Austin's cool! But a mentality that busts even favorite son Willie Nelson multiple times for possession of small amounts of marijuana is not what I'd call any beacon of freedom. I have to cross paths with more than a few Texans in my work and have found few I could like. Ah, but, ain't that America.
The understood assumption of the book is that Texas has set itself up as “other” from the other 49 states in the Union and, while every state claims and defends its own individuality, Texas maintains it is “more other” than everyone else. In essence, this otherness is propagated through a performance of the prototypical Texan (or at least, the idea of the prototypical Texan): that lonesome dove, the straight-talking cowboy, the white man full of backbone, bravery, and bravado. These notions are embodied by several signifiers, not limited to the Lone Star, the Texas flag, the cowboy hat, and the Alamo.
But, yeah, if you get off on assault weapons & armor-piercing ammunition, pack up and leave for the Lone Star state if you want to. Me, I'm headin' out to CO and/or WA.
P.M: "You grew up around guns. What do you make of the gun debate in America?"
Nelson replies "Well you know I've hunted all my life and uh when I was young I had a bb gun... I had shotguns and rifles and all those things and I went dear hunting, bear hunting, and I have no problems at all with that. Uh, but ya know I don't know what I would do with a gun that would shoot a hundred times."
Morgan adds "I find it just staggering that you could just walk into stores in America, buy high powered assault weapons and on the internet get 6, 7000 rounds of ammuniation. You can blow up a movie theatre if you want to."
Nelson then shamefully calls for more gun regulation, opining "I dont- you know I don't agree with that. I think it should be more regulated I think. A lot of guns, there's no need for civlians to own those. Those are for military."
If we head down that path, we are conferring power on the federal government to decide when someone has "enough" ammunition, or a "powerful enough" gun, the same insidious, creeping perspective evidenced by the MEC's remark, on another subject that "at a certain point, a person has enough money." He essentially made the same point when he talked about thermostats set at 72 degrees.
Government does not get to decide when a citizen has "enough" of anything.
Austin's cool! But a mentality that busts even favorite son Willie Nelson multiple times for possession of small amounts of marijuana is not what I'd call any beacon of freedom. I have to cross paths with more than a few Texans in my work and have found few I could like. Ah, but, ain't that America.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you find unappealing about them?
ReplyDeleteClannish, arrogant, do not listen well, noisy and back biting. I much prefer wetbacks. At least they are humble and grateful.
ReplyDeleteJust add booze and you got a real A-hole on your hands...
ReplyDeletehttp://deusexdramaturgy.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/the-texan-performatives/
The understood assumption of the book is that Texas has set itself up as “other” from the other 49 states in the Union and, while every state claims and defends its own individuality, Texas maintains it is “more other” than everyone else. In essence, this otherness is propagated through a performance of the prototypical Texan (or at least, the idea of the prototypical Texan): that lonesome dove, the straight-talking cowboy, the white man full of backbone, bravery, and bravado. These notions are embodied by several signifiers, not limited to the Lone Star, the Texas flag, the cowboy hat, and the Alamo.
But, yeah, if you get off on assault weapons & armor-piercing ammunition, pack up and leave for the Lone Star state if you want to. Me, I'm headin' out to CO and/or WA.
ReplyDeleteP.M: "You grew up around guns. What do you make of the gun debate in America?"
Nelson replies "Well you know I've hunted all my life and uh when I was young I had a bb gun... I had shotguns and rifles and all those things and I went dear hunting, bear hunting, and I have no problems at all with that. Uh, but ya know I don't know what I would do with a gun that would shoot a hundred times."
Morgan adds "I find it just staggering that you could just walk into stores in America, buy high powered assault weapons and on the internet get 6, 7000 rounds of ammuniation. You can blow up a movie theatre if you want to."
Nelson then shamefully calls for more gun regulation, opining "I dont- you know I don't agree with that. I think it should be more regulated I think. A lot of guns, there's no need for civlians to own those. Those are for military."
If we head down that path, we are conferring power on the federal government to decide when someone has "enough" ammunition, or a "powerful enough" gun, the same insidious, creeping perspective evidenced by the MEC's remark, on another subject that "at a certain point, a person has enough money." He essentially made the same point when he talked about thermostats set at 72 degrees.
ReplyDeleteGovernment does not get to decide when a citizen has "enough" of anything.