Fear and Loathing in the South (without Drugs)

So what is culture? This is a question my fellow classmates and I get consistently in our architectural theory class. There are many interpretations, and the debate seems to be more loose and open with the increasing potency of the American melting pot and with globalization. The definition I would like to use here comes from Geertz, in which culture may be defined as a system of beliefs, traditions, and practices that become naturalized within a group of people. Essentially, a group of people live a systems of beliefs and rituals to the point that it becomes natural to them. They do not question it. It becomes absolute, and it is absolute truth.

That's not to say that it can never be questioned, but given that these beliefs and rituals become so primary in how people live and function in a give group of people, there is no way one can question these practices. Therefore, it becomes naturalized.

But with the floodgates opened across the world allowing for more intercultural environs, we all have our "culture", our unquestioned beliefs, open to question. It may not be entirely that each one of us asks if our God is the right God? Or is their family values better than ours? But it is open to question. This is a terrifying moment for many people, simply because their way of life is suddenly not absolute. Beliefs are addicting. If you don't belief that, then try quiting one of your beliefs. They're hard to let go of.

This is where I think a lot of Americans shut down. An intrusive thought may have a fleeting moment in the foreground of consciousness, something like, "What if I'm wrong and God is a superstition?" At that moment they shut the door on everything. Or a man gets a stray erection when his male superior pats him on the back. Then they shut down and become a right-wing, Evangelical, homophobic nutcase. Whether or not they are actually homosexual, because of a stray erection they shut down and go try and destroy something that is entirely accidental. (No one has control over intrusive thoughts. That's why they're called "intrusive").

But now with the emergence of interracial marriages, gay marriages, intercultural sharing of values, persons of one cultural identity switching to another, et cetera the problem becomes an absolutist fear of the Other. This is something I find very strong in the Southeastern United States. Because of the presences of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Pagans, and so forth, their cultural beliefs of God are now up for question. There are other ways to think about God and that scares the living hell out of them. (I'm from South Carolina, so I would know).

But if their idea of "deity" is brought up to question, then they shut down, and pull the trump-all-card : "That's just what I believe!" Even saying "that's what I believe" signifies that the question has been opened up. Now it is no longer a "culture", it's just a "drag show". One no longer lives and identity, but wears and identity. They have to assert this identity, or that identity, and wear it. And it's not just wearing it, it's flaunting it!

One is not heterosexual anymore, they go "drag" in a heterosexual identity. One is no longer Christian, they go "drag" in a Christian outfit. And the same goes for homosexuals, Pagans, nerds, Americans, liberals, Republicans, yuppies, and so forth. The only difference is some people, such as homosexuals and liberals, aren't afraid of the fact they are in drag of an identity they created. It's what the Greeks called the persona (literally "mask"), and we all wear them. Some people are just more afraid of the fact they wear a mask. And that contributes to why so many Southerns are some of the most miserable people I have ever met. This, I'm convinced, is the source of Southerns' fear and loathing of the Other.

"Justifying violence. Citing from the Holy book. Preaching hatred in the Name of God."
~Dream Theater.