An Unmasking
Gray just asked me how I think about such intense stuff all the time. I just sat down to consider the role of survival in Marx's Alienation of Labor and The Communist Manifesto. The thought dawned on me last night on the way to Boston.
Yes, working for "The Man" really sucks. We all get home at 6:00 p.m. weary from the day's work. The kids need to eat, the spouses need attention, and we need to have some time for ourselves. And we get up and we do it all again tomorrow. It's not a happy picture, generally speaking, and yet we all do it. To survive. We work to live. So I'll be considering this point, and I will pepper my paper with thoughtful quotes from one or both of Marx's texts.
So I was in Boston last night. Alia and Erin and I saw Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk with Savion Glover himself. It was an amazing experience -- much better the second time around. And being only 12 rows from the stage didn't hurt. It is such a moving experience and that it was conceived in such a short period of time (a matter of weeks) by such a young artist (Mr. Glover) is very inspiring. "Slave Ships" is my most favorite piece, followed closely by "50 Negro Lynching Blues." Luckily, it will be at UC Davis in February so many of you will have the opportunity to see it for yourselves. I'm just happy we made it to the theatre.
After Alia called the hotel numerous times, sitting in Boston's Chinatown gridlock, and looking both ways of busy streets hoping to see the marquee we were looking for, we finally made it. We made it 35 minutes before the show starts. Alia and I quick-changed in the car at separate times. I must say that I was much quicker, as I didn't have foundation, mascara, lipstick/liner to apply. We took our seats at 7:50 after being rushed out of the bathroom by an old lady who flat-out lied to us. She said we'd miss the first 12 minutes of the show because it was about to start and that was the soonest we could get in. A complete lie. We had plenty of time. Boston is nice. Of course, it was dark and rainy but I could still see the brownstones and trees. The drive back was nice, too, because the rain had let up and the trees ranged in color from green to orange.
In one month, I'm not going to want to be inside. Well, maybe to escape the snow. I still can't fathom the idea of really cold weather. I'm not sure how to work a scarf and I imagine I'll look quite stupid in ear muffs. Maybe I'll get a pair of pink ones. I'm looking for a flight to Cali. for a two-week vacation. I'm not having luck. My unwillingness to pay $350 is holding me back. Now I'm just procrastinating. I need to take a crack at Marx. Writing as survival... Go buy your tickets to Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk. Or at least purchase the soundtrack.
