Yesterday I attended a lecture in the Royall Room of the Alumni Center. The lecture was called "Twang: A Southern Note" and Robert Cantwell discussed "twang" through music and southern culture. It was very complicated and I was very impressed with his depth of knowledge about this certain topic. He discussed how the banjo was the original instrument in the history bluegrass that really represented twang. This sound produced by the banjo eventually developed into the bluegrass and country music we hear today. Some examples that he played for everyone included Merle Haggard and George Jones, who are both very famous and talented. These people were influenced greatly by Emmett Miller, a white man who sang blues like a black man and brought both races together. Cantwell said the music was a sign for negotiating differences in race, class, etc. and it encouraged fellowship. I thought it was interesting that he called Miller the Rosetta stone of country music.
More recently, the steel guitar became a key instrument in bluegrass and country music. He said it is the sound that most people associate with this music. The "twang" is still prevalent in it, but it has evolved greatly from the days of Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. Cantwell said that this sound has characterized the South since it's beginnings in the nineteenth century and still continues in the present bluegrass and country music of today. As his lecture continued, it became more and more complex and hard to follow for someone that was very inexperienced on this subject, but it was very interesting and inspiring to listen to. He had multiple colleagues in the audience that asked very in-depth questions at the end that obviously showed their shared interest and great intellect. Even though most of these conversations were way over my head, it was awesome to see the depth and detail that they showed on this particular subject.
As a student at UNC, I had never attended an academic lecture such as this because I normally never hear of them occurring. The lectures I had heard of never seemed very interesting to me, and I honestly thought the same of this lecture until I actually went and listened to what he had to say. It made me realize how truly intelligent and talented so many of the professors here at UNC are even though in class we might find them incredibly boring or unhelpful. He also was clearly not speaking for an audience of unaware students, but rather fellow specialists in his field.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Feeder 3.1
Throughout different literary works, the rebel flag is used as a symbol representing various southern ideals. In texts such as O Brother, Where Art Thou and Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz, the flag is used in a variety of ways to represent southern pride and the current beliefs of some today. These beliefs include severe prejudice and segregation that the nation as a whole dismisses as irrelevant in today’s society. It also symbolizes characteristics commonly associated with the South, such as remembering history and passing down traditions.
In O Brother, Where Art Thou, the rebel flag is shown during a Ku Klux Klan meeting where they are intending to hang an African American. It serves as a symbol of their entire group and is marched in before anything else, which shows its importance to them. The movie depicts this scene with a very negative and intimidating tone, revealing that the views of this group are wrong and extremely racist. The prisoners that walked up to see this scene are the ones that ended up saving the African American that was sentenced to death. Although they were southerners themselves, they acted against what the rebel flag stood for and made the followers of the flag seem violent and dishonorable as opposed to the prisoners. Because the members of the Ku Klux Klan are the common citizens of the town, including the government officials, the South is envisioned as very racist, radical, and aggressive. The rebel flag is intended to represent each of these ideals with the way it is presented in the film.
In the chapter entitled “Cats of the Confederacy” in Confederates in the Attic, Salisbury, North Carolina is a town that is depicted as stuck in the past in the era of the Civil War. It discusses multiple confederate groups such as Daughters of the Confederacy and The Sons of Confederate Veterans, who held up the rebel flag at the beginning of every meeting and said, “I salute the Confederate flag with affection, reverence, and undying devotion to the Cause for which it stands.” Because they say that national pledge of allegiance prior to this, Horwitz says that they contradicted themselves and makes them seem ridiculous. Also, tradition, the commonly associated characteristic of the South, is represented through these groups. Their children are already members of their respective groups and are growing up believing exactly what their parents currently believe. They are determined to find any family connection to soldiers of the Confederacy, which reveals that southerners strongly value family and their ancestors even if they never knew them. All of these traits of the South are represented with the display of the rebel flag. Later in the chapter, Horwitz visits the home of Ed and Sue Curtis and finds the rebel flag and its associated memorabilia to be present all throughout their home. There are trinkets, pictures, magnets, and flags relating to the Civil War and the Confederacy as a whole everywhere he looks. These people truly devote their lives to the cause and treat the Confederacy as their religion that they follow whole-heartedly.
Another chapter in Confederates in the Attic is “Dying for Dixie”, in which the rebel flag plays a major role again. In Guthrie, Kentucky, a boy named Michael Westerman was killed by a group of black teenagers after flying the rebel flag on the back of his truck. This shows how even today, a flag from the Civil War causes conflict and violence. Kentucky had not even been a confederate state in the war, yet because it is in the south, people still associate it with the confederacy and feel a need to display their loyalty regardless of the other possible meanings. In response to the killing, Michael was proclaimed a Confederate martyr, and was the first man to die for the rebel flag in 130 years. They treated him as a sort of hero who stood up for his belief in the Confederacy against blacks, but in reality he had just flown something offensive that sparked action among the black teenagers. This shows extreme racism that is still present in this town and that puts the entire blame on the blacks instead of dividing it between both. Here, the rebel flag represents both southern pride and racism that has yet to cease in existence even though the war has been over for a long time and people say that everyone is equal.
In both O Brother, Where Art Thou and Confederates in the Attic, the rebel flag is portrayed negatively with numerous consequences. While it is so important to common citizens of each depicted town, both the movie and the book reveal their ideas as ridiculous and immoral by placing the rebel flag in association with murders and bizarre activities. Each of the towns represented are very rural, and even though they take place in two different time periods, the message is essentially the same. Stereotypes are clearly still prevalent, and the rebel flag serves as a symbol of this in each of these pieces of literature.
In O Brother, Where Art Thou, the rebel flag is shown during a Ku Klux Klan meeting where they are intending to hang an African American. It serves as a symbol of their entire group and is marched in before anything else, which shows its importance to them. The movie depicts this scene with a very negative and intimidating tone, revealing that the views of this group are wrong and extremely racist. The prisoners that walked up to see this scene are the ones that ended up saving the African American that was sentenced to death. Although they were southerners themselves, they acted against what the rebel flag stood for and made the followers of the flag seem violent and dishonorable as opposed to the prisoners. Because the members of the Ku Klux Klan are the common citizens of the town, including the government officials, the South is envisioned as very racist, radical, and aggressive. The rebel flag is intended to represent each of these ideals with the way it is presented in the film.
In the chapter entitled “Cats of the Confederacy” in Confederates in the Attic, Salisbury, North Carolina is a town that is depicted as stuck in the past in the era of the Civil War. It discusses multiple confederate groups such as Daughters of the Confederacy and The Sons of Confederate Veterans, who held up the rebel flag at the beginning of every meeting and said, “I salute the Confederate flag with affection, reverence, and undying devotion to the Cause for which it stands.” Because they say that national pledge of allegiance prior to this, Horwitz says that they contradicted themselves and makes them seem ridiculous. Also, tradition, the commonly associated characteristic of the South, is represented through these groups. Their children are already members of their respective groups and are growing up believing exactly what their parents currently believe. They are determined to find any family connection to soldiers of the Confederacy, which reveals that southerners strongly value family and their ancestors even if they never knew them. All of these traits of the South are represented with the display of the rebel flag. Later in the chapter, Horwitz visits the home of Ed and Sue Curtis and finds the rebel flag and its associated memorabilia to be present all throughout their home. There are trinkets, pictures, magnets, and flags relating to the Civil War and the Confederacy as a whole everywhere he looks. These people truly devote their lives to the cause and treat the Confederacy as their religion that they follow whole-heartedly.
Another chapter in Confederates in the Attic is “Dying for Dixie”, in which the rebel flag plays a major role again. In Guthrie, Kentucky, a boy named Michael Westerman was killed by a group of black teenagers after flying the rebel flag on the back of his truck. This shows how even today, a flag from the Civil War causes conflict and violence. Kentucky had not even been a confederate state in the war, yet because it is in the south, people still associate it with the confederacy and feel a need to display their loyalty regardless of the other possible meanings. In response to the killing, Michael was proclaimed a Confederate martyr, and was the first man to die for the rebel flag in 130 years. They treated him as a sort of hero who stood up for his belief in the Confederacy against blacks, but in reality he had just flown something offensive that sparked action among the black teenagers. This shows extreme racism that is still present in this town and that puts the entire blame on the blacks instead of dividing it between both. Here, the rebel flag represents both southern pride and racism that has yet to cease in existence even though the war has been over for a long time and people say that everyone is equal.
In both O Brother, Where Art Thou and Confederates in the Attic, the rebel flag is portrayed negatively with numerous consequences. While it is so important to common citizens of each depicted town, both the movie and the book reveal their ideas as ridiculous and immoral by placing the rebel flag in association with murders and bizarre activities. Each of the towns represented are very rural, and even though they take place in two different time periods, the message is essentially the same. Stereotypes are clearly still prevalent, and the rebel flag serves as a symbol of this in each of these pieces of literature.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The South and Me
I have been born and raised in the same house in the South for my entire life. I am from Raleigh, which is a big city and is not as southern as rural towns. My mom's whole side of the family lives in North Carolina, and have been living in the South for as long as they can remember. My dad, on the other hand, is from Pennsylvania, but my brother, my sister, and I were all brought up very southern from my mom's influence. My grandparents on my mom's side live in a very small town called Ramseur, where there they live on a road with just a few houses, a lot of pastures, some chicken houses, and a couple other relatives. My grandpa also owns cows. With this influence growing up, we easily picked up on the southern lifestyle and found our southern accents. Our family also owns a lake house on a lake in the middle of nowhere called Badin Lake. It is technically my grandparents, so my mom went there when she was younger and now our whole family goes there very often. The surrounding towns include Denton, Richfield, Salisbury, and Albemarle, which are all very small towns with a strong sense of southern heritage. By going so often, we have numerous friends from this area and have really experienced small town life at our home away from home. While I do not have a strong accent like my mom has, I still believe that I am very southern from the way I was raised and influences that surround me.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Response to Confederates in the Attic
I found Confederates in the Attic to be incredibly interesting. I am familiar with Salisbury because it is very close to my family's lake house. We have made multiple trips there for dinners and movies. Salisbury, and many surrounding towns, are very southern and seem to be stuck in the past. You see Confederate flags everywhere and very few African Americans. It did not really surprise me when I read this chapter about the Confederate groups, but the extent to which they devote their lives to the cause astonished me. I thought it was interesting that people seemed to treat Confederacy as a religion and almost pushed Christianity aside, which is usually strongly associated with the South. Also, racism was clearly shown to still be very prevalent in their lives. For example, Tarlton said that Walt "hates all minorities the same." This shows that even though we try to say that racism has ended and everyone is equal, there are still a significant number of whites who do not believe it and have their beliefs stuck in the past. Another thing that caught my attention was during the Children of the Confederacy meeting, when Violet asked her son if there was anything he hated more than Yankees. His response showed extreme hatred and fear of Yankees and really showed how these people were raising their children with the same closed minds that they possess.
Even though I'm sure this article was based on true facts that he discovered, Horwitz seems to select certain sayings and actions in order to persuade the reader to believe a certain way. He makes it seem like these people are crazy and emphasizes things that most people disagree with.
Even though I'm sure this article was based on true facts that he discovered, Horwitz seems to select certain sayings and actions in order to persuade the reader to believe a certain way. He makes it seem like these people are crazy and emphasizes things that most people disagree with.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Observation 3
For my third observation of fraternities, I interviewed a few brothers that were members of different fraternities. I asked them the following questions in order to understand what they thought about philanthropy events that they participate in:
1. What fraternity are you a member of?
2. What philanthropic events has your fraternity participated in this year?
3. Do you participate in these events because you want to help others, or do you just do it because you are required to?
4. What other reasons do fraternities have for doing philanthropy?
5. At major philanthropic events, do you notice the different fraternities clustering together and acting like they would at normal social events?
6. Do you actively engage in the event you are participating in usually or just go through the motions?
Here are two very good responses that I received:
Eric Chamblee
1. Kappa Sigma
2. Cookouts and Fundraising for Military Wives Campaign
3. Though I would rather engage in a different philanthropy, I still recognize the importance of the one that we support and am happy to do it for that reason. However, it also is required.
4. Reasons for philanthropy include competition with other Greek societies to see who can raise the most money, to pair up with a couple of other fraternities or sororities in order to meet new people and develop long term relationships with said organizations, great way to improve your reputation in the eyes of your national chapter, and the chicks dig it. Also is a good resume booster and a way to obtain community service.
5. Normally during philanthropic events fraternities/sororities are encouraged to "mix and mingle" by their executive committees with the other societies with which they are paired in order to instill a feeling of cooperation, movement toward a greater good, and to get to know others in the greek community at the university.
6. Generally most everyone who volunteers their time actively engage in the event as you wouldn't want one fraternity saying they ran the show or a sorority viewing you (in terms of a group) as lazy, unsupportive, or uncaring. It goes back to the image and competition factors mentioned earlier.
Chris Pilley
1. Theta Chi
2. St. Jude's hospital visits, Duke Childrens' Hospital Radio-a-thon, and we will do a Bowling event for St. Jude's next month.
3. The fact that our chapter requires philanthropic events just gives me and others a pathway to help others. Originally I didn't have time to help out people but being involved gives me a sense of accomplishment and making a difference and having a good time are what we strive for. Also, being active in the community is the image and the ideal that we want to perpetuate as a Fraternity.
4. Fraternities usually do this to meet requirements set by their IFC and national requirements. Each chapter usually surpasses these requirements in order to look better abroad and to compete fraternally with other Greek organizations at their schools. Also, it is a great opportunity to network with businesses and to get involved in the community.
5. Usually philanthropic events are held by one fraternity or sorority and it is common practice for other Greek communities to show support and come out. All of the fraternities usually go out of their way to welcome their guests of the event and generally do hang out together to socialize.
6. When I go to events I go to have fun and to meet new people/show off my letters. You only get to be known in the Greek community by these events so being the most interesting, the most well mannered, or the best means your name gets out there. Most brothers only go to events that they want to go to so they all actively participate too.
The fraternities all seemed to have two or three major philanthropy events that they are involved in. The brothers all agreed that they originally became involved because it was required, but they also realize the importance of the events they are a part of and like to help others. Other reasons that fraternities are involved in these events include a competition with the other fraternities on campus, to boost their reputation, and to network with other fraternities and sororities along with businesses to create new relationships. Also, they seemed to overall be encourage to mingle with the other fraternities and sororities at events, even though they would rather stick together so that they were more comfortable. Finally, competition and image seemed to drive their active participation in events, and they also were able to choose the events that they actually wanted to attend.
1. What fraternity are you a member of?
2. What philanthropic events has your fraternity participated in this year?
3. Do you participate in these events because you want to help others, or do you just do it because you are required to?
4. What other reasons do fraternities have for doing philanthropy?
5. At major philanthropic events, do you notice the different fraternities clustering together and acting like they would at normal social events?
6. Do you actively engage in the event you are participating in usually or just go through the motions?
Here are two very good responses that I received:
Eric Chamblee
1. Kappa Sigma
2. Cookouts and Fundraising for Military Wives Campaign
3. Though I would rather engage in a different philanthropy, I still recognize the importance of the one that we support and am happy to do it for that reason. However, it also is required.
4. Reasons for philanthropy include competition with other Greek societies to see who can raise the most money, to pair up with a couple of other fraternities or sororities in order to meet new people and develop long term relationships with said organizations, great way to improve your reputation in the eyes of your national chapter, and the chicks dig it. Also is a good resume booster and a way to obtain community service.
5. Normally during philanthropic events fraternities/sororities are encouraged to "mix and mingle" by their executive committees with the other societies with which they are paired in order to instill a feeling of cooperation, movement toward a greater good, and to get to know others in the greek community at the university.
6. Generally most everyone who volunteers their time actively engage in the event as you wouldn't want one fraternity saying they ran the show or a sorority viewing you (in terms of a group) as lazy, unsupportive, or uncaring. It goes back to the image and competition factors mentioned earlier.
Chris Pilley
1. Theta Chi
2. St. Jude's hospital visits, Duke Childrens' Hospital Radio-a-thon, and we will do a Bowling event for St. Jude's next month.
3. The fact that our chapter requires philanthropic events just gives me and others a pathway to help others. Originally I didn't have time to help out people but being involved gives me a sense of accomplishment and making a difference and having a good time are what we strive for. Also, being active in the community is the image and the ideal that we want to perpetuate as a Fraternity.
4. Fraternities usually do this to meet requirements set by their IFC and national requirements. Each chapter usually surpasses these requirements in order to look better abroad and to compete fraternally with other Greek organizations at their schools. Also, it is a great opportunity to network with businesses and to get involved in the community.
5. Usually philanthropic events are held by one fraternity or sorority and it is common practice for other Greek communities to show support and come out. All of the fraternities usually go out of their way to welcome their guests of the event and generally do hang out together to socialize.
6. When I go to events I go to have fun and to meet new people/show off my letters. You only get to be known in the Greek community by these events so being the most interesting, the most well mannered, or the best means your name gets out there. Most brothers only go to events that they want to go to so they all actively participate too.
The fraternities all seemed to have two or three major philanthropy events that they are involved in. The brothers all agreed that they originally became involved because it was required, but they also realize the importance of the events they are a part of and like to help others. Other reasons that fraternities are involved in these events include a competition with the other fraternities on campus, to boost their reputation, and to network with other fraternities and sororities along with businesses to create new relationships. Also, they seemed to overall be encourage to mingle with the other fraternities and sororities at events, even though they would rather stick together so that they were more comfortable. Finally, competition and image seemed to drive their active participation in events, and they also were able to choose the events that they actually wanted to attend.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Observation 2
For my second observation, I watched a philanthropy event put on by the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. They had a giant blow-up rainbow ball in and around the pit and were walking around getting everyone to sign it to help the Rape Crisis Center with rape victims. Most of the group of brothers that were doing this at the time were actively involved in finding people that walked by to sign the ball. There were the clear leaders that were yelling out to people and persuading them to sign the ball, and then there were also brothers that were quieter that just helped hand out markers. It seemed as though most of the brothers really cared about getting a lot of signatures for the rape victims; however, there were a couple that seemed completely uninterested and were just there because they were supposed to be. These brothers talked amongst themselves and only called out to their friends that came by. This partially proves my hypothesis to be true because they did not seem to care that they were working for a good cause. They only wanted to hang out with their friends, like they would at any other social event. It also partially disproves my hypothesis because multiple brothers were really trying hard to get signatures and were eager to share what their project was all about.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Microculture Observation
My hypothesis about fraternity life is now focused on discovering whether philanthropic activities are just another social event or if they actually have an individual desire to help others. To test this, I attended a party thrown by one of the fraternities and observed how the brothers acted at this clearly social event. Even with numerous other guests at their fraternity house, they still seemed to cluster together in small groups. No matter where they traveled through the house or what groups of other people they were talking to, there was always at least one other brother with each one. The fact that they stick together even when there are so many other people around them, especially girls, shows how close they have become through their brotherhood. The guys were also divided by pledge classes for the most part; even though they were clearly friends with the rest of the fraternity, the bond shown with their pledge brothers seemed much stronger. They all clearly acted like the hosts of the party as well; they walked around and talked to all the different people, distributed drinks, acted as the DJ, and led any other activities that took place. In addition, a main goal of many of the brothers seemed to be to meet as many "hot" girls as possible. I could see them conversing to each other about multiple girls that they wanted to talk to.
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