(written 7/18/2016)
In a small town in the rolling hills of the southern US, there is a no-named hub in an unusual place. The setting is a man's back yard, and upon approaching, it looks like nothing more than an enclosed tool shed. A small gravel driveway leads up to it, with the only decoration on the outside being the green grass around it and "Not Open To The Public" plastered on the door with stick-on letters. However, looks can be deceiving.
When you walk in, the smell of cigarette smoke and cooking meat hits you right away. Inside this tool shed haven there is one long table with dim overhead lighting complete with rolling chairs to sit in. There are usually a few patrons sitting around awaiting their orders and making use of the ashtrays on the table. The sound and smell of grease are prominent also, making you hungry even if you weren't upon arrival. Right beside the dinner table, there is a pool table complete with plenty of cues and the same dim overhead lighting. Men play and shoot the breeze, telling stories about their kids, wives, farms, or whatever happens to be going on in the town. Along the remaining walls are one big screen TV which only plays footage from the security cameras outside, and gambling machines which the men indulge in for as long as they have money, some even to the point of driving home to get more. There is no actual name for the place since it is not actually a restaurant, but those in the know simply call it "Alvin's."
Alvin is a small man with a big voice and can be found in the section of the building he has closed in for a kitchen. There is a small half-door that he comes out of to sit, talk, and smoke, attached to a cut-out where he takes orders. There is no coming to the table to take an order. When you arrive, you sit down and he yells from the kitchen to ask what you want. When you get around to it, you can grab a soda or water from one of his fridges. He does, however, bring the food to you when it is ready on delightfully mismatched real plates, probably acquired throughout his years of cooking.
The food will rival any burger joint and most likely win. Everything is real and dripping with goodness. The cheeseburgers are served on Texas Toast, crisped up on the same griddle Alvin fixes everything on. They are melty, juicy, and fantastic, complete with a big choice of toppings. At any time of day, you can get burger and fries, steak, chicken wings, and even breakfast (provided that you don't mind ham, fried eggs, and fried potatoes). The steaks hang off the plate and could feed two city folks or one of the men that frequents Alvin's. The breakfast looks perfect for something of substance right before you go work on the farm all day (or after you come back). As one of the men said in his smoke-induced gravely voice, "The best time to have breakfast is in the afternoon."
The company, though, is what is really the heart of Alvin's. Once word gets out that he has fired up the kitchen for the day, the "usuals" come rolling in for whatever he has cooking. Some run in for a good quick bite, while some stay for hours, burning through a pack or more of cigarettes and a dozen or more stories. On a Friday or Saturday night, you can find the majority of the town's 300 people dropping in at some point or another. And if you don't know the town gossip when you get there, you sure will when you leave. The place may give off a very macho vibe, but real country girls can hold their own. While many of the clientele are male, one regular says women frequent there too. However, he did add "Just not many ladies."
A well-kept secret to outsiders, but a common hangout spot for people in the know. Places like Alvin's are what keep small towns buzzing and their hearts beating. Just a small part of the quirky wonder that is small-town America.
"We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" - The Doctor
1.22.2018
Y'all
(written 8/25/2016)
Being the proud Southerner that I am, "y'all" is a word that find its way into my vocabulary often, and I hold no shame in that. I know there are those out there with the opinion that it is just an uneducated lazy hillbilly's way to keep from taking the necessary strain it would obviously to say "you all." I am here to say plainly and clearly: That dog just won't hunt.
"Y'all" is a word that, if used properly and with an authentic accent, tells you immediately that you are talking to a fellow Southerner. No matter what region of the South you are from, the mountains to the bayou to the beaches, we all use "y'all." It is something we, as a region and a people, share as a whole. It is a sort-of code word, and with all these retired damn yankees infiltrating us, one can never be too careful.
The word can hold a lot of different connotations. There is nothing more hospitable than someone standing on a porch saying "Y'all come on in." Those of us that grew up with the Clampetts remember them standing outside their Beverly Hills mansion and waving, exclaiming "Y'all come back now, ya hear?" Now not all of us have wild critters in the house and the cement pond, nor do we pass food with pool cues. That's a soapbox for another day. However, no one can argue that the Clampett family were some of the most hospitable people those Californians ever came across. Along the same lines, there is also nothing scarier than a Southern mama yelling "Y'all better get in here RIGHT NOW!" You can use it for a small group or, with a slight addition of "all" before it, you can address a larger crowd, as in "all y'all yankees sure do love moving down here, don't ya?" There is no sense in not using a word with so many well-rounded uses.
As I stated before, "y'all" is indicative to the Southern region of the US. Some have tried to replicate it, to no avail. Therefore, the same rich and rowdy history that lies behind the glory of the South lies behind our language also. Southerners are a proud people, whether you agree with us or not. There is an attitude, an air, that comes along with being a proud son or daughter of below the Mason Dixon line. We embrace our quirks and our craziness, and why shouldn't we? It is the paintbrush with which our history is painted.
Y'all. It is so much more than a word. It is a point of unity for a people. It knows no gender, race, religion, financial situation, etc. It is a reminder of where we are from, no matter where we are going. Whether big city or small town, whether mountain or mole hill, "y'all" is there.
Being the proud Southerner that I am, "y'all" is a word that find its way into my vocabulary often, and I hold no shame in that. I know there are those out there with the opinion that it is just an uneducated lazy hillbilly's way to keep from taking the necessary strain it would obviously to say "you all." I am here to say plainly and clearly: That dog just won't hunt.
"Y'all" is a word that, if used properly and with an authentic accent, tells you immediately that you are talking to a fellow Southerner. No matter what region of the South you are from, the mountains to the bayou to the beaches, we all use "y'all." It is something we, as a region and a people, share as a whole. It is a sort-of code word, and with all these retired damn yankees infiltrating us, one can never be too careful.
The word can hold a lot of different connotations. There is nothing more hospitable than someone standing on a porch saying "Y'all come on in." Those of us that grew up with the Clampetts remember them standing outside their Beverly Hills mansion and waving, exclaiming "Y'all come back now, ya hear?" Now not all of us have wild critters in the house and the cement pond, nor do we pass food with pool cues. That's a soapbox for another day. However, no one can argue that the Clampett family were some of the most hospitable people those Californians ever came across. Along the same lines, there is also nothing scarier than a Southern mama yelling "Y'all better get in here RIGHT NOW!" You can use it for a small group or, with a slight addition of "all" before it, you can address a larger crowd, as in "all y'all yankees sure do love moving down here, don't ya?" There is no sense in not using a word with so many well-rounded uses.
As I stated before, "y'all" is indicative to the Southern region of the US. Some have tried to replicate it, to no avail. Therefore, the same rich and rowdy history that lies behind the glory of the South lies behind our language also. Southerners are a proud people, whether you agree with us or not. There is an attitude, an air, that comes along with being a proud son or daughter of below the Mason Dixon line. We embrace our quirks and our craziness, and why shouldn't we? It is the paintbrush with which our history is painted.
Y'all. It is so much more than a word. It is a point of unity for a people. It knows no gender, race, religion, financial situation, etc. It is a reminder of where we are from, no matter where we are going. Whether big city or small town, whether mountain or mole hill, "y'all" is there.
7 Things I Have Learned From Showing Livestock
(written 1/26/2016)
I am 25 years old and I have been showing cattle since I was in 6th grade. My family and I raise and show (yes, still) Shorthorn cattle, along with being active in my high school's FFA Alumni Association, and providing juniors with cattle to show when needed. Before my debut in the show ring as a young tot, I had been around animals and farms. My grandma and grandpa, with whom I spent most weekday afternoons, owned a small herd of crossbred cattle. Ever since I can remember, I was involved in working cattle, feeding cattle, checking on babies and (my least favorite activity) hauling hay.
I've always had some idea of how much work a farm is, especially one with animals. As I grew up ( and became stronger) my duties became more serious. I went from bottle-feeding babies to helping pull them, and from riding in the truck with my grandma when we hauled hay, to pitching square bales onto the trailer. As I have grown, so has my knowledge and ability with cattle and the showing industry. We have grown from one black- baldy heifer to a herd of Shorthorn and Shorthorn Pluses we are extremely proud of. My eyes were open to so many aspects of the cattle industry once I started showing, along with opportunities. I love the stock show life, and it is a big part of who I am. I am still learning all the time, but here are 6 things I learned from showing livestock so far.
1. Your limits will be tested.
And I mean all of them. You limits with cold, with heat, with patience...the list goes on and on. Speaking as someone who has a hard time getting up to make it to work on time, even your limits with sleep. I can't tell you how many mornings I have gotten up well before the sun even considers coming up, for the sake of a livestock show. And, somehow, I am better at getting up for those than for work. As much as I hate to admit it, there is nothing quite like seeing the sun come up from a barn full of cattle. There will be times you are exhausted, sore, and frustrated, but still have to go in the ring one more time with a stone face. I didn't truly know the meaning of "don't give up" until livestock showing came into my life.
2. How to change clothes anywhere.
I mean ANYWHERE. In the trailer, in a tiny bathroom, in the cab of a truck, and even in the middle of the barn with just a blanket blocking the view (a technique my friend Kristina perfected). You have to work with what you have.
3. Showing is a family affair.
I could probably do a whole separate post on this point alone. Not only has livestock showing kept my family close, but we have gained so many family members over the years. My dad always says we don't have friends, we have a big stock show family, and there is so much truth in that. We all take care of each other and have each other's backs like a family. Even when we compete against each other, we are happy when the other wins and we leave the competition in the ring, and I think that is the element that more young people showing these days are sadly missing out on. They are so worried about winning and beating a specific person or farm, they forget about the comradery. There is nothing wrong with being competitive (coming from a competitive person), but it should be to improve yourself and do your best, not to be better than someone else. The aforementioned friend, Kristina, taught me the basic knowledge about showmanship when I was starting out, and our families became travelling buddies. She has always been and always will be a big sister to me, and her son is my nephew, which she is raising up in the farm/stock show lifestyle. There have been many other people and families over the years I have grown extremely close to, and I have stated many times that I can't imagine the wonderful people I would've miss out on getting to know if I hadn't started showing.
4. First impressions can be wrong.
People always say that first impressions say a lot about a person. That may be true, but it doesn't mean they are always correct. There has been more than once that my first impressions about people can be wrong. There is a guy I have shown against since the beginning when we were wee tikes in junior showmanship. At first, I thought he was snobbish and considered himself better than everyone else. This was mostly based on what I had heard from other people. However, we struck up a friendship that has lasted until this day. I soon found out he was funny, smart, and helpful. We don't talk as much as we did in our high school days, he is busy with his cattle operation, marriage, and precious daughter. However, I know that if I needed anything to this day, he would do his best to help me.
On another hand, I have also had a good first impression about people that was proven wrong. There have been people that have acted like my friend, only for me to later find that they had stabbed me in the back. I have been used and fooled because they gave the impression they were honest, good-intentioned people.
5. You can't control everything.
Whether it's my heifer coming into heat on show day, placing behind an animal I know I shouldn't lose to, or blowing a tire on the trailer, there are many things in this world and the stock show universe I just can't control. Sometimes, no matter how much I work with an animal, it will act up in the ring or not set up right. Sometimes, there is equipment malfunctions or your mom forgets the notebook that contains the registration and health papers. Sometimes, no matter how hard I work or how proud I am of my animals, I don't come home with the prize. There are things that won't go right and won't go as planned. You have to just dust yourself off, take a deep breath, and keep going.
6. It gets in your blood.
There is no doubt that livestock showing is a huge part of my life. It sparked my interest in the cattle industry, and my love for agriculture. There are so many things I can relate back to livestock showing. My phone case has a heifer pattern on it, half of my wardrobe is show-related, and every pair of jeans I buy I think "can I wear these to show in?" When I am bored, I search online sales or new bulls to breed to. I attempt to watch at least one episode of any show I can find about animals, farms, or fairs. I look forward to the next show, wherever it may be, at least one month (probably more) in advance. I have my favorite shows and my not-so-favorites, and I look forward to "fair season" like people look forward to football season. I can tell you what the perfect showing weather is, and where the best and worst barns are in the state. I get antsy when I go too long without showing, and plan stock show trips like most people plan vacations. I display pictures of my cattle like they are my children. I guess you could say I live for this stuff.
7. (And probably the most important) It's all worth it.
All the early mornings, late nights, blood, sweat, tears, sore muscles, time spent, money spent, hard work, high points, and low points...all of it. It's all worth it, and I guarantee you I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I am 25 years old and I have been showing cattle since I was in 6th grade. My family and I raise and show (yes, still) Shorthorn cattle, along with being active in my high school's FFA Alumni Association, and providing juniors with cattle to show when needed. Before my debut in the show ring as a young tot, I had been around animals and farms. My grandma and grandpa, with whom I spent most weekday afternoons, owned a small herd of crossbred cattle. Ever since I can remember, I was involved in working cattle, feeding cattle, checking on babies and (my least favorite activity) hauling hay.
I've always had some idea of how much work a farm is, especially one with animals. As I grew up ( and became stronger) my duties became more serious. I went from bottle-feeding babies to helping pull them, and from riding in the truck with my grandma when we hauled hay, to pitching square bales onto the trailer. As I have grown, so has my knowledge and ability with cattle and the showing industry. We have grown from one black- baldy heifer to a herd of Shorthorn and Shorthorn Pluses we are extremely proud of. My eyes were open to so many aspects of the cattle industry once I started showing, along with opportunities. I love the stock show life, and it is a big part of who I am. I am still learning all the time, but here are 6 things I learned from showing livestock so far.
1. Your limits will be tested.
And I mean all of them. You limits with cold, with heat, with patience...the list goes on and on. Speaking as someone who has a hard time getting up to make it to work on time, even your limits with sleep. I can't tell you how many mornings I have gotten up well before the sun even considers coming up, for the sake of a livestock show. And, somehow, I am better at getting up for those than for work. As much as I hate to admit it, there is nothing quite like seeing the sun come up from a barn full of cattle. There will be times you are exhausted, sore, and frustrated, but still have to go in the ring one more time with a stone face. I didn't truly know the meaning of "don't give up" until livestock showing came into my life.
2. How to change clothes anywhere.
I mean ANYWHERE. In the trailer, in a tiny bathroom, in the cab of a truck, and even in the middle of the barn with just a blanket blocking the view (a technique my friend Kristina perfected). You have to work with what you have.
3. Showing is a family affair.
I could probably do a whole separate post on this point alone. Not only has livestock showing kept my family close, but we have gained so many family members over the years. My dad always says we don't have friends, we have a big stock show family, and there is so much truth in that. We all take care of each other and have each other's backs like a family. Even when we compete against each other, we are happy when the other wins and we leave the competition in the ring, and I think that is the element that more young people showing these days are sadly missing out on. They are so worried about winning and beating a specific person or farm, they forget about the comradery. There is nothing wrong with being competitive (coming from a competitive person), but it should be to improve yourself and do your best, not to be better than someone else. The aforementioned friend, Kristina, taught me the basic knowledge about showmanship when I was starting out, and our families became travelling buddies. She has always been and always will be a big sister to me, and her son is my nephew, which she is raising up in the farm/stock show lifestyle. There have been many other people and families over the years I have grown extremely close to, and I have stated many times that I can't imagine the wonderful people I would've miss out on getting to know if I hadn't started showing.
4. First impressions can be wrong.
People always say that first impressions say a lot about a person. That may be true, but it doesn't mean they are always correct. There has been more than once that my first impressions about people can be wrong. There is a guy I have shown against since the beginning when we were wee tikes in junior showmanship. At first, I thought he was snobbish and considered himself better than everyone else. This was mostly based on what I had heard from other people. However, we struck up a friendship that has lasted until this day. I soon found out he was funny, smart, and helpful. We don't talk as much as we did in our high school days, he is busy with his cattle operation, marriage, and precious daughter. However, I know that if I needed anything to this day, he would do his best to help me.
On another hand, I have also had a good first impression about people that was proven wrong. There have been people that have acted like my friend, only for me to later find that they had stabbed me in the back. I have been used and fooled because they gave the impression they were honest, good-intentioned people.
5. You can't control everything.
Whether it's my heifer coming into heat on show day, placing behind an animal I know I shouldn't lose to, or blowing a tire on the trailer, there are many things in this world and the stock show universe I just can't control. Sometimes, no matter how much I work with an animal, it will act up in the ring or not set up right. Sometimes, there is equipment malfunctions or your mom forgets the notebook that contains the registration and health papers. Sometimes, no matter how hard I work or how proud I am of my animals, I don't come home with the prize. There are things that won't go right and won't go as planned. You have to just dust yourself off, take a deep breath, and keep going.
6. It gets in your blood.
There is no doubt that livestock showing is a huge part of my life. It sparked my interest in the cattle industry, and my love for agriculture. There are so many things I can relate back to livestock showing. My phone case has a heifer pattern on it, half of my wardrobe is show-related, and every pair of jeans I buy I think "can I wear these to show in?" When I am bored, I search online sales or new bulls to breed to. I attempt to watch at least one episode of any show I can find about animals, farms, or fairs. I look forward to the next show, wherever it may be, at least one month (probably more) in advance. I have my favorite shows and my not-so-favorites, and I look forward to "fair season" like people look forward to football season. I can tell you what the perfect showing weather is, and where the best and worst barns are in the state. I get antsy when I go too long without showing, and plan stock show trips like most people plan vacations. I display pictures of my cattle like they are my children. I guess you could say I live for this stuff.
7. (And probably the most important) It's all worth it.
All the early mornings, late nights, blood, sweat, tears, sore muscles, time spent, money spent, hard work, high points, and low points...all of it. It's all worth it, and I guarantee you I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Fightin' the System Like a True Modern Day Robin Hood
(written 7/6/2015)
I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie
I thought I would stay silent about certain issues, and let them blow over as they usually do. However, it doesn't seem to be going away (at least down here), and, like the good Southerner that I am, I must give my opinion like people are actually listening.
The Confederate Flag, at its beginning, was a symbol of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. To many of us still residing below the Mason-Dixon line, it is still just that...a symbol of the South. The flag has been a part of our lives for so long, whether you were watching old Westerns or the Dukes of Hazzard. It is a small representation of where we are from, just like sweet tea or our special way of cooking (catfish and hush puppies, grits, etc), and we take pride in all aspects of our heritage. After all, "no self-respecting Southerner uses instant grits."
The Civil War is part of that heritage. Many, yes, just see us as bitter tobacco-chewing rednecks that sit on our porches barefoot talking about the South rising again as our stars and bars curtains blow in the summer breeze. The parts don't always make the whole, however. For every person like that, there is a girl watching Gone With the Wind for the first time and dreaming of being Scarlett O'Hara. There were so many different aspects to the time when the Confederacy was alive. It was a time where we were united as a group, and we stood up for ourselves and our rights. The Civil War was not just about ending slavery. In fact, while slavery played a part, most of the reason for the Civil War can be contributed to economic differences and a difference in opinion about government. Look it up.
The Swastika, what many including myself view as a symbol of genocide and racism, was a symbol of peace and harmony prior to World War II. The word itself means basically "to be good" in Sanskrit and is a sacred symbol used many places in Indian culture, Hinduism, and Buddhism. However, the meaning of this symbol has been changed forever. Symbols have different meanings to different people, they represent different ideas and evoke different emotions depending on the viewer's ideals.
Banning the Swastika was not going to stop Hitler from killing Jews, because he was a sick, twisted, and evil individual. Banning the Confederate Flag is not going to stop violence, because it was a sick, twisted, evil individual that killed those people in South Carolina.
The tragedies that occurred in that church are just that. It saddens and angers me that there is still hate like that going on in the world, and especially in the United States. However, that ONE individual does not represent the whole, as with all madmen. There are still those of us in the South that want harmony and understanding, and to leave the past right where it is. And banning a flag won't change that either. There is hate and racism in our past, but that is only part. And, as a people, we have come a long way since then. For those non-white Southerners flashing the race card, that flag is a symbol of your heritage too, and how long and hard your ancestors fought to get you where you are today. Why not let it be a symbol of that? A symbol of a people, a proud people, white and black alike.
Horror Stories Aren't Just For TV
(written 3/26/2015)
Nuns, demonic possession, a serial killer, and failed experiments on human subjects were just a few plot twists that glued viewers to American Horror Story: Asylum.
In the second installment of the award-winning series, the writers of American Horror Story take us to Briarcliff Manor in the mid-1960s, a place to house and treat the mentally ill and criminally insane. If the setting alone wasn't enough to give goosebumps, the patients endure even more insanity.
Several patients are put in solitary confinement or strapped to beds. One character, young journalist Lana Winters, is institutionalized for being a lesbian, and suffers through methods to "cure her" such as "reform" treatment involving the naked male form to train her brain to think straight, and even electroshock therapy, where electric pulses are sent to the brain in order to "restart" it as the patient gets a jolt, some powerful enough to send them into seizures. Another character, accused of murder and later discovered to be a sexual abuse victim, has her legs amputated for causing trouble and being caught having sex with another patient. Finally, there is Dr. Arden, a former Nazi who performs experiments on the patients in hopes of creating a sort of "super human" by injecting them with a cocktail of tuberculosis and syphilis. Instead, this creates diseased mutants.
The circumstances that unfold in Asylum seem severe and far-fetched, but what if they weren't so far out there? What if the abuse seen in the show is not a completely fictional concept in the mind of show creator Ryan Murphy? What if some of the things we shudder at from out couches actually happened?
Asylums are places the mentally unstable can go to receive treatment for their conditions. However, in the 1960s and prior, these institutions were not always known for their impeccable care of such individuals, which were usually dumped by families who didn't know how to care for them or didn't want to. Ryan Murphy stated in an article from Progressive Pulse that he was both obsessed with and inspired by the story of the Willowbrook State School.
Willowbrok was a state-supported institution for children with intellectual disabilities. At one point, they housed about 2,000 patients more than their capacity, and held a reputation for being a sort of warehouse for New York City's mentally ill. Eventually, reports arose of an outbreak of hepatitis. With no known cure, doctors and staff members began to feed live viruses to both the healthy and disabled children, hoping that seeing how the disease developed would help to stop it. Instead, it only spread faster.
Then, in 1972, a young Geraldo Rivera busted the doors of Willowbrook wide open with a series of investigations called Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace, a situation that is revisited in Asylum when Lana Winters does the same with Briarcliff. Rivera exposed the overcrowding, poor sanitation, and physical and sexual abuse at Willowbrook, opening the country's eyes to what was really going on and leading to the institution's closing.
Willowbrook was not the only one of its kind, though. Asylums across the United States and across the world used appalling methods for the sake of "treatment." Hydrotherapy was a method of treatment involving continuous bathing, sometimes for hours or overnight. Soaking in hot water was used to treat conditions like insomnia, and sprays with cold water were used to treat depression. Electroshock therapy and insulin coma therapy, where the patient was injected with insulin until they were sent into a coma, were also common. In a documentary about Pennhurst Asylum, Bill Baldini reports that the staff would inject the bully patients with whatever would cause them the most discomfort without permanently hurting them. Perhaps the "granddaddy of them all," however, was the lobotomy. This procedure, said to have been perfected at Danvers State Lunatic Asylum, involved a small ice pick inserted into the brain through eyeball, intended to reset the frontal lobe, where most believed mental problems came from. While there were some positive results, the huge majority ended up as vegetables.
Many of the problems with asylums in this era stemmed from lack of funding, which affected the conditions of the actual building along with money for treatment and proper care. Many individuals were neglected and even abused. With the founding of organizations like the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and a drastic change in both medical advances and healthcare, many asylums were closed by the 1980s. Many of the buildings still stand, and most are rumored to be haunted by those that never truly left, the unwanted and unstable.
Nuns, demonic possession, a serial killer, and failed experiments on human subjects were just a few plot twists that glued viewers to American Horror Story: Asylum.
In the second installment of the award-winning series, the writers of American Horror Story take us to Briarcliff Manor in the mid-1960s, a place to house and treat the mentally ill and criminally insane. If the setting alone wasn't enough to give goosebumps, the patients endure even more insanity.
Several patients are put in solitary confinement or strapped to beds. One character, young journalist Lana Winters, is institutionalized for being a lesbian, and suffers through methods to "cure her" such as "reform" treatment involving the naked male form to train her brain to think straight, and even electroshock therapy, where electric pulses are sent to the brain in order to "restart" it as the patient gets a jolt, some powerful enough to send them into seizures. Another character, accused of murder and later discovered to be a sexual abuse victim, has her legs amputated for causing trouble and being caught having sex with another patient. Finally, there is Dr. Arden, a former Nazi who performs experiments on the patients in hopes of creating a sort of "super human" by injecting them with a cocktail of tuberculosis and syphilis. Instead, this creates diseased mutants.
The circumstances that unfold in Asylum seem severe and far-fetched, but what if they weren't so far out there? What if the abuse seen in the show is not a completely fictional concept in the mind of show creator Ryan Murphy? What if some of the things we shudder at from out couches actually happened?
Asylums are places the mentally unstable can go to receive treatment for their conditions. However, in the 1960s and prior, these institutions were not always known for their impeccable care of such individuals, which were usually dumped by families who didn't know how to care for them or didn't want to. Ryan Murphy stated in an article from Progressive Pulse that he was both obsessed with and inspired by the story of the Willowbrook State School.
Willowbrok was a state-supported institution for children with intellectual disabilities. At one point, they housed about 2,000 patients more than their capacity, and held a reputation for being a sort of warehouse for New York City's mentally ill. Eventually, reports arose of an outbreak of hepatitis. With no known cure, doctors and staff members began to feed live viruses to both the healthy and disabled children, hoping that seeing how the disease developed would help to stop it. Instead, it only spread faster.
Then, in 1972, a young Geraldo Rivera busted the doors of Willowbrook wide open with a series of investigations called Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace, a situation that is revisited in Asylum when Lana Winters does the same with Briarcliff. Rivera exposed the overcrowding, poor sanitation, and physical and sexual abuse at Willowbrook, opening the country's eyes to what was really going on and leading to the institution's closing.
Willowbrook was not the only one of its kind, though. Asylums across the United States and across the world used appalling methods for the sake of "treatment." Hydrotherapy was a method of treatment involving continuous bathing, sometimes for hours or overnight. Soaking in hot water was used to treat conditions like insomnia, and sprays with cold water were used to treat depression. Electroshock therapy and insulin coma therapy, where the patient was injected with insulin until they were sent into a coma, were also common. In a documentary about Pennhurst Asylum, Bill Baldini reports that the staff would inject the bully patients with whatever would cause them the most discomfort without permanently hurting them. Perhaps the "granddaddy of them all," however, was the lobotomy. This procedure, said to have been perfected at Danvers State Lunatic Asylum, involved a small ice pick inserted into the brain through eyeball, intended to reset the frontal lobe, where most believed mental problems came from. While there were some positive results, the huge majority ended up as vegetables.
Many of the problems with asylums in this era stemmed from lack of funding, which affected the conditions of the actual building along with money for treatment and proper care. Many individuals were neglected and even abused. With the founding of organizations like the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and a drastic change in both medical advances and healthcare, many asylums were closed by the 1980s. Many of the buildings still stand, and most are rumored to be haunted by those that never truly left, the unwanted and unstable.
Dear Glee...
(written 2/10/2015)
I applaud Glee for addressing the transgender crowd. It is an issue that is not just controversial, but one that is becoming more and more dominant in today's society. The struggle of these individuals is terrible and very real. They need love, no matter what your beliefs are on whether it is right or wrong. I have heard so many stories about LGBT people getting bullied and it saddens me so much.
However, the point of this post is to talk about a choice the SHOW made, not the transgender community. I don't watch Glee anymore, I stopped even semi-watching it after Finn died, not because I ever disagreed with the show or what they addressed in it, but just lack of time and access to keep up with it.
I saw an article online previewing an episode of Glee where Unique sings the song (along with a 200-person transgender choir) sings a song to Coach Bieste in encouragement for her transition. Great message. Great concept. My problem is the song choice. Unique will be singing "I Know Where I've Been" from the musical Hairspray. I love this musical, of which the main theme is overcoming prejudice, whether it be because of color or because of size. For those who don't know, this particular song is at a point in the musical where the black characters, along with some of the white ones, decide to march in protest of the segregation and prejudice they are witnessing in their own city. It is powerful and uplifting, and every time I hear it, I get choked up.
This episode of Glee certainly deserves a song that is both powerful and uplifting. I just don't think this is the one. I know there are similarities. Both have seen prejudice, even violence. Both are hoping for brighter days, have overcome so many obstacles, and both fought for their rights and are still fighting. The actor that plays Unique said "This isn't about tolerance, it's about coming home and coming home to who you really are -- and who you're meant to be and who you're meant to be with." But, that is not what the point of this song is at all. It is not about coming back to who you are and who you are meant to be, the people in the musical knew who they were. They were trying to overcome centuries of slavery, violence, and being turned away and looked at as less human because of the color of their skin. It wasn't about tolerance, either. It is saying not only what they have been through, but what generations before them have suffered. They know where they are going, and they will not sit still, because they know where they have been and they won't go back.
I know this all sounds very similar to the struggle of transgender individuals, but the problem of mine lies in the downplay of the song. Yes, it is encouraging to those going through change and trying to overcome what the outside world throws at them. But I Know Where I've Been represents the entire Civil Rights Movement. It represents a time and a history, a powerful and sad one. I think Glee has downplayed this aspect of it, remembering the point and the purpose behind not only the song but the production. It is a different time now, and a different place. Different circumstances.
I am a white, straight, female. I will not dare to even pretend that I know all the struggles both these groups of people go through. My heart goes out to both. This post isn't about them. This is just my view on a show's, in my thoughts, poor song choice. And, like everything else here, simply my opinion.
I applaud Glee for addressing the transgender crowd. It is an issue that is not just controversial, but one that is becoming more and more dominant in today's society. The struggle of these individuals is terrible and very real. They need love, no matter what your beliefs are on whether it is right or wrong. I have heard so many stories about LGBT people getting bullied and it saddens me so much.
However, the point of this post is to talk about a choice the SHOW made, not the transgender community. I don't watch Glee anymore, I stopped even semi-watching it after Finn died, not because I ever disagreed with the show or what they addressed in it, but just lack of time and access to keep up with it.
I saw an article online previewing an episode of Glee where Unique sings the song (along with a 200-person transgender choir) sings a song to Coach Bieste in encouragement for her transition. Great message. Great concept. My problem is the song choice. Unique will be singing "I Know Where I've Been" from the musical Hairspray. I love this musical, of which the main theme is overcoming prejudice, whether it be because of color or because of size. For those who don't know, this particular song is at a point in the musical where the black characters, along with some of the white ones, decide to march in protest of the segregation and prejudice they are witnessing in their own city. It is powerful and uplifting, and every time I hear it, I get choked up.
This episode of Glee certainly deserves a song that is both powerful and uplifting. I just don't think this is the one. I know there are similarities. Both have seen prejudice, even violence. Both are hoping for brighter days, have overcome so many obstacles, and both fought for their rights and are still fighting. The actor that plays Unique said "This isn't about tolerance, it's about coming home and coming home to who you really are -- and who you're meant to be and who you're meant to be with." But, that is not what the point of this song is at all. It is not about coming back to who you are and who you are meant to be, the people in the musical knew who they were. They were trying to overcome centuries of slavery, violence, and being turned away and looked at as less human because of the color of their skin. It wasn't about tolerance, either. It is saying not only what they have been through, but what generations before them have suffered. They know where they are going, and they will not sit still, because they know where they have been and they won't go back.
I know this all sounds very similar to the struggle of transgender individuals, but the problem of mine lies in the downplay of the song. Yes, it is encouraging to those going through change and trying to overcome what the outside world throws at them. But I Know Where I've Been represents the entire Civil Rights Movement. It represents a time and a history, a powerful and sad one. I think Glee has downplayed this aspect of it, remembering the point and the purpose behind not only the song but the production. It is a different time now, and a different place. Different circumstances.
I am a white, straight, female. I will not dare to even pretend that I know all the struggles both these groups of people go through. My heart goes out to both. This post isn't about them. This is just my view on a show's, in my thoughts, poor song choice. And, like everything else here, simply my opinion.
There's a light in the darkness
Though the night is black as my skin
There's a light burning bright
Showing me the way
But I know where I've been
Though the night is black as my skin
There's a light burning bright
Showing me the way
But I know where I've been
There's a cry in the distance
It's a voice that comes from deep within
There's a cry asking why
I pray the answer's up ahead, yeah
'Cause I know where I've been
It's a voice that comes from deep within
There's a cry asking why
I pray the answer's up ahead, yeah
'Cause I know where I've been
There's a road we've been traveling
Lost so many on the way
But the riches will be plenty
Worth the price, the price we had to pay
Lost so many on the way
But the riches will be plenty
Worth the price, the price we had to pay
There's a dream in the future
There's a struggle that we have yet to win
And there's pride in my heart
'Cause I know where I'm going, yes, I do
And I know where I've been, yeah
There's a struggle that we have yet to win
And there's pride in my heart
'Cause I know where I'm going, yes, I do
And I know where I've been, yeah
(There's a road) There's a road (we must travel) we must travel
(There's a promise) There's a promise (we must make) we must make
(But the riches) But (will be plenty) the riches will be plenty
(Worth the risk) Worth the risk (and the chances) and the chances that we take
(There's a promise) There's a promise (we must make) we must make
(But the riches) But (will be plenty) the riches will be plenty
(Worth the risk) Worth the risk (and the chances) and the chances that we take
There's a dream in the future
There's a struggle that we have yet to win
Use that pride in our hearts to lift us up to tomorrow
'Cause just to sit still would be a sin
There's a struggle that we have yet to win
Use that pride in our hearts to lift us up to tomorrow
'Cause just to sit still would be a sin
(I know it, I know it, I know where I'm going)
Lord knows I know where I've been
(Oh, when we win, I'll give thanks to my God
'Cause I know where I've been)
Lord knows I know where I've been
(Oh, when we win, I'll give thanks to my God
'Cause I know where I've been)
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