seen, for our cultural influence is worldwide. American cultural influence has been seen in as disparate cultures as the Chinese and the Muslims.” Freda said.

“So are you accusing the US of being an aggressive expansive colonial power?” Valery wondered.

“I would say if the shoe fits, I mean American cultural influence is seen worldwide; from our musical influence to the influence of political expression. Our “Democracy” has overcome more tyrants and kings than any other civilization in history. Our culture is known by Aborigines to Argentineans, I would say that the ideas that made the US what it is, has infected the entire world, and even in places where there are still tyrants, well their days are numbered.”

“Though modified for their own cultural needs and wants even the Chinese have a republican form of government. It looks like a representative form of government is the choice of most people, and what more people live under than any other form.” Freda explained.

“Well I know there are plenty of people who resent our culture and protest against it in order to try and save their own cultural identity.” Valery said.

“That is true, but I think it is the adaptability of our culture that makes it into an unstoppable force.” Freda said.

“I think it is kind of chauvinistic to say that, I mean we see a diversity of cultures in the world today just like in the past.”

“True but in every culture you will find American cultural contamination, be it just the simple ideas of people having basic freedoms. You could make an argument that it is “western” cultural influence, because of European influences, but I think it is the US, that has been at the spearhead of spreading the contamination of ideas that lie within our culture.” Freda explained.

“Hmm, I conversation has sure taken a turn, now we are talking about cultural domination and contamination. Are we ever going to get around to a frivolous subject?” Valery asked.

“I had thought the question about Sassanid Persians was kind of frivolous. I really didn’t expect it to be the starting place of a conversation.” Freda said laughing.

“I guess it is because we had been studying parts of it in history that I felt comfortable jumping in.” Valery said.

“Well I am glad, I mean I have been looking for an excuse to talk to you since I first met you.” Freda said shyly.

“Why me too, I am glad you came over and talked to me.” Valery said, a shy smile on her face.

Freda looked around, but Polly was gone, back to whatever part of her psyche she had come from. Freda gave a silent thanks and went on talking with Valery for the rest of the evening.

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