Saturday, March 23, 2013
My Sister the Single Parent ( but SO much more than that)
In honor of National Single Parent Day on March 21, I've decided to write up a short little post about the single parent closest to me, my younger sister. Things around the web have been a bit harsh in regards to single parents lately, with everything from a new report from policy research organization Third Way seemingly blaming single moms for the decrease in men's economic earnings to the usual senseless dribble from the Heritage Foundation ( which I'm not going to link to here. If you want to read it ,look it up, but in my opinion, the sooner they vanish away into oblivion, the better). Despite these stories, and the attendant stereotypes about single and young mothers that often accompany them, the truth of the matter is never so black and white. What I want to talk about here is the fact that single parents ( not just mothers) have it HARD, much more so than partnered parents, and deserve some credit for both their struggles and their success. Case in point, my sister Lesa. In short, I think she's amazing. Although I won't get into why she was forced into the role of single parent here, suffice it to say that it was not a choice. Most single parents do not set out with the goal of being that way. They find themselves in tough situations and make what they see as being the best choice both for themselves and for their children. My sister had her oldest child while still in high school and her youngest shortly after graduating from college. Whats that you say, your sister graduated from college single and with children? She didn't end up some ignorant, drug-addicted mooch like some people would have you think all single, young parents will? No, she did not end up anywhere near that. And not only that. My sister has had to deal with the loss of "friends" after becoming pregnant so young, with the abuse and abandonment of partners, and with all the stress that normally comes along with parenting. This is some heavy stuff to talk about, much less have to live through. And here's the thing- She has done an amazing job, both on improving herself and on being one heck of a role model to her two young children. She was in the top 5 percent of her high school class and graduated college with a 3.9 GPA. Pretty awesome huh? Her children are not damaged, mentally or emotionally, and they do not live in poverty. They are some of the smartest, most creative, imaginative and loving children that I have ever met. True story: When they were visiting with me in Austin last year, we went out to grab a bite at Taco Cabana and Benjamin, then 6, goes up to a black lady at the coke machine, gives her a huge hug, and says I love you. Which cracked everyone around him up. And I mention her race because racism is still a VERY present force in the small town where the children are being raised. And I'm very proud of my sister for not passing such filthy ideas on to her children. Same for the religion aspect of small northeast Texas towns. I'm not saying that life is all sunshine and roses for Lesa or her kids. Or that she never loses her temper or that the kids never get frustrated and act like....well like normal frustrated kids. What I am saying is that she is doing an awesome and commendable job being a single parent. That she daily considers the needs and wants of her children and seeks to meet all of them that she can, all on her own. And I know there are tons of other single parents out there that do the same thing. They do not deserve our doubt, our judgement, or our assumptions. They deserve a high five ( and some help, both on a personal and national scale). So here's your high five Lesa. Way to go :)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
My Thesis Is Still Not Written....
So, for the sake of feeling like I've done something productive today, other than watch too many episodes of the French version of Real Housewives, here is the current outline for my thesis. I only have 6 pages and its due by mid-June and is supposed to be 60 pages by that point, so perhaps this will help me at least start writing at a more...rapid pace. For some reason, I'm having alot more trouble writing this time around than I did with my undergraduate thesis. I was thinking yesterday that perhaps this is because I started with a single text analysis ( Patti Smith's "Because the Night") with the first one and with this one, I don't have any one single place that I'm starting at. So maybe that's what I'll do next, find either one Ginsberg interview or one Smith song/interview/performance and sort of start in the middle and see where things go. But for now, a more elaborate outline with some key words and such. If any fellow writers/academics want to give advice or set up an exchange schedule together, that might be nice. Oh and I guess the subject would help. Basically its about the moral and social vision put forth by the life and work of Patti Smith and Allen Ginsberg, particularly their embrace of dualism and often seemingly contradictory ideals.
Intro
Why I want to write this thesis, how I got to this point, my past research, why Smith and Ginsberg are important
Theoretical Lens
For this part I'm going to use my old favorite, Bakhtin ( Is there any possible thesis subject that Bakhtin can't be used for? If so, I haven't found it yet because I seriously used him in about 80 percent of my junior and senior papers). In particular, I'll be using his concepts of dialogism- the idea that something special happens when multiple voices have a dialogue with each other. I'll apply this to how Smith and Ginsberg borrow from multiple and often seemingly contradicting positions in formulating and expressing their views of morality and the good society. And just to make this part more awesome, apart from Bakhtin, I'm going to that "I contain multitudes" Whitman quote in the title somehow. Yep, Bakhtin, Whitman, Patti Smith and Allen Ginsberg. Pretty cool.
Contemporary Sources/ Other Lens of Analysis
This is where I'll bring in other research that I feel is valuable and/or is a lens through which to better understand what Smith and Ginsberg are up to. Its made up of three parts/authors.
- Theodore Roszak's The Making of a Counterculture: The Technocratic Society and Its Youthful Opposition . This text is particularly valuable for several reasons. First of all it was written in 1969, at the tail end of the counterculture movement and serves therefore as a time capsule of sorts. Secondly, it has an interesting chapter on Allen Ginsberg. Interesting because Roszak is quite fond of Ginsberg and his style and demeanor, but in an earlier chapter was very ( and I mean VERY) critical of the counterculture's use of psychedelic drugs. This seems like quite the contradiction to be being as Ginsberg has never been the least bit shy about advocating the use of such drugs. So I'll talk about that. And also about how Roszak sees in the counterculture an expression of joy, of openness, and a rejection of the ruling scientifically, technologically based society in favor of a more expressive, spiritual and creative sort of structure. The link between this source and the following one will be the idea of decency ( that expressed by the counterculture and how it might apply on a larger scale).
- Avishai Margalit's The Decent Society is actually the text that I have read the least of ( but we'll fix that soon....) It was recommended to me by a former professor and friend who I greatly respect, so I know it will be useful, its just getting around to finishing it that's the problem right now. From what I currently understand, Margalit's idea of the good society is one that is centered around the concept that no member of that society should be humiliated, either on purpose or through humiliating laws. The absence of humiliation, rather than ideas of rights or justice or fairness, is how he measures a society's morality. I think this will be especially helpful in regards to Ginsberg and his embrace of non-confrontation in dealing with those who he disagrees with, as well as the issue of his homosexuality. In particular, I'm thinking of using this piece when I analyze his interview with John Lofton, which, believe me, is all sorts of crazy. If for some reason you don't believe me, take a look here . Actually, even if you do believe, just read it. It will make you all love Ginsberg even more than I'm sure you already do. What I'm struggling a bit with is how to relate Margalit's concept to Patti Smith. This source will be connected to the next one by the idea that our treatment of others in a large society is linked to our view of and expression of our personal self.
- Curtis White's The Spirit of Disobedience: Resisting the Charms of Fake Politics, Mindless Consumption and the Culture of Total Work is one of my favorite books ( as is his other work, The Middle Mind). Few authors have as much....tenacity is a nice way to put it perhaps, as White does. He's not shy about naming his targets and firing away at them. What is both inspiring and frustrating however is how he never quite manages to offer a concrete solution to the problems that he names with contemporary society. This is where I think Ginsberg and Smith come in handy though, as they are living examples of what it might look like to live out the ideals that White writes about, namely the embrace of a spirituality that acknowledges the humanity inherent in us all, of a way of life that functions outside of the parasitic nature of capitalism and of a creativity that finds constant and ever-changing expression as just a fact of everyday life, not something that must exist outside of "work". Also helpful is White's emphasis that, politically speaking, society must get out of the left/right dichotomy that it seems stuck in. Neither side is pure and spotless ( although, granted, he argues, forcefully and convincingly -although I needed little convincing, commie pinko that I am- that the modern Republican party is an atrocity in all sorts of nasty and damaging ways). Ginsberg has lent his support to a variety of political and social movements but its hard to say that he's a card-carrying member of any party (even leftist ones in actual practice as seen in his forced expulsion from Cuba and the Soviet Union in the late 1960s). Especially the two that dominate U.S. politics at this point and time. Smith too has campaigned in support of Ralph Nader but has, especially at the beginning of her career, strongly resisted being labelled or claimed by either political or social movements ( her....contentious views on feminism being a prime example).
Actual Examples in Smith and Ginsberg
And here is where I get even more stuck. This is the part where I want to identify specific values that I feel Smith and Ginsberg exemplify and find specific times/performances/works in which they've shown these values. I'd like to focus on four values: the freedom to exist/create, joy, the spiritual and the body, and gentleness/decency. I'm just not exactly sure what acts or poems or songs I want to use for each section or whether its best to discuss Ginsberg and then Smith or sort of mish-mash them together with my other sources or what. Perhaps it might be best to try and find one example from each that covers multiple values? I'm sure I'll use the Lofton interview here, definitely for decency and maybe for more than that. But Smith is proving to be a hard dog to make hunt here. If all else fails, I can use "Because the Night" again, at least partially.
Link Between Smith and Beat Philosophy/ Values
From here I would like to talk about why Smith is seen as a descendent of the Beats. In particular, why does she identify with Beat figures like Ginsberg ( and Burroughs) instead of the hippie generation that came between her and the beats? I think its the sense of independence, of the personal and of freedom that is not limited by a "movement". My former colleague recommended what appears to be an excellent book to me, Simon Warner's Text and Drugs and Rock n Roll, which I'll be purchasing soon and think will really help out here. But I'm still a bit hesitant as to whether this section needs to go at the beginning or at the end as I've mapped it out here.
Why It Matters Now
My favorite way to close is piece is by asking and attempting to answer Kerouac's " And what difference does it make?" I think Smith and Ginsberg's ideas matter very very much. Especially with the rightward push in the U.S. as well as the inability of the left to embrace any sort of spirituality and the general ability across the front to embrace a from of spirituality that is expansive and inclusive instead of non-existant, narrow-minded or exclusive. As regards the practices of the academy, I'm also an unabashed supporter of interdisciplinary studies ( Yay American Studies!) and of the need to talk about what we love, in Barthes words, without losing critical distance.
Whew, okay. Thats it for now. Let me know what you think! And excuse any typos please. :)
Intro
Why I want to write this thesis, how I got to this point, my past research, why Smith and Ginsberg are important
Theoretical Lens
For this part I'm going to use my old favorite, Bakhtin ( Is there any possible thesis subject that Bakhtin can't be used for? If so, I haven't found it yet because I seriously used him in about 80 percent of my junior and senior papers). In particular, I'll be using his concepts of dialogism- the idea that something special happens when multiple voices have a dialogue with each other. I'll apply this to how Smith and Ginsberg borrow from multiple and often seemingly contradicting positions in formulating and expressing their views of morality and the good society. And just to make this part more awesome, apart from Bakhtin, I'm going to that "I contain multitudes" Whitman quote in the title somehow. Yep, Bakhtin, Whitman, Patti Smith and Allen Ginsberg. Pretty cool.
Contemporary Sources/ Other Lens of Analysis
This is where I'll bring in other research that I feel is valuable and/or is a lens through which to better understand what Smith and Ginsberg are up to. Its made up of three parts/authors.
- Theodore Roszak's The Making of a Counterculture: The Technocratic Society and Its Youthful Opposition . This text is particularly valuable for several reasons. First of all it was written in 1969, at the tail end of the counterculture movement and serves therefore as a time capsule of sorts. Secondly, it has an interesting chapter on Allen Ginsberg. Interesting because Roszak is quite fond of Ginsberg and his style and demeanor, but in an earlier chapter was very ( and I mean VERY) critical of the counterculture's use of psychedelic drugs. This seems like quite the contradiction to be being as Ginsberg has never been the least bit shy about advocating the use of such drugs. So I'll talk about that. And also about how Roszak sees in the counterculture an expression of joy, of openness, and a rejection of the ruling scientifically, technologically based society in favor of a more expressive, spiritual and creative sort of structure. The link between this source and the following one will be the idea of decency ( that expressed by the counterculture and how it might apply on a larger scale).
- Avishai Margalit's The Decent Society is actually the text that I have read the least of ( but we'll fix that soon....) It was recommended to me by a former professor and friend who I greatly respect, so I know it will be useful, its just getting around to finishing it that's the problem right now. From what I currently understand, Margalit's idea of the good society is one that is centered around the concept that no member of that society should be humiliated, either on purpose or through humiliating laws. The absence of humiliation, rather than ideas of rights or justice or fairness, is how he measures a society's morality. I think this will be especially helpful in regards to Ginsberg and his embrace of non-confrontation in dealing with those who he disagrees with, as well as the issue of his homosexuality. In particular, I'm thinking of using this piece when I analyze his interview with John Lofton, which, believe me, is all sorts of crazy. If for some reason you don't believe me, take a look here . Actually, even if you do believe, just read it. It will make you all love Ginsberg even more than I'm sure you already do. What I'm struggling a bit with is how to relate Margalit's concept to Patti Smith. This source will be connected to the next one by the idea that our treatment of others in a large society is linked to our view of and expression of our personal self.
- Curtis White's The Spirit of Disobedience: Resisting the Charms of Fake Politics, Mindless Consumption and the Culture of Total Work is one of my favorite books ( as is his other work, The Middle Mind). Few authors have as much....tenacity is a nice way to put it perhaps, as White does. He's not shy about naming his targets and firing away at them. What is both inspiring and frustrating however is how he never quite manages to offer a concrete solution to the problems that he names with contemporary society. This is where I think Ginsberg and Smith come in handy though, as they are living examples of what it might look like to live out the ideals that White writes about, namely the embrace of a spirituality that acknowledges the humanity inherent in us all, of a way of life that functions outside of the parasitic nature of capitalism and of a creativity that finds constant and ever-changing expression as just a fact of everyday life, not something that must exist outside of "work". Also helpful is White's emphasis that, politically speaking, society must get out of the left/right dichotomy that it seems stuck in. Neither side is pure and spotless ( although, granted, he argues, forcefully and convincingly -although I needed little convincing, commie pinko that I am- that the modern Republican party is an atrocity in all sorts of nasty and damaging ways). Ginsberg has lent his support to a variety of political and social movements but its hard to say that he's a card-carrying member of any party (even leftist ones in actual practice as seen in his forced expulsion from Cuba and the Soviet Union in the late 1960s). Especially the two that dominate U.S. politics at this point and time. Smith too has campaigned in support of Ralph Nader but has, especially at the beginning of her career, strongly resisted being labelled or claimed by either political or social movements ( her....contentious views on feminism being a prime example).
Actual Examples in Smith and Ginsberg
And here is where I get even more stuck. This is the part where I want to identify specific values that I feel Smith and Ginsberg exemplify and find specific times/performances/works in which they've shown these values. I'd like to focus on four values: the freedom to exist/create, joy, the spiritual and the body, and gentleness/decency. I'm just not exactly sure what acts or poems or songs I want to use for each section or whether its best to discuss Ginsberg and then Smith or sort of mish-mash them together with my other sources or what. Perhaps it might be best to try and find one example from each that covers multiple values? I'm sure I'll use the Lofton interview here, definitely for decency and maybe for more than that. But Smith is proving to be a hard dog to make hunt here. If all else fails, I can use "Because the Night" again, at least partially.
Link Between Smith and Beat Philosophy/ Values
From here I would like to talk about why Smith is seen as a descendent of the Beats. In particular, why does she identify with Beat figures like Ginsberg ( and Burroughs) instead of the hippie generation that came between her and the beats? I think its the sense of independence, of the personal and of freedom that is not limited by a "movement". My former colleague recommended what appears to be an excellent book to me, Simon Warner's Text and Drugs and Rock n Roll, which I'll be purchasing soon and think will really help out here. But I'm still a bit hesitant as to whether this section needs to go at the beginning or at the end as I've mapped it out here.
Why It Matters Now
My favorite way to close is piece is by asking and attempting to answer Kerouac's " And what difference does it make?" I think Smith and Ginsberg's ideas matter very very much. Especially with the rightward push in the U.S. as well as the inability of the left to embrace any sort of spirituality and the general ability across the front to embrace a from of spirituality that is expansive and inclusive instead of non-existant, narrow-minded or exclusive. As regards the practices of the academy, I'm also an unabashed supporter of interdisciplinary studies ( Yay American Studies!) and of the need to talk about what we love, in Barthes words, without losing critical distance.
Whew, okay. Thats it for now. Let me know what you think! And excuse any typos please. :)
Me and Holden
Hi everyone- or really, just me right now. This is the first post of a new blog. Maybe just mine, maybe mine and my SO's, we'll see. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with it. Its more an effort to catalogue and preserve my ideas and feelings more than it is an effort to do much else. My own little Holden Caulfield, " why can't life be like a museum" sort of thing. That was always my favorite part of the book. Maybe I can find the part online. And yes, here it is, or at least part of it :
"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole […]. Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that exactly. You'd just be different, that's all. You'd have an overcoat on this time. Or that kid that was your partner in line last time had got scarlet fever and you'd have a new partner. Or you'd have a substitute taking the class, instead of Miss Aigletinger. Or you'd heard your mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom. Or you'd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean you'd be different in some way – I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it.- J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Ch. 16
Its beautiful no? This desire to be able to change ourselves but to have everything around us stay exactly the same? To be able to go back to those places you loved as a child, grandparents houses, the first time you galloped on your pony on a dusky Texas evening, night coming in fast, the tall grass brushing your bare legs, summer camps, a favorite birthday, whatever your thing was as a kid ( mine was the grandparents), to relive some crazy summer, nights full of Kentucky Deluxe and Mountain Dew, to freeze the moment when a first love was just that, a new and exciting and unbroken thing, and leave it there, unchanging, to come back and visit whenever you wanted? Maybe its when your children were born or the first time a new niece or nephew smiled at you and you knew that things might still but rough, but they were going to be okay and you would make it. Maybe its the first time you held the hand, in a dark backseat, a bit drunk perhaps, rain sliding down the window, the lights of Austin (or any city really) warped on the falling drops, of the man that would open life up for you in a way that you had never felt or thought possible and that you'd eventually marry. The way he looked as he walked up the sidewalk at the airport nearly 24 hours after he left France on a months notice. Because thats the sort of crazy things he does and thats what makes- and will make- all the future moments with him worthwhile and wonderful. These are my moments that I would freeze in my own version of Caulfield's museum. I'm sure you'll hear more about them. But right now, I want to hear about your stories. Tell me, what beautiful moment do you wish you could have put away and kept safe and separate, to visit over and over again, whenever your heart wanted?
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