My mother came of age in the 1960's and the music she loved most certainly reflected the social and political upheaval of the time. I grew up listening to music whose thematic foundation lied in The American Civil Right’s Movement, the Vietnam War and a shift in the social paradigm from the conservatism of the 50’s to a generation whose experiments included free love, bra burning and lots of drugs. It was easy to recognize what my mom believed, and didn’t believe, in through listening to the music that moved her. In fact, although I can only recall one conversation with her my entire life that revolved around racism, songs like [url=http://www.bobdylan.com/songs...]Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane’ [/url] and [url=http://lyrics.duble.com/N/nin...]Nina Simone’s ‘Mississippi Goddamn’[/url] revealed her condemnation of such things. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t thought about these songs in a long time. But then something that happened last night that brought them and their role in both pop-culture, and my own upbringing, back into my consciousness.
There is a restaurant located about an hour away from where I live called The Depot at Cody Creek. It’s nestled in the rural countryside among the pine trees and a small river that runs so clear you can see the pebbles at the bottom glistening in the sun. The pastoral setting includes a covered bridge that all visitors must cross over in order to get to the restaurant (which resembles an ancient hunting lodge), and a small ‘old timey’ general store that sells things like rock candy and ‘chico sticks’ for a penny each. It’s really a beautiful and nostalgic place. I ate dinner there last night along with 21 other friends/family members who had gathered to celebrate a birthday. The night was filled with good food, laughter and so many smiles our cheeks began to ache. It wasn’t until the meal was finished that I learned something about Cody Creek that made me sick.
Making our way back to our cars, we stopped along the path to look at the river and chat once more before saying goodbye. There was a man sitting along the banks who worked in the general store. His face, like sun-dried leather, was worn in a grandfatherly way, each line and crease hugging his toothy grin. We chatted with him for a while and learned the history of Cody Creek, the owner, and their proud tradition in the area. He closed his story by proudly informing us that The Depot was the only restaurant that he knew of that still refused to serve black people. He explained that the restaurant was actually certified as a “members only” country club, but that they only asked to see membership from those with darker skin and that it was understood in the area that only whites ate at The Depot.
I honestly believe that trying to explain just how completely offensive this is to me would only serve to lessen the true disgust his remarks evoked. There are simply no words to describe the sinking feeling in my heart and in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it makes me feel. At first, I think I was sickened most by the fact that I had just patronized an establishment in which some of my own friends, people who are like family to me, would not be welcome. But then… during the hour-long car ride home, I came to realize that much of my dismay grew from the fact that I live in a world in which such places still exist. I suppose in my mind, places like The Depot existed only in documentaries on the history channel in which brave rebels dared to drink from white only water-fountains and ride in the front of the bus. As someone living in the south eastern United States, I am painfully aware of the reality of racism, but I think it's the existence of systematic racism, rather than merely individual prejudice that I found so horrific and shocking.
And so I come back to the music of my mother’s generation. If the music we listen to really is representative of what we believe, of what we value or deplore and what we will or will not tolerate from ourselves and others, then I’m left to wonder: what DO we believe in? And more personally, what do I believe in? I’m not sure our music makes it quite as clear as my mother’s did. Sure, some of us dream about fighting the power when we listen to [url=http://www.songlyrics4u.com/t...]The Clash’s White Riot[/url] , but still… I can’t help but wonder what my own children, should I ever have any, would be able to discern about me, and my generation, from the music we created and celebrated. Believe me, I’m not so naïve as to think that socially relevant music will somehow bring about an end to the existence of places like The Depot. On the other hand, however, I know just how powerful music can be and I’m keenly aware of how songs like [url=http://www.absolutelyric.com/...]Dylan’s 'The Death of Emmett Till' [/url] can illuminate societal problems and the urgent need for change. Further, I recognize precisely what the music we love says about who we are and what we value. And so maybe it’s time that I start seeking out the music in the world that reflects these ideas/ideals, so that it too can, in turn, reflect me. Maybe it’s time we all did.
posted by: macki (reply)
post date: 06.27.04 (8:40 pm)
hi
i could not agree more with you, juni. here in brasil racism is not exactly explicit, and it is a lot more on the social side; it is not exactly prejudice against your color but to how much money you have, which is not less disgusting. there is really not much to be said that wouldnt make the situation less close to us...
about the music, one of my favorite bands, the style council, does a lot of critics abou racism, and many other things. i highly recommend.
i guess that's all
bye
When I lived in TN I worked at a store that wouldn't hire anyone who wasn't white. It also extended to not hiring somone who was dating or married to a non white. And once I let it be known I didn't feel the same way I was ostrisized from the rest of the staff. Needless to say I didn't last too much longer after that.
posted by: brogonzo (reply)
post date: 06.28.04 (11:22 am)
Great post. The Dylan references reminded me of one of my favorite "oldies," who was also drafted as a civil-rights activist, the legendary Sam Cooke. I've noticed a wide racist streak down here in Kentucky, too... but nothing as outright as the restaurant you visited. Again, great post.
posted by: RedTigress (reply)
post date: 06.28.04 (11:51 am)
some great songs from the sixties. Not only did yer mom come of age, music as we know it did too. :)
Interesting points. There are still such strong issues on every side of the debate that I doubt we'll see any workable solutions in my lifetime. Although... I work with kids every day, and I see them as being far less hung up on issues of race, gender, socio-economics than those of us who are older and supposedly wiser. So... maybe there's some hope after all.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
posted by: aWindow (reply)
post date: 06.28.04 (3:02 pm)
Evil is in all of us, if we dont realise it's destructive power and do not educate ourselves of its blinding rage, all it takes for it to show itself is a little power ( a restaurant, a computer, a book, a position or an army).
I love all those songs that in some way stood against madness that comes with an unearned power with a mixture of hatred.
thank you for writing this blog.
posted by: aWindow (reply)
post date: 06.28.04 (3:04 pm)
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I appreciate you taking the time to visit and share your thoughts.
I hate it when I find a mistake in my grammar after I have already pressed send! Grrrrr... :)
posted by: macki (reply)
post date: 06.29.04 (8:56 am)
oh, and by the way, here in brasil we had some pretty good musicians in the 60's and 70's that made a lot of musics with a social side. if anyone is interested in sugestions, let me know
