[Mb-hair] segregated is a state of mind

[Sibley Smith]

Dear Katie,

BTW, technically speaking, I'm still officially Southern Baptist ('though I consider myself these days to be more of a Southern "Bupdhist" -- kind of a combination of Southern Baptism, Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, and nudism).  Yep, I was baptised at age 8 at Paradise Baptist Church in the Paradise section of Tioga, and my "letter" of membership, as they call it, should still be in some file at Kingsville Baptist Church -- 'round the corner from Tioga, Bottom-Edge-of-the-Bible-Belt, Louisiana.

Anyway, emphasize to them the power HAIR had in its early days (and still has today) to thwart the bigoted, racist mindset that became so stereotypical of our South (took 'em, what, almost 40 years to finally nail the KKK guy who orchestrated the murder of those Freedom Bus Riders / Civil Rights activists in Mississippi?  Yeah, as in the story behind the movie, "Mississippi Burning").

The words of the black characters in HAIR ("youths," as were Claude, Berger, et al. of the Tribe) express anger and frustration -- their sardonic, sarcastic tone and use of ... "adult" language best expressed that frustration with how slow American society was in being the "all men are created equal" society it purported to be.  It was becoming harder to have the patience of Gandhi, as did the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  One who was polite and always minded his/her manners and language, particularly in the company of white folk, was labeled "Uncle Tom."  And, while an Uncle Tom might help white people feel less threatened by black people, he surely won't cause them to accept blacks fully into their society.

Anyway, ... hippies got the point of this black expression.  Here's a take of mine on male's long hair as a political symbol:  As Jimi Hendrix sang, "Let my Freak Flag fly," and as hippies were also known to themselves as "Freaks," I saw my long hair as being (yes, among other things, too) a symbol that I was a friend of the African American.  Blacks (as were any minority) were treated as if they were freaks by America's established white society.  My long hair meant (to me, anyway) that I was voluntarily being a freak to The Establishment.  I was throwing my lot in with blacks, hispanics, bearded ladies, giants, "little people," yeah, folks usually only relegated to the circus side show, much in the way I see that Claude threw his lot in with the Draftee GIs sent to 'Nam.  Long-Hairs were ostracized and hated by the Establishment no less and maybe more so than were the average black.  No.  I take that back.  I was still white, and I KNOW I had it much easier, hair and all.  But my hair symbolized (to me, anyway), my political opinions run counter to a society that segregates and abuses the rights of select segments of its population, treating them like, ... like freaks.  I wore the Freak Flag.

It was a way of showing my desire for an inclusive community.

And the words of HAIR in its heyday DID spread the "groovy revolution" to so many of us, including certain redneck Joes in the backwoods Tiogas of the deep South.  And while things aren't perfect yet, one's gotta admit, there's been a helluva lot of positive change, since the days of HAIR's Original Broadway Cast production, in the area of Civil Rights.

So, what I'm beating around the bush about is, the argument can be made that the very words voiced, according to the official script, by the black characters in HAIR were words that directly contributed to so many benefits of society that African Americans enjoy today, but that they could not before the heyday of the countercultural "revolution," the "Days of Hope and Rage," the days of HAIR.  Rado and Ragni's words in HAIR ought be respected as your new friends respect the Gospel.  

Can I get off this damn soap box now?

With love,

Tioga

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Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2005 01:36:10 +0000
From: "Katie Kasben" <katiekasben at hotmail.com>

Bless you Tioga Joe,

I found a center in the projects today and went to talk to their director.
so, i met about 5 African American singers from a local church..

which brings me to an issue that may only apply in the bible belt where I 
live.

Most of the black actor/singers belong to pretty intense churches.
That equals an awesome choir and also a pretty dogmatic sense of 
christianity.
pentacostal...Southern Baptist...
say no more.

I don't want to take out "emanci-mother-fuckin'-pator of the 
slaves"...that's one of my favourite lines.  punches you in the gut and 
makes you feel good about it.

advice?


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