orestian:

I do believe that you can be kind, and soft, and gentle, and still refuse to be subjugated or be complicit in subjugation. Think of a king; a king can be kind, and gentle, and have softness, without surrendering an inch. One can be pleasant without seeking to please. But it’s very difficult to distinguish between softness one has been made to perform and softness that exists for its own sake. Ultimately I think it must come down to the refusal to perform – the rejection of performance entirely. If I must act – and in order to exist in the world one must become an actor, of sorts – I will play only my own character.