Here’s my profound worry: no matter how hard I activate my critical thinking skills, no matter how dedicated I am to keeping my heart and mind open to others with extreme differences, no matter if there are millions like me who want good outcomes for everyone, we are no match for the endless tsunami of disinformation and propaganda that millions consume. It’s an infinity tire-fire that has used our very own free-speech protections to split us in two.
I’m not going to give up — ever. I’m not going to lose hope. But I don’t know how to fight a deadly monster who compels half my neighbors to want to give it a crown and throne.
What a powerful and thought-provoking piece you've written, Spencer. I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but it leaves me feeling hopeful. Maybe it's just knowing there are hearts & minds like yours out there, as we all feel our way through life.
The Border Patrol sponsors Professional Bull Riders? Why is the U.S. Border Patrol sponsoring *any* for-profit enterprise?! My head is spinning. Since when did the Federal Government become 'collaborators'? This is truly bizarre. And dangerous.
Awesome takeaway, Spencer. Your cultural humility on its usual display here, role-modeling for the rest of us who need to take a beat and reconsider the things we feel awfully sure about, to our detriment.
I thoroughly enjoy your anthropological insights. I, too, find myself swirling in thought when in situations that could offend my sensibilities if I weren’t open to the process of answering the *whys* of it all. Sitting through court recently for a traffic ticket and observing the wildly diverse group of people in the room brought on a barrage of mixed brain activity- emotions, insights, fears, compassion- it was wild. I think one of my constant internal battles is trying to understand how human beings on either side can throw something as simple as curiosity about our (human)kind aside in favor of righteous indignation and ego.
great insights, ST, though i’m wary of invoking a binary? there are people who love poetry AND the thrill of casual violence — Bukowski was a prick, alcoholic and abuser of women, but even he could see beauty. Caravaggio was a murderer etc.
i’m not advocating for casual violence, at all. we all contain multitudes, though.
i agree, it can be super empowering and educational to make one’s self a ‘fish out of water’ though, and i loved this piece.
I grew up in rural Idaho and the highlight of the year for our community was the county rodeo. It was a time of celebration of the workers of our local economy, many of whom worked on ranches or in agriculture in some way. It was also a spectacle of skill, where people pushed their abilities earned through years of work to the limit. After the Saturday rodeo we had a street dance on Main Street, which was shut down for the event, making way for a local country band, lots of eating and drinking, and Western swing dancing. Music blared past midnight.
But it was a different time. There were no sponsors. The only political message was one of general patriotism. Makes me wonder if it’s stayed that way over the years or if it too has changed with the time.
I went to the rodeo when I first moved to Austin as had never seen one and was curious. Sounds like the rodeo I went to was a little more involved than what you saw in terms of additional events. I realized the animals were being traumatized in things like calf roping. Not going back again but did get to see Willie Nelson play which made it all worthwhile. Glad y'all got to do your show. I'm not sure how America gets itself back together but your level headed thinking is a good start.
That Cowtown show was my first visit to Tannahill’s in the Stockyards and second visit to the Stockyards in my life. It felt a world away from Dallas which in itself is filled with many of the same attitudes you described but then also many others who are opposed to that. I appreciate your push to find the connections and similarities we all share and the humility to propose that the answers may often lie in the middle somewhere. I wish that was the prevailing attitude. By the way amazing show- grateful to have had a chance to see a band on top of its game!
It’s the hardest thing for me to cope with..that even with opposing ideals we seem unable to have conversations anymore..all my relatives were mostly die-hard Repubs (until my dad called to tell me he couldn’t vote for Reagan and was voting for Jimmy Carter…😲), but we could still be civil (and what I miss about voting in Illinois is that you could vote across party lines..)…I don’t like boxing or wrestling, but if that’s the one social activity I could share with my grandpa on Friday nights, oh well..
If i am not mistaken, there is a deep black cowboy tradition, and an entire lesbian rodeo culture as well. Maybe I just dreamed that! But I have a recollection of seeing a doc about those subsets of cowtown...I also occurs to me that the overwhelming toxic masculinity characterizing the rodeo scene has parallels to the subsets of the male dominated punk scene, which, though a lifelong musician, always felt foreign and intimidating to me. Carry on!
I follow some wonderful writers on this platform and it has become really enjoyable for me. Most of the folks I love post frequently and I don't always read everything unless I'm really caught up in it. You are a writer that I save to read until I have, what passes these days for, undistracted time. I may have said it before but you are a real pleasure to read, Spencer. As for the rodeo, I can't, couldn't, wouldn't. I prefer to think of this as a thoughtful boundary ,so, no guilt for appearing close-minded and judgemental (just kidding, the guilt is there, always there - haha). I too was a sensitive kid growing up in an emotional and spiritual minefield. I tried for a long time to toughen up, now I have no desire to find my place there.
I recently attended a wrestling show. It was opening night of the show, which blends wrestling and Broadway musical to tell a story. The promoters were papering the house to help build buzz. I invited several friends to join but none did. I found it fascinating to experience wrestling culture. Everyone was in on the fun of encouraging fake violence. As disturbing as that seems, I could understand the appeal - rooting for the good guys, booing the villains. The audience was part of the show. And the rock music was a perfect complement. The next day, I talked about it at a gathering of friends. The reaction, across the board, went something like, "How could you stand being around those people? How many Trump shirts did you see?" It never once occurred to me to approach the wrestling event with caution. I never saw or heard political expression of any kind at the event. The male and female cast was racially diverse. The crowd looked pretty ordinary. I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. But I was floored by the level of vitriol coming from the mouths of my liberal friends who openly profiled and hated. How are we ever going to heal?
"...I invited several friends to join but none did." Wow. That just about says it all in a short sentence. Or as Hebert Spencer puts it "Contempt prior to investigation"
Here’s my profound worry: no matter how hard I activate my critical thinking skills, no matter how dedicated I am to keeping my heart and mind open to others with extreme differences, no matter if there are millions like me who want good outcomes for everyone, we are no match for the endless tsunami of disinformation and propaganda that millions consume. It’s an infinity tire-fire that has used our very own free-speech protections to split us in two.
I’m not going to give up — ever. I’m not going to lose hope. But I don’t know how to fight a deadly monster who compels half my neighbors to want to give it a crown and throne.
What a powerful and thought-provoking piece you've written, Spencer. I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but it leaves me feeling hopeful. Maybe it's just knowing there are hearts & minds like yours out there, as we all feel our way through life.
Ditto from me 💖
The Border Patrol sponsors Professional Bull Riders? Why is the U.S. Border Patrol sponsoring *any* for-profit enterprise?! My head is spinning. Since when did the Federal Government become 'collaborators'? This is truly bizarre. And dangerous.
Awesome takeaway, Spencer. Your cultural humility on its usual display here, role-modeling for the rest of us who need to take a beat and reconsider the things we feel awfully sure about, to our detriment.
Hi Spencer,
As usual, beautifully written and very well explained. I'm glad everything worked out well at the rodeo and at the show.
Love, Zaid
I thoroughly enjoy your anthropological insights. I, too, find myself swirling in thought when in situations that could offend my sensibilities if I weren’t open to the process of answering the *whys* of it all. Sitting through court recently for a traffic ticket and observing the wildly diverse group of people in the room brought on a barrage of mixed brain activity- emotions, insights, fears, compassion- it was wild. I think one of my constant internal battles is trying to understand how human beings on either side can throw something as simple as curiosity about our (human)kind aside in favor of righteous indignation and ego.
Thank you for your thoughtful words ☺️
Y’all should come down for the Mexican Rodeo same bulls diff vibe Xo
great insights, ST, though i’m wary of invoking a binary? there are people who love poetry AND the thrill of casual violence — Bukowski was a prick, alcoholic and abuser of women, but even he could see beauty. Caravaggio was a murderer etc.
i’m not advocating for casual violence, at all. we all contain multitudes, though.
i agree, it can be super empowering and educational to make one’s self a ‘fish out of water’ though, and i loved this piece.
I grew up in rural Idaho and the highlight of the year for our community was the county rodeo. It was a time of celebration of the workers of our local economy, many of whom worked on ranches or in agriculture in some way. It was also a spectacle of skill, where people pushed their abilities earned through years of work to the limit. After the Saturday rodeo we had a street dance on Main Street, which was shut down for the event, making way for a local country band, lots of eating and drinking, and Western swing dancing. Music blared past midnight.
But it was a different time. There were no sponsors. The only political message was one of general patriotism. Makes me wonder if it’s stayed that way over the years or if it too has changed with the time.
I went to the rodeo when I first moved to Austin as had never seen one and was curious. Sounds like the rodeo I went to was a little more involved than what you saw in terms of additional events. I realized the animals were being traumatized in things like calf roping. Not going back again but did get to see Willie Nelson play which made it all worthwhile. Glad y'all got to do your show. I'm not sure how America gets itself back together but your level headed thinking is a good start.
That Cowtown show was my first visit to Tannahill’s in the Stockyards and second visit to the Stockyards in my life. It felt a world away from Dallas which in itself is filled with many of the same attitudes you described but then also many others who are opposed to that. I appreciate your push to find the connections and similarities we all share and the humility to propose that the answers may often lie in the middle somewhere. I wish that was the prevailing attitude. By the way amazing show- grateful to have had a chance to see a band on top of its game!
The 1-2 times a year I leave Dallas and venture to the FW side of DFW always leaves me feeling like I’m in another world.
It’s the hardest thing for me to cope with..that even with opposing ideals we seem unable to have conversations anymore..all my relatives were mostly die-hard Repubs (until my dad called to tell me he couldn’t vote for Reagan and was voting for Jimmy Carter…😲), but we could still be civil (and what I miss about voting in Illinois is that you could vote across party lines..)…I don’t like boxing or wrestling, but if that’s the one social activity I could share with my grandpa on Friday nights, oh well..
If i am not mistaken, there is a deep black cowboy tradition, and an entire lesbian rodeo culture as well. Maybe I just dreamed that! But I have a recollection of seeing a doc about those subsets of cowtown...I also occurs to me that the overwhelming toxic masculinity characterizing the rodeo scene has parallels to the subsets of the male dominated punk scene, which, though a lifelong musician, always felt foreign and intimidating to me. Carry on!
I follow some wonderful writers on this platform and it has become really enjoyable for me. Most of the folks I love post frequently and I don't always read everything unless I'm really caught up in it. You are a writer that I save to read until I have, what passes these days for, undistracted time. I may have said it before but you are a real pleasure to read, Spencer. As for the rodeo, I can't, couldn't, wouldn't. I prefer to think of this as a thoughtful boundary ,so, no guilt for appearing close-minded and judgemental (just kidding, the guilt is there, always there - haha). I too was a sensitive kid growing up in an emotional and spiritual minefield. I tried for a long time to toughen up, now I have no desire to find my place there.
Your writing getting better and better. The New York Times should publish this. See you at Solid Sound?
I recently attended a wrestling show. It was opening night of the show, which blends wrestling and Broadway musical to tell a story. The promoters were papering the house to help build buzz. I invited several friends to join but none did. I found it fascinating to experience wrestling culture. Everyone was in on the fun of encouraging fake violence. As disturbing as that seems, I could understand the appeal - rooting for the good guys, booing the villains. The audience was part of the show. And the rock music was a perfect complement. The next day, I talked about it at a gathering of friends. The reaction, across the board, went something like, "How could you stand being around those people? How many Trump shirts did you see?" It never once occurred to me to approach the wrestling event with caution. I never saw or heard political expression of any kind at the event. The male and female cast was racially diverse. The crowd looked pretty ordinary. I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. But I was floored by the level of vitriol coming from the mouths of my liberal friends who openly profiled and hated. How are we ever going to heal?
"...I invited several friends to join but none did." Wow. That just about says it all in a short sentence. Or as Hebert Spencer puts it "Contempt prior to investigation"