Leonardo"s Notebook by Mattheus Mei

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

Monday, January 07, 2008

The revenge of the Dixiecrats

*Outside the Statehouse in Columbia is a statue to one of South Carolina’s most infamous politicians – Strom Thurmond. On the base of the statue an attempt was made to correct the number of children the late Senator sired, it’s ruddy to say the least, and an insult really to the woman who, sadly, was his ‘worst kept secret’.

I mention this to allude to the very difficult task that faces the Democratic Party in the months ahead. In a previous post I’ve come out in favour of Barak Obama as my party’s candidate for President. And as I stated it wasn’t with out much soul searching and thinking, a part of which – I must admit I was concerned of the electability of an African-American. In regards to Iowa the pundits have said how incredible it is in a state which is over 96% white that a person of colour should get such overwhelming support is a sign times are changing and that perhaps now is the time America would have her first Minority President in the person of Mr. Obama. Yet beneath this have been whispers. Many have challenged, openly in different language and for different reasons the margin say between Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards – ‘Well there was confusion about polling places’ etc, etc. Early on Mr. Biden was chided for making comments about Mr. Obama and cleanliness. Recently Mrs. Clinton has had to reprimand and dismiss some staffers for comments about Mr. Obama’s religion. That was of course in Iowa and not within the borders of the old confederacy.

Within these borders those events are interpreted differently and with very little spin even no spin they become more than just unfortunate gaffes. Don’t believe me, ask the ever shrinking minority of white democrats in South Carolina – you’d be surprised to find anyone over the age of 40 who identifies themselves as a democrat who will vote for Mr. Obama. I recently traveled to one of South Carolina’s more entrenched democratic districts – District 5 home of John Spratt. In this district, especially in certain parts the word Republican is anathema and a guarantee not to be elected – on any level. Yet, there the support for a candidate is drawn along not party lines but racial lines. Before Mrs. Clinton ever dreamed of firing her aides if you asked a white democrat who they were going to vote for they would say Mr. Edwards. When asked why not Mr. Obama they would say it was because he was a Muslim. If you worked through that veneer they would say it was because he was raised Muslim. After continuing to talk to the person and standing firm on correcting misconceptions it begins to become clear what really bothers them is Mr. Obama’s race.

These blue-dog democrats, as they’re sometimes called (if they're southern they're descendents of Mr. Thurmond's Dixcrat Party), won’t vote for Mr. Obama in the primary, and if – as the pundits and others are predicting, Mr. Obama has a solid victory in New Hampshire it will rally the African American’s around his banner which will definitely tip the South Carolina in his favor. As reported in Politico:

“It’s still possible to win or take a close second in New Hampshire, but if the turnout even begins to mirror what happened in Iowa, all bets are off,” said a Clinton adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The adviser added that the campaign has come to accept another reality of the early process, which is that African-American voters are convinced that Obama is viable and are shifting rapidly in his direction. “We’re going to lose South Carolina,” he said.

This of course would be a boon for Obama, and would tip many other states within Dixie who also have sizable African American communities towards the Obama Camp and might even follow up in other states with sizeable minority majorities still loyal to the Democratic Party.

So where’s the problem? Well sadly – although I won’t hold out hope against it, it doesn’t matter if Mr. Obama gathers momentum in the primaries and wins the nomination - the “Southern Block” in the general election will glow Red with electoral votes for the Republican party. The problem at that time will be those same blue-dog democrats who will vote against the party for the Republican because of that nagging ideology that persists in the backs of their minds, sure a few may actually break and ‘tow the party line’ but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a spike in the popular votes within Dixie for the opposition. But still that’s not the concern dejour. My concern is for those pesky swing states, specifically those along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.



A little over 140 years ago they were considered border states with the Union’s angry slaveholding stepchild to the South – the Confederacy. Those borders are ideologically pourous and it’s no wonder when James Carville, aka the Ragin’ Cajun, says of Pennsylvania:

“You’ve got Philadelphia at one end of the state, Pittsburgh at the other end, and Alabama in the middle.”

And it’s said by many that there are more Rednecks in Southern Ohio than some Southern locales. Even now the Dayton Daily News sees Obama not winning against McCain or Huckabee, who are considered now so early in the season as the golden contenders in this new frontier of politicking, in either Ohio or even the ‘Yankee enclave’ known as Florida.

Huckabee (R) and Obama (D)
Huckabee: 43 percent
Obama: 43 percent
Undecided: 14 percent
McCain (R) and Obama (D)
McCain: 45 percent
Obama: 42 percent
Undecided: 14 percent

But I’m not trying to be a prophet of Doom. If anything the sheer numbers of people that came out at the Iowa caucus for Obama and those being reported in the days since waiting in line to see the man who could be our next President gives one hope. As Politico reported:

In Iowa, Clinton aides have said she drew levels of support that might have been enough to win in an ordinary year, but she was swamped in the stunning turnout produced by Obama’s popularity among young voters.

If this mass showing translates beyond just showing up at primaries to the general election it could balance out with those blue dogs that will end up jumping ship or perhaps the better phrase is revealing their true colours. It’s something I trust Mr. Obama and his staffers as well as members of the DNC and other power brokers within the Party have already taken into consideration.
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*First picture is from the South Carolina State House Website
Second Picture is from Free Time's
The Map is from Wikipedia and is free to be used.

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Facebook Invaded!

In a previous post, I spoke of how I am a fan of Facebook over MySpace. Part of that had to do with the absence of those annoying Bots. Well, you can imagine how pissed I was this morning to check my inbox on facebook and see - what else, but an e-mail from a Bot. I'm pissed!!!

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The Endorsement

I've been wrangling and wrestling with who I would be voting for in the upcoming Democratic Primary (and subsequently in the General Election). I've been to various political rallies. I've even tailgated. As mentioned before I was stuck between Edwards and Obama. Some events, and additional soul searching have helped me determine that I'll be casting my vote for Barak Obama in the South Carolina Democratic Primary.

I know some will say but what about the McClurkin gaff, or the fact that is open to 'clean coal.' And I say that Mr. Obama is a man of inclusiveness, the fact that he lets move beyond those differences no matter how stark they may be and work together to repair ourselves, come together with and for one another, those wounds will heal, ideas will be born and will will move forward. His entire campaign has been about one America. And to quote Meet The Press:

"...he’s become a movement and an idea more than a candidate..."


And it's true. Mr. Obama represents more than politics as usual in this country. He transcends the diviseness of the past twenty years and has risen above the fray to stand out as what America truly is. So Mr. Obama, you can count on my support in South Carolina.

Msr. Mattheus Mei


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2007 Year-end

To continue with Hipsterality '08 (it's thematic!). J (see here also) put a review in the local alt-weekly (e-dition) of the year's music. I thought I'd cut and paste here

A number of the musical highlights of 2007 for me seemed to focus on the idea of revival, or setting old wrongs right.

Anytime I visit Atlanta I come back with a stack of music from the shops in Little 5 Pts, and last summer was no exception. It started off with the re-release of Betty Davis' They Say I'm Different, by Light in the Attic Records. I was browsing through the new music section when I saw an amazing cover photo of a woman crouched down and dressed like a disco/pharaoh/go-go-girl from outer space. I picked it up and nearly ran off the road when I hit track two on the ride back to Columbia. Davis was living in "He Was a Big Freak," most likely written about Betty's then-husband — none other than Miles Davis — is illuminating. She fell into obscurity when she wouldn't accept an unfair record deal in the '70s, but the folks at Light in the Attic are trying to bring her back. She's now receiving well-deserved royalties for the two albums Light in the Attic remastered and released.

Another favorite from 2007 was Bettye LaVette's The Scene of the Crime. LaVette already got her share of comeback story press with a record of soulful covers a couple years ago. This time around, Anti records got her to collaborate, often contentiously, with The Drive-By Truckers to create an album of growling Southern soul. The effort worked, producing tracks that make you hit repeat a few times in a row, such as "Jealousy."The Numero Group continued its ongoing project of curating previously unreleased or rare R&B, funk and soul records with several great (and conveniently numbered) collections in 2007, including NUM013 Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation, a great two-disc set highlighting Chicago soul that never made it, and NUM014 Cult Cargo: Grand Bahama Goombay, put together from island-influenced soul records found in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. The movement was brought home, though, with the release of a compilation of funk and soul records from our own backyard, Carolina Funk: Funk 45's From The Atlantic Coast. Paul Burton, one of the artists on the album, was in attendance at the October release party and blew The Whig's packed basement away as he breathed life back into his 1974 track "So Very Hard to Make It (Without You)." The song might be about another kind of relationship, but it also speaks to the need an artist has for an audience. My hat is off to the record collectors and boutique labels who found these gems in 2007 and brought them back into the limelight. And it begs the question: Why would you listen to a strung-out, commercial imitation of soul music when you can still find the real, homegrown thing?
Other 2007 releases that found their way into heavy rotation at Chez J:
Feist, The Reminder
The National, Boxer
Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Justice, †
Loney, Dear, Loney, Noir

And as an aside, I would say that this short list shows my taste for indie pop, except that the term "indie" is becoming increasingly ephemeral, isn't it? Advertising firms have been snatching up all these non-Top 40 artists and licensing their work to sell steaks, mutual funds, hotel rooms, etc. Perhaps it started with the trend of movie soundtracks becoming more song-driven rather than being based on scores, but it seems like TV commercials can't be bothered to write their own music anymore. I think it's great for these artists to be rewarded for making good music, but I wish it could happen in a fair and equitable manner within the recording industry. Selling songs for sandwiches makes me sad.

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My first Hipster Wedding

I feel like Jane Goodall, or perhaps a cultural anthropologist. This is the second post I'm dedicating to Hipsterality. But this is neither Gorillas in the Mist nor a study of a seculded tribe in Papau New Guinea.

This past weekend I had the priveledge of attending my childhood best friend's wedding. We grew up together for sometime then his family moved away, the fact that our families were so close meant that we always at least spent time at Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Anywho, it was my first true Hipster (i.e. not a synthetic d.b) wedding.

It took place but beautiful church in Conway, SC. Brown Swamp United Methodist. The church was simply decorated with boquets of cut bamboo calla lillies and an assortment of green berries, and lots of candles. The only lighting in the churhc was candles. My dear friend and his groomsmen wore chocolate/coffee suits. The Bridesmaids wore soft green - I believe it was Satin. The Bride was beautiful in her simple yet elegant white dress. But that's not what made this a Hipster wedding.

So what did?

The music and the ceremony. Their was a mixed CD created by the groom of various soft and melodic songs that he and his bride loved and considered their own. A mix of modern indie rock that included the likes of Mates of State and Feist and oldie classics like the Beach Boys, the Jackson 5 amongst many others. The Bride marched down the isle to live music performed by two guitarist singing John Lennon and Paul McCartney's Here There Everywhere. The preacher strayed from the traditional language of marriage and used more inclusive (post modern?) language in reference to the relationship of Husband and Wife - more as equals than as one subject to the other. And let's not forget the monologue about the nature of Rings. This pontification included not the traditional - circle that is unbroken yada yada yada, but instead historical interpretations as symbols of power for both parties and a curious, provocative and interesting exposition of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

The ceremony in the church was followed by a reception in the church hall. Again more candles. Lots of Candles (scented like vanilla) in interesting vases filled with coffee beans. The Church is obviously home to aesthetes as the hall was fitted with recessed lighting which only added to the intimate feel. The menu included beef stew (sans the liquidity) Shrimp and Grits and a vegetable stew and yellow rice. There were a variety of elegant deserts.

So yes it was a Hipster wedding, but in the end, it was just a wedding, a wedding that I'm ever grateful that I could attend and help celebrate. So good luck Drew and Ashley!

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Being a H(Y)ipster or: How I learned to stop worrying and embrace contrived and pseudo trendiness.



Up until about a year ago, I had never heard of the word Hipster that is until I started dating one; well perhaps not a Hipster but perhaps a Yipster – yeah that’s a new one too.

I spent my New Years vacation with a new group of friends down in what many southerners consider to be one of the premier locales of Hipster Culture and Identity, Charleston, SC. Other Hipster Centers include Ashville, NC; Nashville, TN; Austin, TX; and Atlanta – I’m sure there are many more, but those are the only one’s I’ve been made aware of during my ‘conversion.’

So what makes Charleston such a centre of hipster culture? Well you look around Charleston and you have cultural heritage and a lot of historic buildings in various states of disrepair (and repair) and you couple that with in pouring of capital and personal wealth investment and a layer of chic fashionableness and what happens is practically Marxist.

The Nuevo-conservative-riche flock in to repair old buildings, to aggrandize and attach themselves to the old culture that they see is languishing in the hands of the old liberal elites. This brings in the usual economic sycophants such as high end chain stores and semi-boutiques (which isn’t as bad as the syntax suggests) creating an environment of socio-economic privilege. Property values skyrocket and increased rent drives out the poorer inner city folk whether individual or as a business entity. This is ‘Thesis.’

Then you have a self-deprecating movement of social action that starts usually with the liberal Academics and social upstarts and spreads among a small segment of the population of youth of the Nuevo-conservative elite in response to the plight of the expelled indigenous poor or some other social justice cause, with that same segment outwardly rebelling against their wealth status. This is the ‘Antithesis.’

This is followed by a stripping away of the ‘meaning’ behind the original movement and a general commoditization (See here, here, here and here for examples). Social causes become catch phrases and buzzwords with only slight relevance other than justification of supporting the subsequent lifestyle. This is the ‘Synthesis’. Consequently it's the synthesis that offers the negative connotation to Hipster (see below)

And thus you have the birth of the Hipsters and Yipsters.

I suppose at this point in time it would be appropriate to define Hipster and Yipster.

According to Wikipedia:
Today's hipsters are typically associated most closely with a love of alternative culture, particularly alternative music. They are commonly perceived to be devout fans of indie or independent rock and/or independent film. Hipsters may also enjoy or create DIY crafts, and enjoy any or all forms of fine art including conceptual or performance art. Contemporary hipsters are sometimes associated with leftist or liberal social and political views, a general appreciation of intellectual pursuits, and an ironic appreciation of lowbrow or lower class culture and subculture.


And a Yipster, according to the same fine folks at Wikipedia:

Yipster is a terminological hybrid of the words, "Hipster" and "Yuppie" borne out of the geographical and cultural proximities between two gentrified neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York: Williamsburg and Park Slope. The word's significance is based around the idea that cultural features associated with "hipsters" (Williamsburg), such as particular interests in music, art and fashion, blend with the economic advantages of "Yuppies" (Park Slope), which simultaneously facilitate and promote such interests to the extent that members of both groups are identified by them.

And then there's also the negative connotation associated with Hipsters which is also found in Wikipedia which is due to the Synthesis listed above (and perhaps from over Yipsterizing of this particular subculture):
Use of the word hipster in present day slang has developed distinct negative connotations, including: identifying that a person may be superficially following recently mass produced, homogeneous, urban fashion trends, overly concerned with their image and the contradictions of their identity, potentially anorexic, disingenuously appropriating a pseudo-artistic image or "a collage of other urban identies" from the past. Similar to other social groups, hipsters have been accused of exercising peer pressure to persuade other members of the group to adopt certain attitudes and ideas. Though many hipsters are seen to identify strongly with the perceived rarity and exoticness of their particular fashion and tastes, the phenomenon of moving into city centers and adopting "new" urban attitudes toward fashion, design, and culture is currently a major social trend and is the subject of numerous reality and home improvement television shows. Often in its negative connotation, 'hipsters' are considered apathetic, apolitical, and self-entitled by other, often marginalized sectors of society they live amongst, including previous generations of bohemian and/or "counter-culture" artists and thinkers.
These persons are also known as Hipster Douchebags in local parlance. Unfortunately it's very difficult to differentiate between and actual Hipster like many of my friends and a synthetic d.b.
So where do I fit in exactly? There’s not an established litmus test… If I had to judge myself, I would say I am between the two really (and completely disdainful of the quasi-third group), and outside of them all at the same time (oooh, paradoxical).

I am a liberal, I appreciate independent film and music, I have an appreciation of intellectual pursuits, and a truly ironic appreciation of base and common culture and subculture.

I suppose what differentiates me and perhaps many of my friends including my special someone from the rest of hipsterality (a complete paradox in and of itself) and our contemporaries is the origin of our ‘ironic appreciation of lowbrow or lower class culture and subculture’

Unlike many hipsters (i.e. the synthetic crowd), my/our ironic appreciation of such base and common culture doesn’t arise from a privileged life of mere voyeurism and contrived imitation.

I am that which they imitate, meaning I am of a meaner stock. And where as they strive to devolve or appear to devolve, I’m constantly striving to move ahead. So my ironic (sardonic would be more appropriate) appreciation is more for the fact that they’re obsessed with a culture and a life completely alien to them yet that I’m all the more familiar and comfortable with, so yes, I can laugh with them and at the same time laugh at them.

Also that statement ‘striving to move ahead’ isn’t necessarily true for hipsters as much as it is for yipsters. But Yipsters still have the constraint of desiring seemingly voyeuristic imitation. After all Wikipedia did say they were a blend of Yuppies – people who aren’t trust fund babies, but who are upwardly mobile in their pursuits of success and Hipster. So am I just a yuppie for attempting to better myself while retaining a sometimes disdainful grasp of my meaner origins or something else? I don’t know, what do you think?



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Hipster Bingo is from a that justifies this post: commoditization and Social causes becoming catch phrases and buzzwords with only slight relevance other than justification of supporting the subsequent lifestyle

Recognizing a Hipster is from The Fed of Columbia University.

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Friday, January 04, 2008

NeoTraditionalist movement in American Religion (updated)

Limits and openness: Welcome to the new, and sometimes bewildering, world of religious traditionalism.


That’s the conclusion of a recent article in US News & World Report (H/T AmP). It’s a fairly interesting article to read that hints around at explanations for the recent shift in paradigms in US Christianity. From Roman Catholicism’s Motu Propio and the growing increase in the Latin Mass, Sacramental Participation and traditional orders and forms of devotion to the move in emergent Protestantism to ‘recapture’ liturgical it’s a complex synthesis of ideas and ideals. As the article states:


Put simply, the development is a return to tradition and orthodoxy, to past practices, observances, and customary ways of worshiping. But it is not simply a return to the past—at least not in all cases. Even while drawing on deep traditional resources, many participants are creating something new within the old forms. They are engaging in what Penn State sociologist of religion Roger Finke calls "innovative returns to tradition." …To some, it is a return to reassuring authority and absolutes; it is a buttress to conservative theological, social, and even political commitments. To others, it is a means of moving beyond fundamentalist literalism, troubling authority figures, and highly politicized religious positions (say on gay marriage and contraception or abortion) while retaining a hold on spiritual truths. In short, the new traditionalism is anything but straightforward. (Emphasis added)

I would argue it is perhaps the next stage in the evolution of the Liberal Tradition, many of the old liberal elites are resisting. To call these new folks conservative I would argue is a bit of a misnomer, look, after all, at the demographic makeup of a majority of the folks involved - young people. It’s a reaction to the failings of going to far to fast for some (at least from the Catholic perspective many young Catholics have been casualties of transitional liturgy and devotion as old elites ‘realize’ the ‘fullness’ of their understanding of Vatican II at the expense of the developing post-modern culture) and for many it’s not a step back, but rather a novel expression built on historical realities that they may never have been physically or experientially connected. Why the need for connection – well that’s the gist of Post-modernism.


People of the postmodern mindset—particularly 20- and 30-somethings—question the hyper individualism of modern culture… The young neotraditionalists also have an almost intuitive attraction to liturgy, ritual, and symbol as forms of knowledge that complement the dominant rational, scientific one. . They search for new forms of community but tend to be wary of authority figures and particularly of leaders…” (Emphasis added)


Hmm, interesting…


Sister Patricia Wittberg, a sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, sees more substance in the new traditionalism. .. She points out that there are two kinds of conservatives (again a misnomer?). "One group," she says, "would like to take things back to the [16th-century Counter-Reformation] Council of Trent, but I don't think the future's with them. I think the future is with a group that is interested in reviving the old stuff and traditions in a creative way. Sisters in traditional orders may wear habits, but they often live in coed communities." Sociologist Finke agrees: "Members of traditional religious orders want to be set apart, to have a more active spiritual formation and a strong community life. But while they are obedient, they are less submissive to authority and want to make more of their own decisions and be active professionally in outreach activities. It's a structured life, but it's a structure they are seeking and not simply submitting to authority."(Emphasis added)


And that’s just a Roman Catholic understanding, even the AEP and other religions are seeing the shift.


"There is a certain kind of postmodern sensibility that loses confidence in the rational explanation of everything," McLaren says. For him, Jones, and others, "doing church" in traditional and innovative ways is a form of theological reflection that leaves behind the fundamentalists’' need to make all religious propositions into pseudoscientific statements, to turn Genesis, for example, into a geology textbook. (Emphasis added)


I believe this statement sums up the reality amidst unreality and the irony of the struggle for form and definition within the post-modern mindset and religion that many people don’t comprehend or see, but rather glaze over as a natural part of the process:


"I would argue that people are looking for a dialectic," says Avi Weiss, senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in Bronx, N.Y., and founder of a new rabbinical school that trains Jewish leaders in the approach of what he calls Open Orthodoxy. "People are looking for a commitment that is grounded but not one that is stagnant," Weiss says. "The other part of the dialectic is an openness but not without limits."


The key word in that statement is of course dialectic.
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An additional example of post-modern counter culturalism can be found at Gashwin's latest post of a video from MTV about a young Nun

And an additional emmergent church is coming from Jim and Tammy Faye's son and can be seen on Sundance.

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Thursday, January 03, 2008

Obama and Huckabee first in Iowa

I must say I'm not surprised by the results, they're about what I'd consider them to have been. I am perturbed with the MSM for their frenzy coverage. But they're not going to change. I suppose I would have figured that after the outcry over 'projecting' winners and how that influences voter turnout, voter decision, etc - that they would be a bit more restrained... Instead, an hour after the voting began (9pm eastern) they'd already projected the winners. Not saying that that influenced the results, but who knows...

So the results:
For the Democrats
Obama 38%
Edwards 30%
Clinton 29%

And Republican'ts
Huckabee 34%
Romney 25%

More coverage obviously can be found with the various MSM articles.

ABC NBC CBS CNN Yahoo/AP

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Vatican and Muslims' plan historic meeting

For a little background (and more linking to previous posts) see here.

For the actual article, see here: "Vatican, Muslims plan 'historic' meeting"

Interesting. We'll find out more soon I'm sure.

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