My dad's brother has lived in Mobile, Alabama and when I went to there to visit them it seemed as if the town was still segregated. It amazes me how people still feel that they are better than one another because of the color of their skin. After watching the movie in class, it seemed like the King of the white people's Mardi Gras was contradicting himself. He wants a change but then he says that things are fine the way they are. You could also see a distinct difference in the way the different people had set up and the details that went into the main event. The white people's fancy dinner where they presented the Mardi Gras party seemed so stuffy and up tight. While the black people's seemed to be more relaxed and fun. If I was at the white people's I would be afraid to even sit because I would not want the people to stare and point at me in disgust if my dress were to be wrinkled. I thought it was quite comical when the white Mardi Gras King and Queen said something to the effect that the black people's dinner was more fun than there's.
There is a complete difference in the way that Alabama and New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras. In Alabama it is all about the dress with the cape, the king and queen, the events leading up to the main event. However in New Orleans it is about the partying, the booze and nudity. I really wonder how many people know the true meaning behind Mardi Gras or if its just an excuse to drink, party and have fun! After looking up online Mardi Gras originally began in ancient Rome. The Romans mid-February celebration was called Lupercalia. At the celebration the Romans would honored the god Lupercus who was the fertility god and also the god of agriculture. However other historians believe that Mardi Gras originally started in the 1820's when French settlers arrived in Louisiana. So I guess in the end it is up to you to decide where and how Mardi Gras began =)
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I really enjoyed how you shared your personal experience with the Mardi Gras in Alabama. You added an additional depth needed to help reflect what the movie showed. I agree that the white king seemed to contradict himself. I think that he didn't want change and was happy with the way things were, but it is politically incorrect for him to actually say so. I got that same impression from the beginning of the movie with the white older men at their float and they were masked...it gave me the feeling that they were part of the KKK because of their secrecy when being recorded. I also never realized the different states and their differences in Mardi Gras...what a choice- racism or excessive partying. I like how Alabama goes all out with the royalty, but imagine what they could do to improve their community if they used the $20,000 it costs for each king and queen. They also mentioned that the community gets millions in revenue from Mardi Gras. Where is that money? The "bad" side of town is so worn down it breaks my heart knowing that something could be done if some money was given from the revenue. That would be a good way for the blacks and whites to start getting over their racism of each other. Thanks for sharing your experience because it definately was information that I was unaware of.
I enjoyed the fact that you also inputted the information on where Mardi Gras originated and what the celebration was to be for. I also thought that the "white" king did contradict himself. He said that he liked going to the "black" party better because it was more fun and more lively, but then turned right around and said that he didn't believe that anything had to be changed.
ReplyDeleteThere is a question I have about this celebration, it is: what happens to everything once Mardi Gras is over? It reminds me of prom; you buy a beautiful, hopefully tasteful, dress to wear for the night and then you never wear it again. What happens to the trains or capes, the dresses and suites, the decorations, and the floats. I guess the biggest and most important question I have about celebrating Mardi Gras is, is it all worth it? Is spending thousands of dollars on a celebration, dealing with the stress of having everything "perfect", and worrying about what to do about floats worth the celebration that comes at the end? I'm just hoping that if the two organizations in Mobile, Alabama were asked these questions their answers would be definite "Yes's".
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteSo sign me up for a Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans ANY YEAR! I’ve never been before but it sounds like my kind of fun. As for the contrasted celebrated in Mobile, Alabama, I think it is important to note that we are analyzing this from an anthropological point of view. So whatever is culturally (and in this case, racially) acceptable, might be met with contempt if outsiders try to impose change. As an African-American, born and raised in California, if feel that I would most like to see random whites and blacks empress that they want a personal change in the Mardi Gras festival: maybe they can hold their speerate celebrations and then have an annual united day of celebration. I think of this as a solution, because I imagine their Mardi Gras to be a celebration of ancestral heritage, but some recognition of unity within this well-appreciated country might be in order. I’m just trying to think as progressively (yet considerable) as possible.
~Xia
Theresa, thanks so much for your comments on my blog! Please update again soon.
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