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| The subject of "Southern melancholy" -- that is, melancholy particular to the psyche or consciousness of the American South has been something on my mind, and the more I reflect on it, the more I recognize it is an incredibly complicated topic with deep roots that are difficult to examine. But I am going to describe what I think makes it distinct to this region I live and grew up in. I make no apologies on the length of this essay, also I've included many statistic maps, and there are more listed in the footnotes.
First, Some History
It seems fitting to begin with history and a consideration that the South is the only region of America since the Revolutionary War to have been occupied by a standing army. The Civil War, long ago as it was, was a terrible, brutal war that killed more Americans than any other, and it was fought almost exclusively in the South. As General Sherman marched through Georgia and conducted his "scorched earth" strategy, the Union soldiers destroyed everything in their path. A people with a strong sense of family honor and pride felt the humiliation of defeat for generations, and thus began the slow, painful process of trying to rebuild. Violent racial division plagued the region for more than a century and the Reconstruction, largely regarded today as a failure, and did little to restore any prior level of prosperity. The war itself was responsible to instilling a certain bitterness in the southern culture which lingered. Having the battle in their home territory, this legacy of bitterness, and the ultimate loss naturally resulted in Southerners reflecting on that war more than Northerners.
One might say the South was built on an Agricultural system, but really that's just what evolves instead of an industrialized system when the population is dispersed over a large region. The farmers of the South, like anywhere else, were often poor and had to borrow money and pray for a decent crop. My grandfather told me what it was like taking the hard-earned cotton crop to market only to find prices diminished and feel lucky just to break even. The South during the Civil War mistakenly thought it could get Europe to intervene on its behalf if they stopped trading cotton with them. This was known as "King Cotton" diplomacy, but Europe and Great Britain just found other sources. And finally once the war was over, with the loss of slave labor the South was no longer in a unique position to have an advantage and it never regained that position in international trade.
A Quick De-Mystifying of the South
With that history in mind, it ought to be said that the South is probably the most misunderstood region of America, but rarely lives up to its stereotypes. In the Antebellum South some did make fortunes off the backs of free labor, but widespread poverty has always plagued the region from lack of economy and slow growth. The romanticized image needs to be shattered as well -- the South where properly-mannered gentlemen sat on white, columned porches with paper fans sipping mint juleps was gone generations ago.
In the Southern culture there's a conflict -- there's the understandable element of shame toward the darker moments in our history, but at the same time racial tension is not the only element of the Southern character. Perhaps to truly understand the "Southern character" one had to grow up here as a child -- an outsider can comprehend the accent, customs, music, beliefs and the eccentric people that often live in this individualistic region; but there's a sum total element which is "in the blood." If it's in you, then you feel this "conflict" that an outsider doesn't experience, and you recognize clearly when the Old South is passing away. It can be the death of people who know local history and folklore, the cow pastures that are turned into strip malls to the point where every town looks the same, native people trying to "overcome" their Southern accent or the general homogenization of culture which is taking place around the world and is slowly creeping into the most remote recesses of the South. To me it's never been about a flag, or race for that matter.
Southern culture and life, imperfect as it is, it did at one time provide a settled world and a certain standard of society. This slowness is part of a larger romanticism which at its heart has both a longing for, and living in the past. The "idealized South" may be considered a "high point" from which we have been in a slow, painful process of disintegration and decay ever since. This is mixed with an ever-present history that's about defeat and loss of honor. Southern personal identity was associated with strong family identity, and an honorable family name. Honor, like respect is not just something a man can give to himself, its dependent on others -- and in the face of such society-wide humiliation as war it's nearly impossible.
Obvious Culprits: Poverty, Low Education, Poor Health and Environmental Pollution
As I mentioned earlier, poverty, at least for many in the South is an accepted part of life. While poverty is much more widespread in the South [1,2], this is an incomplete picture.
To make this worse, often forms of assistance available to those who live in more urban areas are unavailable in rural areas of the South -- this can range from public transportation to public health clinics to high speed Internet access. Education levels in the South are significantly lower than any other region of the country.[3]
And the education that exists is often graded to be of lower quality.[4] This of course translates into less opportunities and more poverty and ultimately less economy and tax revenue for the Southern region; in the end we have a vicious cycle which confirms some Southern stereotypes in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
As to health in the South, normally I shy away from a lot of numbers, but here the numbers speak for themselves. Health is often worse in the South, usually because of poverty[5] and resulting lack of access to proper, affordable health care. First, as far as prevention goes, many studies over the years have shown that the South is number one in obesity -- and all the numerous health problems that entails.[6]
Interestingly a recent study found this is a result of poverty and lack of physical activity (due to climate, necessity of owning a vehicle) more often than our fried food.[7] The prevalence of smoking is higher in the South,[8] usually by the rural poor. Southerners are more likely to contract some types of cancer like brain and lung cancer, and if they have cancer they're more likely to die of it than someone living elsewhere in the country.[9] Finally with regard to mental disease, a CDC report from earlier this year put the South as easily the most depressed region of the country overall.[10, 11]
All of these numbers add up, ultimately to a shorter life expectancy; ten years shorter than in most other areas of the country.[12, 13]
Pollution isn't often associated with the South, but while the air is often clear, the water can be another matter. Many of our rivers here are ranked just as polluted as others anywhere in the country.[14] A study recently released on mercury in fish finds it worst in "remote backwater streams along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana."[15] Another study just released this week found the most polluted city in the country is Atlanta -- where I call home.[16] Although rural sections of the South may be cleaner than many urban areas, we have a reputation of lax environmental laws that are especially friendly to businesses desiring to "externalize" costs.
To put this all in perspective, the Human Development Index is defined by the Social Science Research Council as, "a measure of economic and social development, based on life expectancy, educational attainment and living standards." Just as one example, "Connecticut, which has the highest development of all American states, is roughly comparable with Ireland (the fifth most-developed country worldwide). But Mississippi has an H.D.I. level roughly on par with that of Turkey (#76 in the international development rankings)."[17,18] A quick scan of their maps shows the South lagging far behind the rest of the country in the factors defined above. So all of these factors, especially poverty and ill health result in a life lived at the edge of respectability for many in the rural areas of the South. Things change in urban areas as the economy rises and falls, but for those in the rural sections of the South life stays the same or in fact has encountered a slow decline at least since the mid-70s as income levels nation-wide have stagnated and the well-paying jobs for those with lower education levels have disappeared. For perhaps the first time in modern history we are seeing a generation worse off than their parents.
Other Practicalities: Crime and Drug Abuse
An interesting study was done by Kansas State University where they plotted county-by-county which had the highest levels of each of the "seven deadly sins" and created so-called "Sin Maps."[19]
For example, wrath was measured by the number of violent crimes per capita, lust by the number of sexually transmitted diseases, pride is a combination of all seven, and so on. These were plotted on maps to find "hot spots" in the country for certain sins. The South ranked high in each of the sins except for greed. The South was particularly high when it came to lust and wrath -- and in pride which was a sum of all seven sins put together. Homicide rates[20]
and those among young people aged 10-24 is especially high here as well.[21]
Meanwhile illegal drug abuse may be lower, but abuse of prescription drugs is especially high. In 2003 a Kentucky newspaper found that "in an analysis of federal data, on a per-capita basis, Eastern Kentucky drugstores, hospitals and other legal outlets received more prescription painkillers than anywhere else in the nation." In an ABC documentary on Appalachia they reported, "Isolated pockets in central Appalachia have three times the national poverty rate, an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, the shortest life span in the nation, toothlessness, cancer and chronic depression."[22] In the story, they followed a young football player in his everyday life, living in his car because living at home was too unbearable. It's noted that there's no books in the house, and the most prized possession is kept under lock and key -- $120 worth of OxyContin, nicknamed "hillbilly heroin." The step-father, illiterate, stands outside his trailer drinking a beer and burning tires to recycle the metal trim for money. But when asked he says that only real way to make money is to sell drugs.
Southern Contradictions
Let's take a quick look at how the South is viewed by "outsiders." No one culture in America was ever considered as shameful and in need of change, being considered on the wrong side of justice, history and progress. "White trash" are the last group in America it's truly OK to bash (and I'm guilty of some of it myself) -- that's why the terms "white trash" and "redneck" are thrown around without concern while using terms reserved for racial minorities is worse than using curse words to the point that to truly shock someone with words today you have to use those instead. For most outsiders who know nothing about the rural South, it's something they're uneasy about or it's a joke. The rural mountains are filled with racists with shotguns who think you have a "pretty mouth." In many ways I can sympathize with the poor white working class -- there's a stereotype over their heads they can't help, they have lower education and the jobs which once allowed them to raise a family and live a decent life have been disappearing for decades now. They have reasons to be bitter, cynical and pessimistic.
And despite this poverty and anger the South seems adrift from the rest of the country, continually voting against its own best interests and always getting poorer and, in the long run, losing the very culture wars on which they base their votes. In the meantime there was a realization a long time ago that the South is indeed being left behind and is essentially forgotten, irrelevant and marginalized as the rest of the country is concerned. No human being, needless to say no society or region wants to feel this way. And few if any in the South really believe, deep down, the tired refrain/threat that the “South will rise again.”
Conclusions
The natural question arises, does all of this add up to melancholy? Factors of poverty, ill health, crime and drug abuse exists everywhere – but what is it that's special about the South? Perhaps all of these factors are symptoms of the decay, and not the causes? That's an idea, but I believe we have two factors working in tandem where the mentioned factors are the socially destructive tools. I have two conclusions; the first is one I touched on earlier, an "acceptance of life on the edge of respectability." The harrowing statistics I quote above have been lived by many Southerners. Overtime I am convinced that what we have is a partial "giving up" -- and a partial breakdown of the human spirit. It's a type of hopelessness in the inability to improve one's situation that stretches back through the generations. Certainly struggling to be rich or impress others in society with wealth has consequences, but so does acceptance of poverty.
My second conclusion I think is what makes Southern melancholy different. Southern culture has a focus on the past that naturally entails a suspicion and pessimism about the future and potential for positive change -- a quality which is to our detriment in many ways. While poverty, ill health and less opportunity have all wreaked havoc on society, family and culture; the fact is, the Southern culture is inevitably destined to fade away as society is sped up and changed because the two are at odds. I've mentioned that culture, for good or ill does provide some stability to life -- but for the Southerner, that ground has been literally crumbling underneath his feet for generations. One should ask, what comes in its place? Culture change is slow and when a people are slow to change its also painful -- in the meantime I argue that an "unsettling emptiness" has crept into its place as what was once dependable is now outdated, mal-adaptive, old fashioned, even shameful in the modern era. One could call this a society-wide nostalgia in the midst of a decaying culture. Ultimately, in a modern, changing era and a region still full of poverty, the fading Southern culture has proved wholly inadequate of providing a real basis for a functional society. And yet, that's all we have.
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FOOTNOTES
1. http://www.henrylewis.org/images/states.poverty.gif
2. http://www.raconline.org/maps/mapfiles/poverty_county.jpg
3. http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2475&indexid=790
4. http://soc101.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/education-attainment-for-2007-us-map-showing-states-relative-to-national-mean.jpg
5. http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/oct/images/07_0091_05.gif
6. http://contexts.org/socimages/files/2009/07/obesity_states.jpg
7. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1909406,00.html
8. http://www.newrisedesigns.com/gis/
9. http://www.vicc.org/news/?p=101
10. http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_51_854.aspx
11. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090429-stress-map-kentucky-picture.html
12. http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/life-expectancy.png
13. http://www.bantransfats.com/images/Life%20span%20map.jpg
14. http://www.ewg.org/node/20399
15. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/
16. http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/toxic-cities-pollution-lifestyle-real-estate-toxic-cities.html
17. http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/05/uneven-states-of-america-ctd.html
18. http://www.measureofamerica.org/
19. http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2009/05/map_of_seven_deadly_sins.php
20. http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/images//MurderRate2007.jpg
21. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/images/ns_charts/homicide_Rates_ages10-24_map.jpg
22. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6865077&page=1
23. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tornado_Alley.gif
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Extra Thoughts: Southern Gothic and Tornadoes
Southern literature, both traditional and Southern Gothic, while they contain all of the stereotypical characters, it's the eccentric, conflicted ones which reveal a somehow ill-adjusted, disjointed and perhaps flawed side of Southern life. One phrase I've often heard here is that, "Northerners put the crazy folks in the attic; down here we sit 'em on the front porch." Southern art and music portray Southern melancholy better than I will ever be able to define it here -- however I have tried to pin it down and define what it is in a more concrete way. Perhaps the reason for darkness in Southern art is that poverty, history of defeat and general societal pessimism aside; artists themselves do not exactly find the Southern way of life particularly receptive to artists and intellectuals. Society in the South is very much focused on stoic forms of masculinity and even a certain pride in narrow-mindedness.
This may seem an odd addition, but I think tornadic activity is worth a passing mention considering the length of this essay. Although "tornado alley" is typically defined as the middle of the country between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian's, tornadic activity is actually most common and strongest in the South, especially in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama.[23] Although today's early detection and warning help to save lives, tornadoes continue to destroy towns and lives across the southeast year after year. In the early to mid-1900s some of the deadliest tornadoes in US history occurred in the southeast. As someone living here, I can tell you that when spring rolls around you feel like you're drawing a card to see if you'll miss the bullet one more time. It's one of those things native to the American South that people are powerless to do anything about.
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| Well, autumn officially arrived three weeks ago, but here in Georgia it takes a little longer to be felt. Let me say up front, I love everything about this season, it does something to me. Where Christmas turns some people into children again -- for me it's the entire season of autumn, and Halloween. 
You first notice it when there's that extra coolness in the breeze, which slowly increases in the coming days. There's a crispness in the air as the level of humidity lowers (definitely noticed here in Georgia). Then those long shadows and the golden light of late afternoon begin to be noticed and the sun starts hitting the earth only indirectly. Sunlight just seems different somehow… 
And there’s nothing else quite like the crunching of leaves underfoot; and later that distinct smell of rotting foliage that hits you for the first time in the season… 
A cool wind whipping through the colorful trees against a clear blue sky. 
As the season advances, if you're lucky you'll occasionally see a great V in the sky and hear them sing as geese fly south for the winter. 
And squirrels are everywhere collecting acorns and rustling among the dead, dry leaves. 
Like Christmas, autumn has it's own iconography, that of the fall harvest. Yellow and red, pumpkins and gourds, horns of plenty (cornucopia), Indian corn, scarecrows…      
Halloween has it's own icons of course, most of which are a fairly modern creation; Orange and black, jack o' lanterns, stiff-arched cats on picket fences, bats in the graveyard, and of course a witch in silhouette flying across a full moon --   
 
I admit it all creates a little magic that hearkens back to my childhood. And even if a lot of the imagery today is cartoon-ish and watered-down, it still evokes something. And unlike Christmas, it doesn't feel overly exploited and annoying.
Speaking of Halloween, for children of the 80s and 90s, these books might ring a bell, and note that these are the ORIGINAL covers -- 
Underneath it all autumn has a melancholy side because it's all about an end to something... 
But this isn't a harsh season, containing the extremes of winter or summer. Robert Burton in his “Anatomy of Melancholy” calls it the most melancholy season -- I would disagree, autumn contains more of a bittersweet, "sublime" melancholy partially because it merely contains the *threat* of winter. 
Late in the season life seems to be fading from the world and everything seems quieter, somehow muted... 
People are outside less, we go indoors for exercise. The days getting shorter as night gradually creeps further into the day, whether you're an early bird or a night owl -- the world seems to just have a little less potential for getting things done. 
Autumn is mysterious, deceptive somehow -- it's an in-between state. Summer and winter, polar opposites they are, at least they're forthcoming about their natures. Autumn can change temperatures suddenly, and after a long, hot summer full of bright sun, the autumn with its darker nature has a certain magic to it. 
It's THE prime time of year to reflect about goals both met and not met, because this season brings both the beauty of life but also reminds us of it's mortality and shortness. 
With full respect to Burton, I'd say this season contains the full range of emotions.  
 
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| This was one of the best summers of my life, maybe better than any I had as a kid when they included the added bonus of being out of school. First let me say that I go through a cycle throughout the year where I'm affected by the changing seasons -- Winter can get me down, but I love the rest of the year, especially summer and autumn. When spring came around this year and it got warmer I suddenly had the urge to go for morning jogs. Normally I exercise indoors, but getting outside I really felt "reborn" and motivated.
Then in mid-June I took a 6 hour bike ride on the Silver Comet Trail (shown in the pics) through some of the most remote, beautiful parts I'd never seen. I rode through sections where the sides of the trail drop off 100 feet below and you seem to ride in the tree tops and rarely see another soul for miles. I found the Brushy Mountain Tunnel miles from anywhere -- a century old, arched railway tunnel about 5 stories high and 800 feet long. It's impossible for me to go there and not be captured in awe by the strangeness of the place -- the way every sound is amplified and seems to live on forever within it. My parents live close to the trail, and although I generally only see them once every 3-4 months, I made myself go back again and again, some visits only 2-3 weeks apart.
That first ride in June was to be the highlight of my Summer. I made a day of it, despite it being 95 degrees outside. Even with the occasional other person on the trail, in those areas one can't help but feel truly alone with nature. I spent the rest of the summer, taking more rides, trying to capture the perfection of that first ride. I never got to go on a "vacation" this summer, but the scattered weekends at my parents for a few bike rides seemed to be all the vacation I needed if the point is to rejuvenate and reinvigorate. Plus it they were cheap -- money for gas and Gatorade; about $12 total.
Well, fall is here -- my favorite season for reasons best expressed here. It always contains a tinge of sadness because I know Winter's around the corner. Needless to say, I really don't look forward to having to spend the next several months indoors, although it's not here quite yet. So let's enjoy fall and not give winter it's due before it's even arrived.
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| One of the reasons I like politics is there's so many intricate, complex levels to the psychology of what makes people tick. I find it fascinating. So I usually don't like simple explanations for behavior, but in some cases the simplest explanation is the right one. Being from the south, I know that racism still exists, and it's hardly something we have the distinct "honor" of holding a monopoly over.
That being said, I think Carter's right when he say's that this backlash is partly based in racism. He's saying something that most people know when they see what these protesters are saying openly to the media.
A situation like this, I believe can domino in a socio-conscious manner -- to put it simply, people are becoming emboldened by each other in a nasty sort of synergy. We are seeing the raw, unrestrained Freudian "Id." This can only be expected to get worse as the only sources these conspiracy-minded individuals trust who might regulate this are only encouraging it. The GOP has maintained a nihilistic Joker, "let the whole thing burn" mentality for months now, and unfortunately they think it's showing results to help rebuild their party.
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| “Chicago-Style Politics” Is Getting a Good, Old-Fashioned Ass Whipping By “Southern-Style Politics”
As I understand it, the Chicago style of politics is to make the opposition appear as unserious outsiders to where voters have one clear choice of who the “adults in the room” are. I think we saw this most clearly when Rush Limbaugh was said to be the leader of the GOP by Rahm Emmanuel. So they set up this image where “You can vote for us or for those lunatics over there.” This is often effective and it keeps you "above the fray."
The Southern style of politics that the Republicans have used since the Nixon years (quite successfully) is different. It’s the opposite of what I would call the “aloofness” in the Chicago style. The rules are: 1. Attack, attack, attack. 2. Never apologize.
Furthermore, at the heart of the Southern style of politics is a bitter resentment. I can see where the Chicago style would work fine in good economic times, but not in the middle of a crisis when you’re the one in power. The economy was and still is Obama’s main problem. The anger that’s building around peripheral issues like birth certificates, death panels, socialism, child indoctrination -- these aren’t the problem. If the economy was great and everyone was fat and happy this stuff wouldn’t be happening because the attacks wouldn’t be gaining traction, it needs some element of an "atmosphere of crisis" to be effective.
What the Obama White House is doing is appearing aloof and letting attacks on them and their proposals slide, and finally addressing them only after they’ve inflicted damage. This is the biggest problem with progressive politicians, as we saw when Kerry was “swift-boated” in 2004 – they want to pretend to be above it because they give people the benefit of the doubt of being too intelligent to believe lies. But this comes off as weakness which plagues the image of the left. If people are losing confidence in this president I believe it is from a lack of clear conviction, they can’t work magic on the economy and quickly improve everyones mood, but they shouldn’t allow themselves to be steamrolled over by liars either. | | |
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