Attending the Balls of New Orleans

There are certain reasons why Classism is important to America. On the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth and with the inauguration of America’s first black president it could be difficult to surmise. Classism, while not defined by economic status, often is. While the definition of Racism becomes visible with color of skin, Classism is more savvy. It is a form of elitism that uses money as a tool for popularity and power. If other desirable traits are not possessed, economic status often in America becomes synonymous with both. It is a tangled web of social and economic ladder-climbing that could make Regan MacNeil's head spin. Circumventing the ambiguity of the above definition, Classism is a ramification of the American Revolution. Americans fought for and sought financial freedom from the oppressive monarchy of the British Crown. Because America is young and naive Classism remains. Two decades ago Classism was highly visible. America was her own self-contained econo-sphere immune from the influences of "rogue" nations. With the advent and rise in America of Bill Clinton’s "Multiculturalism" and George Bush’s "Globalization" the economic infrastructure of America’s populace has become distorted. Mainstream America disappeared and with it went the paradigm of American life. In the l980’s there was no discrepancy over how we lived. Social and economic strata were highly visible and as a result people on lower levels knew for what they were striving. In all probability it was the “American Dream.” What was this dream? Was it similar to Martin Luther King’s dream? While the answer probably is yes, capitalist America shaped the “American Dream” into something tangible monitarily. Vintage television reinforced this image. If often is said Hollywood, the Mecca of television production, was founded by Jews seeking solstice from the oppression of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. They immigrated to America and used television as an art form to create a more humane way of life. Hollywood television shows became the paradigm for Mainstream America if not inventing it completely. Without a visible model of Classism today, how are we as Americans to know for what to aspire in our meager lives? Classism, while an enemy of Civil Rights, gave us an answer to this question. The thing that disturbs wealthy capitalist America about Socialism is the acquisition of their own fortunes. Transforming the world’s superpower into a Socialist state would mean the eventual disarray of the socio-economic system that created their wealth. This is why universal healthcare has failed. The medical profession in America is a means to become wealthy. The physiological needs of America usurps this unhealthy hierarchy. Examples of Classism like this in America need to be dismantled before we as a nation can proceed with universal healthcare. Similarly other professions that have evolved into a social elite must become liberal and recognize their economic viability and Mainstream America are not mutually exclusive. In certain parts of the country these concepts have been more successful, and one such example is the city of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus for many decades has been the testing ground for commercial products. This landlocked culture demands a high degree of intellectual mobility, socialization, political savvy, and artistry. There is nothing else there. There are no oceans in which to swim. There are no mountains on which to ski. There is a long, cold, and gray winter that demands more humanity than survival. Columbus demands and supplies an artistic culture, and that separates them from other areas of America. In Columbus intellectual ability and artistry prove to be a rough foundation for the small amount of Classism that exists. It is one of America’s biggest shames that Hurricane Katrina destroyed the birthplace of jazz music. This port city bustled with the international influences of French Caribbean Creoles, Acadians, and misplaced African slaves. The mixture of these cultures with European blood formed the roux upon which was created the gumbo of jazz music. Without New Orleans America desperately is searching for her soul. In this case Classism is not helping. The best proof of this is the host of balls that are being held in Washington, DC for the Presidential Inauguration. A ball, while not defined by Classism, often is. How many Mainstream Americans attend balls in their lifetime? Few. What is important for a ball is music. While traditional European balls may have utilized an orchestra because many of the dances of Europe were formal, balls in America deserve a potpourri of American styles of music appropriate for dancing. In the last eight years of George Bush’s presidency, the popular joke that Baptist’s never making love standing up because they are afraid of being caught dancing, has held true. In America there has been little emphasis on dance music until the recent television series “Dancing with the Stars." The music that has saturated the airwaves has been pop music. Pop music is not designed for dancing. Both Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky would be turning over in their graves not to mention the great early American jazz bands. New Orleans to America is the Vienna of Austria, and unlike the last eight years having a good time should not frowned upon. Americans do not need a ball to enjoy dancing. Without quality American music any ball would be incomplete. While the minuet, the Viennese Waltz, and the polka could suffice in a pinch, they will not provide the colloquial indeginous rhythms necessary to ensure a truly American experience. Ironcially for this moot point Classism could be appreciated, because often only the upper class can afford such musical entertainment. The demarkations of Classism in the fields of medicine and musis need to crumble like the Berlin Wall. With such pretense and socio-economic awareness eliminated, it will be easier for America facilely to coagulate into the soulful, passionate, and economically potent entity she is.