Jes Grew's Eternal Text has been found

 

    Since the beginning of Mumbo Jumbo and even before, Jes Grew has been attempting to find its "text". The reader isn't told much of what this text is, yet I interpret it as the medium that Jes Grew can use to thrive. A level of legitimacy that prevents it from being suppressed. It needs to be written down in history as something everyone must take seriously, not just those "catching" it and engaging in it. Once its text is found the cycle is broken. The cycle of resurfacing then being shut down by those against it (Atonists) would be over and Jes Grew would live in our hearts and our society permanently. Will the text ever be found? Will the cycle merely continue eternally? Will we have small outbreaks few and far between? I don't think so. Jes Grew has finally found it's text in modern times, and that text is social media as a whole. 

    Jes Grew is all about culture. It's about groups expressing themselves in the way that they want to. It's about freedom and imagination. All of these traits describe social media. Open, easily accesible platforms where users can channel their creativity. The difference between Jes Grew with and without social media is its reach. It's limited in how far it can spread. In the outbreak that happened in Mumbo Jumbo it was restricted to the United States. On the contrary, social media is available for most people, and it's available all over the world. From personal experience I've seen its influence abroad, similar culture and "trends" making its way across continents. This makes it extremely difficult for any group to shut it down as it is always everywhere. "They will try to depress Jes Grew but it will only spring back and prosper."(Reed 204). With Social Media it's so much easier for new outbreaks to emerge. Information is spread to thousands of people in seconds. Even as one instance of Jes Grew fades away or is shut down, social media is already spreading five more. Because of how social media is so beneficial for Jes Grew and supports it so well, it goes beyond the criteria needed for a text. This is the text Jes Grew needs. It's the medium Jes Grew uses to spread so well. It might not be what PaPa LaBas and other members of the Kathedral foresaw for Jes Grew, social media allows Jes Grew to reach new heights.

    Wait, social media allows culture to spread without backlash? Social media can be a pretty hateful place where ideas are denounced left and right. How can it be the perfect text for Jes Grew if outbreaks are constantly shut down? Shouldn't a text have a concrete hold on Jes Grew in the sense that it preserves one outbreak forever, and not rapidly introducing new ones repeatedly? While it's definitely true that social media is filled with those who oppose certain ideas, the beauty of social media is that Jes Grew can resurface in so many different ways, even if one outbreak is shut down. Some outbreaks are bigger and longer than others, yet now there's always some form of Jes Grew present in the world. It may not be perfect, forever holding Jes Grew with stability, yet it is wondrous. "We will make our own future Text. A future generation of young artists will accomplish this."(Reed 204). PaPa LaBas expected a generation to cultivate the Text, and I think he would have seen the outcome as more beautiful than he anticipated. While the methods in which Atonists can combat Jes Grew has increased, social media is a suitable Text with its own benefits.

Reed, Ishmael, Mumbo Jumbo. Scribner, 1972.

Coalhouse Walker's Personal Endeavor: Was he sending a message?

Coalhouse Walker's Personal Endeavor: Was he sending a message?

 

Coalhouse Walker's raids on multiple fire stations definitely brought people together against the atrocious acts committed against colored people. However, was Coalhouse intentionally raising his voice against oppression? Did he purposefully bring together freedom fighters or was he after his own personal justice? In the eyes of his supporters was Coalhouse Walker standing for his people's rights or was he merely a convenient cause to stand behind? Both sides carry substantial evidence, but I think that my belief outshines any refutals. 

The first argument is that in essence Coalhouse Walker's actions brought up the conversation of civil rights. After hearing the story and seeing the vandalism committed to his car, people would begin to rally behind him. "But now the authorities were embarrassed. The Ford stood as tangible proof of the black man's grievance"(Doctorow 237). The fact that Coalhouse is justified with his complaints gives people who relate to him a cause to unite with. Countless colored people have been mistreated in this way, so seeing the vandalized car as proof lights a flame in the hearts of revolutionaries. The current norm is that black people can be mistreated by whites with no consequence. Police officers turn a blind eye and even colored law firms have no way to help. By exposing this unfairness to likeminded people all around the nation, it makes them want to revolt. "The newspaper editors and police officials believed it was in the interest of the public welfare not to print the letter. An isolated crazed killer was one problem. An insurrection was another"(Doctorow 212). Countless voices being raised would cause problems for the dominant whites, and they know it. If such voices all rebelled at once, they would threaten to destroy the system that is pitted against those of color. In this way, Coalhouse Walkers actions and demands can be seen as sending a message to people to fight against oppression and a message to authorities that their system is being threatened. 

The second argument is that Coalhouse simply wanted his car returned and justice for himself and his late fiance. The whole matter was deeply personal to him as he was mistreated, his car was vandalized, and his pride was broken. Coalhouse Walker is known to be a proud and stubborn man. The Fire Chief and his men disgraced him, and he relentlessly sought out justice through many different means. "I want my automobile returned to me in its original condition"(Doctorow 212). He never claims that injustice against colored people as a whole must be dealt with. He merely restates the same demands over and over again. If he truly wished to send a message to the world then he wouldn't have left it to the press and the authorities' discretion whether his message is sent or not. He would've went out into the public and let his protests against the corrupt system be heard, Emma Goldman style. This argument claims that because he didn't focus on allowing the "message" to reach as many as possible, he never had these protests against the grand white elite to begin with. Sure, he can hold some resentments towards the way the world works, but he doesn't want to be a public figure standing against it. All he ever wanted was his car and his justice. 

These two claims both have evidence to back them up, and supporters of either side could passionately debate on it all day. I believe that Coalhouse's intentions were mostly to earn justice for himself, but partly to rouse the public as well. I also think that it's very possible that he simply gave up on life after he lost his prized possession and his beloved fiance, so his only purpose in life was to mindlessly pursue this personal endeavor. "They recognized [Coalhouse's] decision as suicide"(Doctorow 295). Once his car was returned to him he lost all purpose once more. If his purpose was to truly to bring about an uprising, he wouldn't have accepted death so easily. Be that as it may, I do believe no matter his intentions, he would bring about conversation of insurgency against the system that leaves colored people at the bottom, no matter how successful or wealthy. He brought about change, and if his true purpose was to fight for the cause then he would've become a symbol for civil rights.    

Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007.