Summer Begins: Exploring Memorial Day

Memorial Day Weekend is here. In our beach town, this signals the return of the summer people, the amusement park and board walk open and yard sale signs flutter from every corner telephone pole. On Monday, the traditional date for Memorial Day, our town holds a parade, commemorating the service and sacrifice of our military, (but will also include older adult men, riding tiny cars, and other such parade goofiness.)



Memorial Day when I was a kid, way back when in the 1970s, living in a small, coastal village downeast, meant we woke early to decorate our bikes in red, white and blue crepe paper. We then rode our bikes to the town cemetery where a solemn ceremony was held, with flags, pipes and drums and folks dressed in uniforms of wars gone by. (This blog has photos of that town's Memorial Day ceremonies, which look just the same now as they did 35 years ago.) We also decorated with tissue paper poppies, some we made and others were bought for .25 at the market, from a veteran. Poppies have long been a symbol of remembrance.



Today, many people still celebrate Memorial Day by decorating grave sites with flags and flowers, attending parades, firework displays and pops concerts. Others still, simply gather with family and friends, have cookouts, or head to the beach or lake.(Still others shop the big sales that have somehow become associated with this holiday.)

There are some interesting ways to view Memorial Day (and similar holidays, like Independence Day and Labor Day). Is it truly just a day for remembrance or is it an example of something known as American civil religion, which is the idea that, "Americans embrace a common civil religion with certain fundamental beliefs, values, holidays, and rituals, parallel to, or independent of, their chosen religion?" This theory talks about how a new country relied on civil ceremony during times of social crisis (the Revolutionary War, Civil War and Vietnam War) to define, unite and direct the country. This process has close ties to the idea of American exceptionalism. This idea was originally used to mean that America was unique in it's democratic foundation. Eventually however, especially during the Cold War, between the US and USSR, American exceptionalism became the idea that America was uniquely moral, right, justified, strong, worthy and chosen by God to assert its values on the world. Through that lens, Memorial Day can be seen as a celebration of America's God-given directive. While honoring the memory of those who served, we participate in an act of civic nationalism, designed to profess our loyalty to the myth of America, Better Than All The Rest, (not to mention white and Christian.*)



So, what do you think? Do you think it hurts to participate in Memorial Day activities, this civil religion? Does it bring communities together, forge a common identity as a nation? Is it just about remembering the loss of so many during times or war, or is it about giving American a big whoop-whoop? Is it possible to both recognize America's unique-it's exceptional, place in the world, while also being able to recognize America's faults or overreach? Or has Memorial Day become so far removed from its origin, that it is only about barbecues and car sales?

*For a good read on what it means to have a white culture, read this.

The Civil War: 150 Years Later And How We Remember

Because today marks the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, not only will we resume our viewing of Civil War, we will also examine and scrutinize how the Civil War is being remembered 150 years later. Is there national agreement on what the cause(s) of the war? Just how is the Civil War being remembered; with somber ceremonies or celebration? Is the war glorified at all? Does the 150th anniversary mean different things to people? What might some of those differences be? How do you think the Civil War should be remembered?

Let's look at that first question: is there national agreement on what the cause(s) of the war? It's telling, I think, that in my link research for this post, so often the main reasons given for the Civil War (slavery, economics, culture, state vs. federal rights, and President Lincoln's politics) slavery, the actual buying and selling of human beings is disregarded. Slavery is often discussed only as it pertains to the North vs. South and their respective cultures (city vs. plantation) or framed as abolitionists vs. slave owners. Rarely are the moral and ethical ramifications of human trafficking discussed as a direct cause of the war.



Certainly all those other reasons had their role in the cause of the Civil War, but here we are 150 years later and still ignoring the giant elephant in the room, and it's that half of the Union owned other people. To argue that the war was fought over states' rights, is disingenuous, as the very right being fought for was the states' right to own people; to continue the slavery. To say otherwise is inaccurate. This blog, US Slave, contains many resource links.



Let's note too, that just 50 years ago, the 100 year (or centennial) anniversary of the Civil War coincided with the civil rights movement, when most of the South was still segregated. It was hardly the case that the war resulted in all peoples being free and equal and despite the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves (not all slaves and those only in the states that had seceded), people still suffered the cruelty of segregation for another hundred years. Listen to the Emancipation Proclamation.



Okay, so that was 50 years ago. What about today, does national agreement exist today? If battlefield plaques don't even mention slavery or some state governments continue to fly the Confederate flag or designate one month as Confederate History Month (as Virgina did, April 2010, only to retract that proclamation later), can it be said that the entire nation has reconciled its history of slavery with that of the Civil War? Some states are seeking tourism dollars and a boost in their economies by marketing certain war artifacts, battle grounds and museums. Additionally, in some states the commemoration of the Civil War takes on a celebratory tone, replete with parades and beauty contests and battle re-enactments. In Montgomery, Alabama, (the seat of the civil rights movement) one organizer of the 150th anniversary festivities there said, "while civil rights activist Rosa Parks is revered by many for moving from the back of the bus to the front, the "people of the Confederacy have been forced to the back of the bus." This viewpoint differs hugely with that of other community leaders who see the events another way. "It's almost like celebrating the Holocaust," said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "Our rights were taken away and we were treated as less than human beings. To relive that in a celebratory way I don't think is right."

Obviously holocaust is a strong word and sensitivity is required when choosing to use it, so let's take a moment to examine whether holocaust, as used above, applies to slavery. First, holocaust can be defined as any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life. So let's look at the facts.

approximately 10,700,000 Africans were displaced when they were brought on slave ships during the Middle Passage (the journey over the Atlantic) to America.

approximately 1,800,000 Africans died en route, their bodies thrown overboard.

current estimates for the number of Africans forced into the slave trade: 12,500,000, the largest forced migration in modern history. Here is another excellent source on the forced migration.

the 1860 census numbers the amount of U.S. slaves at just under 4 million.

total military casualties of Civil War: 625,000

The Civil War was brutal and resulted in terrible losses and of course it should be commemorated. To do so, however, without acknowledging the holocaust that slavery was, and one that lasted for over 300 years, and one that led to war that nearly destroyed a young country and her democracy, is not honoring the past with honesty and accuracy. To celebrate rather than remember what was lost by so, so many, is abhorrent. What should be historical remembrance, somber and respectful, becomes glorified and hateful and perpetuates the divisiveness and racism of 150 years ago.

By no means is this post exhaustive. To further read about history spanning the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, this is a good place to start.

Like A Box Of Chocolates

This post is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

What's a Scenester? Do you recognize any apple store indies, perhaps? Do you think it's fair to generalize about others based on fashion, or do you think the portraits are largely accurate? Do you recognize yourself in any of the scenesters? Is there a point where seeking individualism simply becomes a uniform; is it possible to be the non-conforming conformist? And if indivdualism is the goal, to be outside the collective interest, how is adopting a fashion trend, emo, for instance, contrary to this goal--or is it? Can you think of examples where individual expression morphed into a fad?



In fascinating science news, did you know it was possible to help make a reef out of old subway cars? It's happening along the east coast (USA) and these subway reefs are teeming with life, in areas that were once practically ocean deserts. Why are reefs so important? Though the practice has been discontinued primarily, it's only because the subway cars are being built differently and it's not financially beneficial or necessary to dispose of old cars this way. Environmentally it seemed to be a winning solution. Watch a short video here.

In creepy science news, the newly discovered zombie-ant fungus ZOMBIE- ANT FUNGUS, surely takes the cake. (What the heck does the phrase take the cake mean, anyway?)

Because yesterday was International Women's Day and Josephine Baker came up in conversation, read more about her. I think we all found her heroic work with the French Resistance during WWII to be the most intriguing, but by no means is this her bravest act. (You can read all about it here, under the heading Rise To Fame. *There is one bare-breasted photo of Josephine.) It's important to understand, as you read about Ms. Baker, that every ounce of her life was impacted by racism. While she left the US for France and Europe to escape the Jim Crow Laws in the US, her ready acceptance and fame in France was very much due in part to France's then-colonization of Africa (the height of which occurred in the 1920s-1930s, when Ms. Baker arrived in France). African art, images and yes, people were embraced for consumption by the whites, and African-descent people were objectified, so it's important to read about her life, her career and mutual admiration of her and the French people in this context. For another look at her life, view this six-part video of Josephine Baker: The First Black Superstar.