40/40 Revisited

I found this today while reading back through my journals from the 40 States in 40 Days trip last summer. I think it perfectly conveys the nostalgic mood I was in, and reflects all that I was taking in as we traveled from coast to coast.

The lyrics to Guthrie’s “This Land” first caught my attention as a sixth-grader in Mrs. Hamilton’s music class.  “This Land is My Land/ This Land is Your Land/ From California to the New York Island,” we sang, as we strummed the very basic chords of this song on our half-size Yahama student guitars.  “New York Island?” I kept thinking, “I’ve never heard of New York having an island.”  I was lost in thought, pondering Guthrie’s descriptive phrases of America’s landscapes as we finished the abridged version of the song that we had learned, consisting only of the refrain and first two verses.  “This Land” was part of the school’s repertoire of patriotic music.  It was sung every year during our Spring Fling concert alongside classics such as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Fifty Nifty United States,” and “America the Beautiful.”  I never took note of who wrote the song, what kind of life he led, or what inspired him to write.  From my perspective, whoever the author was, he was no doubt a great American hero, like Francis Scott Key, who wrote our national anthem in the midst of an attack on his battleship.  “This Land” has always been a purely celebratory hymn for me.  From sing-alongs with my siblings to school performances, singing this song was to paint a most beautiful picture of America.  Several years have gone by since my elementary years, and “This Land” had been filed away in the depths of my cranium, along with memories of lunch boxes, playground competitions and colorfully illustrated maps of our fifty states.  But this summer, as I entered northern California’s redwood forests for the first time in a long time, a wave of nostalgia washed over me as a mental video clip from my childhood started to play: I watched my family pull up to the same redwood forest nine years ago, singing “This Land” repeatedly as we jockeyed for a prime window spot from which to look up at the ancient towering sequoias.  From that moment on, and throughout the rest of our trip—as I looked out over the rocky Oregon coast, rafted through swift waters in Yellowstone, drove through miles and miles of South Dakota’s badlands, stood on one of New York’s islands while staring up at our Statue of Liberty, walked among the graves of a generation that gave everything to secure our freedoms, and as I looked down under the bridge in South Carolina at the Gullah harvesting sweet grass—Woody Guthrie’s most celebrated song was on permanent repeat in my head.

Shepard Fairey: A Powerful Dissident

In “The Declaration of Independence,” Jefferson wrote about citizens’ duty to dissent—in speech but also in action: “…Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” Write about a time on this trip you have noticed dissent as a powerful force in American life.

This prompt has been weighing on me for a while now. I feel that mere complaints are too often mistaken for dissent, and I wanted to find an example of what I think is intelligent dissent—not just the regurgitation of a vague, generalized, partisan opinion which requires little to no understanding of the issue at hand. I'm interested in specific, creative, alternative ideas as a response to what the dissenter views as flawed.

I found an example of the powerful dissent I was looking for in a location and medium I least expected. When I think of dissent I think of speeches, books, and articles. I think of two opponents in a verbal duel. I do not think of framed pieces in the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art. When I hear 'dissent' I do not think of murals on brick buildings in poor neighborhoods, bumper stickers, or reinventing propaganda. But then Shepard Fairey came along and my perspective on dissent was quickly challenged.

Even though the picture I would paint of America would differ from his, I appreciate the beauty and straightforward style in which Fairey communicates through his art. It is obvious that a lot of thought goes into his work; each word and each square inch of his pieces are intentionally symbolic.

In this re-creation of the One Dollar Bill, Fairey implies that the American people are pawns, forced to participate in an unethical capitalistic system, and subject to a government who's ultimate goal is to take over the world by way of a 'new world order.' By making this a 'ransom note,' Fairey challenges viewers to consider who/what really owns them.

I see elements of truth here: I think there are quite a few Americans who walk around uninformed and ignorant to the political, economical, and social systems that they subscribe to. But they're not victims. They will only fall prey to 'lesser gods' if they allow themselves to.


In the left circle you see a hand (adorned with dollar sign) reaching for the world. Around it is enscribed 'Hostile Takeover. New World Order.' Earlier this week, during the G8 Summit, Obama supported giving the U.N. more power. Perhaps Fairey is on to something; I wouldn't discount the possibility of the U.N. ruling the world some day. And the scary part is that some people think it's a great idea.


Across the bottom we see written, 'Indiscriminate Capitalism.' A group of us were sitting in the back of the bus when I started to work on this article, and I put this phrase up for discussion: What does Fairey mean by 'Indiscrimate Capitalism'? The consensus was that it's supposed to convey the absence of ethics in capitalism -- that the capitalistic system pays no regard to its effect on the environment, other people, etc.


"But wait a second," I'm thinking, "capitalism was never meant to be an ethical authority." That's what religion is for. I'm all for ethics, but if capitalism involved the dictation of ethics then it would cease to be capitalism -- it would become something like socialism or communism, where everything is "fair" (i.e. everyone gets the same thing no matter how much or how little they work.)


There's something beautiful about reaping the rewards of work in conjunction with productivity. And I'm all for sharing the wealth, but I want to share my wealth on my own terms and using my own discretion.


Mr. Fairey has the right to be frustrated if the people/businesses around him are not living up to his moral expectations, and I understand that his work reflects that frustration. But I wonder about how most viewers interpret this phrase. I see a common trend: Americans blame the government for some businesses' low ethical standards and feel that the way to fix it is for the government to enforce some kind of rule about how and where businesses acquire their products, manufacture their products, market their products, and distribute their products. When really, it's not the government's job to supervise any of that -- each company must set their own ethical standards and moral aspirations; and in turn, each customer must set their own. I hope viewers realize that "Indiscriminate Capitalism" doesn't reflect any failure on the part of our government; it should make them reflect on our decisions as individuals--as individual consumers and individual merchants.


I like that Fairey goes for shock value and is clear but not exhaustive in his message. He leaves a lot up for interpretation, forcing the viewer to think through what they see.

To read more about Shepard Fairey, click here.

Day 6 - Roswell - UFO Museum and more

While we were visiting the International UFO Museum this morning, I got talking to an elderly couple who lived in Florida but had been on the road traveling around the country since mid-May. I asked them what brought them to Roswell; they said they always wanted to visit the museum, so as they were passing through it made sense to stop.

“What does it mean to you to be an American?” I asked.

He responded, “Well, it’s the best place in the world. I never even wanted to visit any other place. You can do things here you can’t do in other countries….the living facilities are better…”

This vague, “it’s better here” answer is rather typical of what we’ve been getting in every city so far. But of course, we want specifics, so I probed.

“What are some of the things you do here—or you’d like to do—here in America that you wouldn’t be able to do in other countries?”

He paused for a few seconds, questioningly, then timidly replied, “Ummmm….I don’t really know. All I know is that I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want.”

I was really disappointed and frustrated during the week before our trip started when I was asked to write an essay about what it means to be a Patriotic American Citizen. I had a general idea, I could name a few characteristics of each, but I really couldn’t give a working definition of any of the three concepts. I attributed this to my ignorant youthfulness and recent absence from the country. But I’m beginning to think that that’s not it. In the past few days I’ve talked to many people from many states, young and old, and few have been able to give a response that had any real substance when asked, “What does it mean to be an American?”

There was one man, however, who won’t be easily forgotten. Yesterday in El Paso we visited Fort Bliss – the second largest military base in the continental U.S. We were shown around the base by some very friendly folk and ate lunch in the mess hall. The high-ranked soldier who ran the dining services came out and gave us a brief presentation on how he and his staff prepared soldiers to cook tasty dishes for the troops once they were deployed. At the end of his talk, we asked him the famous question, “What does it mean to be an American?” I can’t even remember exactly what he said because I was in such shock with how quickly he responded. He didn’t hesitate even one ½ second (and no one tipped him off that this was question was coming). I’m sure that what he said was brilliant, but all I could think about was how it made sense that it would be on the tip of his tongue: Why would you put your life on the line every day for something which you could only vaguely describe?

P.S. -- we stopped off for a photo-op at the "Alien Zone." Here I am in the UFO!

On Packing Light

He who would travel happily must travel light.
-Antoine de Saint Exupéry

It was my first trip to Paris. Paris: City of Lights; fashion capital of the World; Renaissance headquarters in north-western Europe; icon of romance; epitome of haute couture (i.e. style police).....there was no question about it--I simply had to look fabulous at every moment. This meant taking along my entire wardrobe plus all the beautification accessories in my possession: makeup, jewelry, lotion, manicure set with polish remover and seven different colors of polish, curl enhancer, blow dryer, three hair brushes, hair straightener and curler, dangly earrings, perfume in four scents, sunscreen, flowery deoderant, hairspray, belts, purses, eleven pairs of sunglasses, and of course, shoes!

I spent hours painstakingly designing the most fashionable day and evening-wear outfits I could think of, with matching accessories, for each of the six days I would spend in Paris. I carefully organized and laid out all these belongings--unquestionably vital to my survival--on my bed before stowing them in my suitcase. I paused for a moment to consider possibly taking a few things out, after all, I would have to carry my luggage down three flights of narrow stairs before even reaching my front door. But no, I couldn't bear the possibility of leaving behind anything that might be of some use while walking the streets of France's most important city. No matter what I had to do, I was going to make sure that I looked my best as I nibbled baguettes in high-end cafés and strolled the legendary Champs Elysées.

Four hours later, after trekking through the streets of downtown Brussels--changing busses and trams to get to the train station, lugging the 50+ pound suitcase on and off of a greyhound-style bus, I found myself looking at a map of the Paris metro system. I was going to need to change lines exactly three times before emerging onto the streets of downtown Paris from a station 3/4 mile from my hostel. "No problem," I thought. I used the Brussels metro practically every day; changing lines seldom required more than walking across the platform from one train to another.

This wasn't, unfortunately, the case in Paris, as I would soon find out. Changing lines in the Paris metro requires clamoring up and down at least seven sets of stairs situated periodically throughout tunnels of up to 1/2 mile long. Remember that this entire time I am stuck carrying an enormous purse (what my brothers call "the bowling bag" because I could easily fit three or four bowling balls inside with plenty of room leftover for shoes) and a 50-pound, awkwardly shaped suitcase. I arrived at the hostel an hour later, extremely exhausted and somewhat embarrassed, only to be told that my room was on the fifth floor and there was no elevator. All of these belongings that had seemed so necessary just a few hours earlier now felt like a death sentence.

To say the least, I learned my lesson. I vowed that I would never again pack more than the bare minimum. I still struggle with shoes, but I have dramatically cut down on the things I "need" to go anywhere.

Today I'm packing for 40 days. We get to do laundry once a week, so I'm taking 10 outfits. I'd say that's sensible!

PS: My efforts were not in vain, I was one of the most stylish of my group all week in Paris! :)

One week to go....

d40 States in 40 Days officially started today, although the bus won't actually be leaving until Saturday morning (at 4am....eek!) We are all extremely excited and just can't wait to get on the road. We've spent so much time researching and scheduling great activities in each state -- the time has just flown by and it's hard to believe that we're so close to lift-off.

I'm sorry I've been out of touch the past few weeks.....but here's what I've been up to:
My spring semester finals finished May 12th. I was completely moved out of my on-campus apartment (and moved in with some great friends for the summer) by the 14th, and on a plane to Oregon on the morning of the 16th. Talk about a crazy week! My mom had no idea I was coming; in fact she didn't think she'd get to see me until Christmas, so it was great fun just popping up at church on Sunday morning to scare her half to death. (Quick shout-out: today is her birthday ...Happy Birthday Mommy!)

I got to spend 10 wonderful days with all my little siblings (who aren't really that little anymore...Chase and Jared passed me up long ago, and on this visit I discovered that Cole followed suit and Tori is only a half inch away! At least little Raam is still little for the time being.)
Tori plays on the U-12 Premier Soccer Team (the really competitive traveling team) and happened to be playing in the local Rogue Valley Cup last weekend, so I had the pleasure of watching her win all five of her games and take the 1st place trophy. Way to go chica!

The last 6 months have been especially hard for me to be away from my brothers and sister; every visit home is a reminder of how fast they're growing up. I can't believe Chason and Jared are already out of high school and halfway through college. Of course, they followed in my footsteps and left high school in their Sophomore and Freshmen years, respectively. But still, time just goes by so fast! So it was great to just hang out with all of them for the week.

Now I'm back in Nashville and busy as ever! In fact, I've gotta run....I have an appointment in 15.

In case you're curious what our course material looks like for the trip, here's a glimpse of our highly confidential reading list:

• The Declaration of Independence
  
• Democracy in America (Alexis de Tocqueville)
• Assassination Vacation (Sarah Vowell)
• Thirteen American Arguments (Howard Fineman)
• I'm a Stranger Here Myself (Bill Bryson)
• On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
• Selected Poems 1885-1892 (Walt Whitman)

....and various articles. So you can see we're going to be busy! In addition to all this reading, we'll write an essay on what it means to be a "Patriotic American Citizen," an essay telling a story from our trip that has the power to change America for the better, as well as a longer research essay on each of our host sites. As I mentioned before, I'm doing in-depth research on the Pacific Northwest, the Grand Canyon, and Boston....so if you have any tidbits of information (or even just childhood memories) of any of these places, please share!
The only stipulation: you must be American :)

Even if you're not American, I'd love to hear your stories anyways....I just can't use them as part of my research.

It's a balmy eve here in Nashville, I hope your neck of the woods is just as beautiful!

a little update....

This week has just been incredibly busy, but in a good sort of way.
Here are just a few of the interesting things in the works:

• 40 Days Across America: this innovative domestic "study abroad" trip has never before been atempted by any university. 11 students. 2 professors. 1 tour bus. 40 states. 40 days. $6,800.
  Yeah ok. So the price is a little steep. But the experience is going to be totally worth it. Right now I'm working on getting corporate sponsorships -- both personally, and for the group if possible. If you know anyone in any industry who might be interested....please let me know!!

• ETP 3000 -- Foundations in Entrepreneurship: I won't lie, this eight-week course gets a little hard to sit through going on hour 3 of the 4-hour Tuesday night session. But overall I have learned an enormous amount about entrepreneurial activities and the business mindset in general. This is my first business class; I just changed my majors last semester from Sociology and French to International Business and Entrepreneurship. So, after 14 years of studying mostly the arts, it's been an interesting and somewhat challenging transition from a Humanities to a Business mindset.
  I'm currently investigating and putting together an analysis of the Public Relations Industry. It's an area I've been interested in for a while, but it's great to really get in and get familiar with how everything works. I'm amazed not only by the complexity of some aspects, but also by the simplicity of others.
  

• Art & Music: I've never had very much of a passion for creative or fine art. I've always appreciated music, but haven't dissected the parts of a finished piece and looked at how they all fit together. It may be that Belmont's fine-arts-driven environment is influencing me; I've just been so inspired lately by paintings, photographs, music, statues, and even poetry (which, that right there is amazing in and of itself -- I've always loathed poetry!)
  Some of my recent favorites: Wynonna, who I saw in concert earlier this week; Jean-Michel Folon, a Belgian painter whose collective work I would describe as "peaceful" (see a few of his works featured in the left column of this blog); Yaël Naïm, a musician who sings beautifully in both French and Hebrew (listen to one of her songs at the top left of this blog); Joshua Bell, an amazing violinist -- his work is just breathtaking; Yannick Noah, a French-Jamaican Reggae pop singer; and various amateur photographers whose work is displayed privately and inconspicuously.

• Seven Futures: Today Erik R. Peterson, Senior Vice President of the Center for Strategic & International Studies -- a Washington D.C. think-tank, spoke at Belmont. His hour long talk focused on the Seven Revolutions that will take place in the next 15 years. The question of the hour: What will the world look like in 2025? Peterson's scientifically- and sociologically-based argument featured seven areas which will undoubtedly help shape the world as we will know it in 2025. These areas include: Population Demographics (developed vs. undeveloped world, global aging, urbanization); Resource Management (Food, Water, Energy); Technology (Computation, Robotics, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology); Data Information & Knowledge (he predicts that by age 38 people will have gone through 10-14 major career changes -- how will we handle acquiring the specialized knowledge for each of those? Also, he stresses the opportunity people the world over will have to "innovate without having to emigrate"); Global Economic Integration; Conflict (Bioterrorism -- there is a high probability of increased conflict, so we need to focus on resilience); and Governance (who will be controlling what?
  It was a highly informative and thought-provoking presentation. If you want to know more about the concept or the agency, visit www.csis.org.
  

• FYI: This little fact kind of jumped out at me during Erik Peterson's talk this morning-- Did you know that the World Health Organization's budget last year was $2.2 billion?
  Last year the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave away $2.3 billion.

• P.S. -- My mom just had oral surgery this morning after being in a lot of pain for about a week....so if you're the praying type, please include her in your prayers! :)