e-culture: 10 cent cotton and 50 dollar seats
PAGE 2, December 15, 2001
IN THIS ISSUE
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Election Guide
Americans think big. Big businesses are what make the United States economically powerful. Many Americans have sought a tiny fraction of the nation's corporate wealth through the stock market, trading on the Internet and contributing to stock investment plans through their jobs. Since September 11, Americans with little investment in anything but stocks have been nervous, as the shareholders and top executives are not earning the big dividends they have become accustomed to over the past few years. President Bush is telling Americans to spend money and support our big industries, so it's a touchy subject when a politician, or community member, wants you to think small.
Supporting small businesses that don't take investments and turn around big profits for the investors doesn't make a lot of sense to the president, or to the fortune-seeking types who seek to share in the big returns of an aggressive company. And, as small businesses don't employ the numbers that large businesses employ, local governments without far-reaching businesses do not benefit from the tax base as readily as those with big businesses generating income from far beyond civic limits. Because most government leaders are themselves investors and their supporters are often privileged corporate execs, their allegiance is not difficult to understand. Still, the devastating effects of big businesses have been a growing concern in government for years.
Some see the growing economic divide as a problem of big government. The more regulatory the government becomes, the more likely it is to hinder big businesses from getting at potential profits, which they say ultimately trickle down to the lower economic classes. Other say it is necessary for government to protect those who stand to lose the most, as profiteers gain the advantage. Profitable businesses created such a money drain on small communities in the 1970s that Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in 1977, forcing outside corporations to locally reinvest a tiny fraction of the money that they remove from communities.
The Community Reinvestment Act has done little to slow the constant siphoning of money from communities targeted by outside businesses. In fact, it never really promised to prohibit big businesses from making these communities poorer; It was intended to take a tiny share of the wealth of the outside businesses and make some neighborhood or community improvements. But as many communities experience the drain on their financial resources by outsiders taking money off to wealthier communities where shareholders and CEOs live, no amount of sidewalk improvements or PR-serving account of the minimum wage employees can disguise the imbalance.
Sometimes we can see the issue more clearly when we are removed from it. We openly discuss gaining the advantage for American corporations in international affairs. Witness the success of Walmart in Mexico within days of the passage of NAFTA.
Despite the all-access Internet revolution of the 1990s, those best positioned to increase wealth by opening retail and service outlets in far away communities are the same as they were in the 1930s. They come from families with money and access to education, from organizations with longstanding business and governmental ties, and they are most often Anglo men.
A recent trend in local governmental circles is the enforcement of improved utilization of Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), which are minority- and woman-owned businesses. This indicates that the issue is now viewed from a cultural perspective, in addition to the statistical and obvious economic standpoint.
The Politics of Culture
The economic issues associated with local ownership will become the main topic in future politics of culture. As Texas is on the verge of becoming a "No Majority" state, the role of business ownership in Texas and the effect of businesses operating from outside of Texas, or even outside of a target market community in Texas, will become primary issues. Though business owners will show little concern, as they are in business to extract money from consumers wherever the market may be, community supporters will have cause for alarm, as they see local communities (disadvantaged by lack of resource-generating ownership) continue to become poorer.
The most aggressive political thinking in the country often rationalizes the extensive economic power of major corporations with economic ideals, such as the fair and open market and the notion of equal opportunity, but the same thinking is usually against government assistance in disadvantaged communities, which are the fuel for outsiders' success.
As a big city, the destructiveness of businesses that generate revenue from extensive territories is often not always apparent, because on average there is a substantial amount of ownership and direct benefit of that ownership in Houston. But many nearby communities, and neighborhoods within the city, have little ownership of their own goods and service providers, creating a great imbalance for some localities, as well as specific cultures.
While economics and culture are sometimes thought to have little relationship, they are inter-dependent issues for all of the foreseeable future.
An Important Vote on Local Economy
Since September 11, we have heard the pleas for public and governmental assistance from major industries, such as the airlines. Because we are quick to think first of the idolized rich and powerful in our nation, we have not taken notice of the small business, with a few employees working locally to earn an income comparable with others in the community. There have been no televised campaigns asking the public to eat at their local taqueria, buy their groceries from the corner market or have their car serviced by a neighborhood mechanic.
Some people frequent local establishments because they like the "interesting atmosphere" or the "unique cultural experience," but the greater benefits are sometimes less obvious. The most desired effect of spending locally is local business owners spending (or reinvesting) profits with other local businesses, magnifying the income of the community and maintaining a healthy balance. Neighborhoods that are prosperous and have substantial local ownership offer a better quality of life for local people.
As you buy gifts, seek interesting art and entertainment, and spend money on the essentials, you are utilizing a power not unlike voting. By your spending, on a daily basis, you determine to support or not support locally-owned businesses based on the ideological beliefs you have developed. It is an important thing to remember as you strive to improve your local community every day.
Send your ideas toViews@houstonculture.org.
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Winning and Losing
When I was a tyke, our team was "America's Team" and our man on the race track was "Number 43". We liked Oklahoma University more than the Longhorns because the Sooners were on a winning streak. We never lost. America never lost. That according to George C. Scott as "Patton". John Wayne beat the Indians, the Nazis and any scoundrel that stood in the way of certain victory. We won every war we ever fought, except Vietnam, but "that wasn't a war," they said.
A pitcher with a catchy name on TV could be a hero. I'm not sure if Catfish Hunter won all of his games, but only once in my young life did my hero fail. In his symbolic quest for freedom, Barry Newman slammed into a blockade of bulldozers in "Vanishing Point". But somehow, in that disenfranchising moment, I imagined I would complete Kowalski's race across the country.
Through television, and having one TV for every person in the house, distant competitors -- soccer players like Trevor Whymark and Kevin Keagan, skilled Gran Prix drivers and Le Mans endurance racers -- were a free way to excitement and easy passtime. But the family discussed only American sports. Pele and Nadia Comaneche were not welcome in our house. Channels showing war protests and soccer riots were quickly changed.
It's no wonder that competition between any two football teams seemed to be the meaning of Christmas in our house, or that the usual black-eyed peas and marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes offered a temporary respite from the traditional New Year's Day bowl games. Actually, it was my curiosity about the bowl games that led me to understand that regional traditions were everywhere: The Cotton Bowl in Dallas; The Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston; The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans; The Sun Bowl in El Paso; oranges in Miami; peaches in Atlanta. You have what you have, I realized. Arkansas Razorbacks and Oklahoma Cowboys, Cornhuskers and Horn Frogs. There was local pride in cotton and sugar, and it was what people's work and music, and celebrations and songs, and parades and heroes were all about.
While it hasn't occurred to the fans, or certainly the fanatics, that the odds are even -- when 100 Division IA teams play, 50 win and 50 lose, regardless of how much you paid for your seats. It has occurred to the corporate sponsors that the whole nation is watching. These games are no longer regional traditions; they are commercial airtime on national television.
10 cent cotton and 50 dollar seats
As local agriculture and cultural ties no longer interest local populations, companies have stepped in and put their multi-million dollar names on the bowls. Some now have no regional affiliation at all, as few people even know where the bowl namesakes are based.
It was once more important to go to the park together than to wander the department store isles alone. The Rose Bowl was America then, and the Something-or-Other-dot-com bowl is America now. With corporate sponsorship we are departing from the history of these traditions merely by placing something no one cares about in front of the actual event. Long-time followers recite Rose Bowl facts with the preparedness of John Madden. "Harvard beat Oregon, 7 - 6, in the 1920 Rose Bowl." "Washington and Jefferson played to a 0 - 0 tie with California in 1922." In the glory days, local favorites USC and UCLA dominated the Rose Bowl through the 70s and 80s. Los Angeles supported football then.
A local sports writer told me that the Rose Bowl was going to break with tradition to help the nation determine a national champion, and asked, "What do (I) think about that?" "I'm sure they'll make a lot of money," I told him. Pac 10 and Big 10 fans have seen the unthinkable happen -- the "Granddaddy of Them All" has fallen into the hands of corporate sponsors and the Bowl Championship Series.
It was once better to compete in Pasadena than to win the National Championship. If the old fans have lost something important, those who don't care about Rose Bowl tradition and find it necessary to have a proven national champion must have won. The Tournament of Roses Parade is in its 113th year and locals fear it too will slip away.
I liked sports pretty well in my childhood, though I was never aware of "ERA", "winning percentage", Wall Street or the Fortune 500. My favorite football players were J.R. "Golden" Richards, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson and local boy, Steve Largeant, who I followed even after he left Tulsa for the over-yonder Seattle Seahawks. In my childhood I was never aware of the parents, grandparents and children who left Vietnam in the night to risk everything on the South China Sea. We must have slept through all of that, as the low roar of the football fans and announcers on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and Ed McMahon Sunday lulled us to sleep.
As I was walking across a college campus on the day after September 11, an approaching student was leaping with excitement and throwing his fists around, yelling at his friend, "Dude, we're going to war!" My friends had the same reaction when my high school basketball team went to the state championship. Many Americans can't delineate their desire to compete in every situation.
Even as America awaits its expected victory in the War on Terrorism, our collective heart rate is up: "Where was K-State?"; Why didn't Major Applewhite start?"; "How could the Volunteers blow the sure thing in Atlanta?" "Why isn't BYU in the Bowl Championship Series?" Many Americans have turned their attention to the holiday bowls, and in some way that I can't understand, it's probably good for the sagging economy. As a kid I owned very little sports merchandise, just my Catfish Hunter trading card; Now it takes many more fans, with much more money, to pay for the luxurious lifestyles of their favorite sports heroes and the multi-million dollar corporate sponsorships than it did when I was a kid.
Send your ideas toViews@houstonculture.org.
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The Newest Tradition, Kwanzaa
Christmas traditions in some Caribbean Islands, like Jamaica and the Bahamas, include parades called Johnkanoes (also, Junkanoos). The high-energy processions and specific rhythms played on a variety of percussion instruments can be traced to African origins, but their connection to Christmas is the consequence of slavery. Prominent African customs are found throughout the historic channels of the slave trade. Just like Mardi Gras and St. Joseph's Day, Christmas was similarly celebrated with parades and noise-makers in the Southern United States, though the revelry is somewhat subdued in modern times.
While many African customs are a rich part of the heritage of the United States, it is often difficult to trace art, beliefs and family roots to the many distinct historical cultures in Africa. Because of the effects of assimilation, even the lineage of diverse African music (found today in Bluegrass, Go-Go Funk, Second Line Jazz, Zydeco and more) is virtually impossible for the most qualified ethnomusicologist to identify.
Many cultures have brought strong traditions to the United States, but few have faced the extreme suppression of once diverse African traditions. Like those of Native Americans, African American traditions have historically been relegated to the larger framework of European-ordered society that is the foundation of the United States. In the absence of traditions that promote cultural values and practices that are old beyond this land, it makes sense for a proud culture to establish new traditions. Since its creation in 1966, Kwanzaa has continued to grow as a relatively new African American tradition.
The following article, "Kwanzaa - What Is It?", is provided courtesy of the Akwansosem African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/kwan.html
Related Interest:
The Bottle Tree, A Vanishing Southern Tradition
http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/bottle.html
African Drum and Fife Music by Napoleon Strickland
http://www.houstonculture.org/artist/steber03.html
When Drums Were New at the Grand Ole Opry
http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/wsm.html
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All We Want for Christmas...
Our new year will hopefully be made brighter by a new e-culture newsletter editor. About 30 of our email subscribers are my family and friends who want to know where in the world I am, as I take our adventurers to the Jii Festival and across the Sangre de Cristo frontier, but the other 99% percent will surely appreciate some fresh perspectives. This volunteer position is simple: Inform those who are interested in participating in traditional events, attending educational activities, sharing valuable ideas, or maybe traveling to cultural destinations with others who have similar interests. Please contactMark@cultural-crossroads.com if you are up for this challenge.
As for me, I'll be off covering Carnival in Mexico... And teaching, and volunteering for KTRU, and promoting the Houston Institute for Culture. Mostly, I'll be writing -- I'm somewhere between committed and obligated to finish a book. The backers are getting restless (though I keep showing them my stacks of research!). You may someday be delighted to read my own historical-fiction account of the cultural integration and assimilation of an Eastern European family in Southeast Texas. At a recent event, a reviewer said it promised to be "the Monkey Wrench Gang for the No Logo generation." How can I possibly complete the work after such a remark?!
But, enough about my fear of failure...
Our holiday wish list also includes a calendar editor and some various program directors. You need only show interest and initiative to be qualified. Through events and on line resources that focus on cultural arts and interesting traditions in our region, you can be a great benefit to a wide audience (See the Traffic Report below).
Our goal is to have editors take over different sections that closely match their interests, so we can extend better coverage of our region. We also have some idle programs that need better coordination. If you would like to help with these, or any other efforts that can promote a strong cultural network in our area, please contactMark@cultural-crossroads.com.
Consider helping with these valuable programs:
Camp Dos Cabezas
http://www.houstonculture.org/camp
The Featured Artist
http://www.houstonculture.org/artist
HIFC 2000: Cultural perspectives on the Twentieth Century.
Around H-town: The eclectic side of Houston culture.
Virtual Folk Art: A gallery of folk creations on line.
And, there are many more opportunities.
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The Traffic Report
There have been a lot of hits, almost 30,000 per month, on our stretch of the information superhighway. But our insurance rates have not risen, because the hits we are talking about are a measure of our Internet traffic. Hits can be deceptive because they refer to files delivered, rather than "Unique Visitors". A simple site like ours delivers very few files (hits) per requested page to each visitor. Also, we measure only a small sample of our pages and yet we identify more than 1,200 real visitors (or more than 9,000 hits) per day. Over the past three months, we have delivered valuable information to visitors from more than 40 countries, from Argentina to Singapore, but we are accessed most from Houston libraries, universities and non-profit organizations.
If we were selling ads, we would probably not disclose these stats, but because we are seeking those who may benefit from our service, the numbers are pretty good. Though it's been a long road to travel, we are getting where we want to be.
Our information may not be as popular as lottery numbers and Victoria Secret catalogs (the mere mention of which will generate a bunch of hits!), but we are getting great response from those who want our information. More than ever, we are in need of people to help us provide educational resources and valuable information to Internet users.
Don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to help. Our Internet traffic continues to rise because of the support we receive from artists and cultural organizations. As more Houstonians find their interests effectively networking right here, we provide a better service, so keep sending lots of valuable information.
Please send event and cultural news items to info@houstonculture.org as soon as you are able, so we can add them to our calendar, www.houstonculture.org/events and mention them to the listeners of KTRU, Rice University Radio, 91.7fm.
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Weekend Getaways
In addition to week-long, education-packed adventures, we often head off on short excursions to experience local culture and history. We simply find a few people who want to go, coordinate schedules and hit the road. If you are interested in any of the upcoming trips listed below, contact Mark@cultural-crossroads.com.
A Day in Old Humble -- A small Texas town with real cafes, a historical museum and plentiful antiques, just off the freeway north of Houston.
The Big Birds of the Texas Coast -- The winter nesting home of the Whooping Crane.
Caddo Lake, Uncertain, TX -- In East Texas lies a mysterious cypress-forested environment with rich history.
The Big Thicket National Preserve -- Dense woodlands northeast of Houston protect the first national preserve, which now features an informative visitor center.
Lost Azalea Canyon -- Where the non-hybrid azalea species hide in the Piney Woods.
The Freedom Highway -- Travel through poignant Civil Rights history across our neighboring Gulf Coast states.
San Antonio Missions -- The roots of Texas history and the center of activity for many unique cultures.
Rural Acadiana -- There's a celebration every weekend in Mamou, Eunice and Scott, Louisiana.
Cane River National Historic Park -- A beautiful landscape with fascinating history, capitols, plantations, authors and more.
http://www.houstonculture.org/terra/king.html
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Gung Hey Fat Choy
We will be back next month with features on Black History Month, Chinese New Year (February 12, 2002), Tet Festival, Lundi Gras, Mardi Gras (February 12, 2002), and the pomp and circumstance of the Mardi Gras Indians. Plus, I'll report on the difficult but crucial task of covering Carnival in Mexico.
Gung Hey Fat Choy, May You Have Prosperity and Wealth!
Mark
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M A R K L A C Y / mark@cultural-crossroads.com
Houston Institute for Culture
http://www.houstonculture.org
World Music on KTRU
http://www.houstonculture.org/world
Read Cabeza de Vaca On Line
http://www.houstonculture.org/spanish
Our Educational Youth Camp
http://www.houstonculture.org/camp
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