Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 7.15.15

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’
TWO FOR THOUGHT SAME TOPIC, DIFFERENT VIEWS FLYING THE CONFEDERATE FLAG
KELLYN BROWN
STORYTELLING
THERE IS A LOT OF PRIDE IN THIS STATE, AND plenty of envy directed toward it from people who don’t live here. And, anymore, we’re more willing and able to show everyone else what he or she is missing.
But before social media, before easy-to-use filters that made the Big Sky look even bigger, there was a book – then a movie – that drew people to western Montana, or at least made them want to come here.
This last rainy weekend, a few of us drove to Seeley Lake to rediscover Norman Maclean and his near-per- fect novella “A River Runs Through It.” Maclean lived and fished here. He also taught at the University of Chi- cago. He died in 1990.
Instead of lionizing Maclean or his most famous work at this literary festival, writers, his friends and family recalled an imperfect, genuine man who wrote with confidence and whose words lingered long after you read them.
Many picked up a fly fishing rod or set off on a trail after reading Maclean’s book, likely as many did the same after watching the movie based on Maclean’s story. That’s not why we had planned to backpack after spending Saturday morning at the festival, although it didn’t hurt.
After weeks of mostly dry weather, as it so happens the wettest day of the summer arrived the same day of this scheduled trip. So, to escape the rain, we changed plans and headed to a cabin of a friend of Beacon writer Tristan Scott.
The cloudy icons on our respective phones had indi- cated we would be washed out. Instead, the weather broke and our six-person party emerged from the cabin and played yard games, reminisced on the shore of Swan Lake and, yes, a few fished, although no one caught anything.
It was one of those weekends that turned unexpect- edly, but was still worth the trip. It was a weekend that began by learning about the writer and teacher who, as Annie Proulx wrote in the forward of his book, “cele- brated the expertise of work now lost, told of masters of fly fishing, ax and saw work, mule and horse packing, fire fighting, small scale mining,” and continued with our group traveling though the region where Maclean grew up, just 100 years later.
As night fell on the Swan we gathered a circle of chairs and told stories, each more exaggerated than the last. It’s not easy to tell a good story, as Maclean knew well. “A River Runs Through It” was published when he was 73. And in the acknowledgements of the book, Maclean said his children had inspired him to write down some of the stories he told them, but he also disclosed, “All of these stories are much longer than is needed to achieve one of the primary ends of telling children stories – namely that of putting children to sleep.”
Still, after finishing what is now considered one of the greatest American books of the last 100 years, some publishers sent it back, complaining that there were too many trees in the story.
We all have stories to tell, some better than others. But whatever they’re worth, they’re likely told best among friends on a summer weekend near water in western Montana. There are good reasons to be proud of this place. The view alone on the drive to work is enough to make a city-dweller jealous. It’s so much more than that though.
Maclean knew this. His kin and former neighbors told more stories about their relationships with him than of his connection to Montana. It turns out, this place is even better when you have someone to share it with. It makes for better storytelling, too.
BY TIM BALDWIN
Like the recent gay marriage ruling, the lowering
of the Confederate flag in South Carolina is a very divisive and emotional issue. To some, the flag rep- resents southern heritage: states’ rights, Christian culture, origins of the Democrat Party and agricul- tural America. To others, the enslavement of the black race looms like a dark cloud over the flag, which will forever distort its credit.
Unquestionably, slavery was the impetus that pro- voked the southern states to secede from the union. Their secession declarations expressed that they believed the non-slave states were attempting to rid the country of slavery, which they felt reduced their political and economic power and violated the Con- stitution. They acted accordingly.
Today’s opposition to lowering the flag shouldn’t be surprised that many want to remove a flag fly- ing near the South Carolina capitol that was sur- rounded with slavery, regardless of other positive values that are imputed to it. By comparison, when America declared independence from Great Brit- ain, we ceased flying the British flag, despite the fact those statesmen considered it to be a great nation – the home of the “rights of Englishmen.”
This decision was made by South Carolina, no one else. The people hold the same power to raise the flag as they did to lower it. Choose as they will. The les- sons of liberty and government are not lost by the flag’s lowering. It’s our history, for good or bad.
BY JOE CARBONARI
When you fly a flag you make a statement. That
statement is subject to interpretation. Flags can be misinterpreted. In the case of the flag of the Con- federate States of America, or variations thereof, strong feelings are involved.
To some the flag represents a part of themselves, of their past, that they wish had gone better. They wish to feel good about themselves and their ances- tors before them. Most all of us share that wish. It is human nature.
To others the flag represents a time when they were considered human beings of lesser worth, by virtue of race at birth. Physical and mental abilities aside, there’s a cross-section in all races. Regard- less of where you fell at birth in that cross-section, “color” mattered. The darker the complexion the harder life would be, on average.
Vestiges of this feeling remain. The dynamic still works, to a much lesser degree, but it’s still there. Flying the flag is interpreted by some as condon- ing, feeding, and sustaining this concept of racial inferiority ... of denigrating them personally, by vir- tue of the color of skin alone. The color of skin does not indicate the degree of decency or worth of the human being so encased.
Flying the Confederate flag from public build- ings sends a mixed message with too much hurt involved. It’s the wrong thing to do.
AMERICAN RURAL DIANE SMITH
A NEW OPPORTUNITY EQUATION
R
ber needing a critical piece of information, then hav- ing to rely on an expert who was located miles away?
Then came the technology revolution. Long dis- tance pricing disappeared, e-commerce became a reality, and information started splashing up on our laptops, tablets, and mobile phones like the North Car- olina surf before a hurricane.
We are now in the middle of an evolving opportu- nity equation, particularly for those of us living off the beaten path. Today, information abounds, communi- cating is cheap, and we can all sell from anywhere as long as we have access to a laptop or a smartphone.
But there’s more going on than just the tech revo- lution. Most U.S. children live in households where all parents work; mothers are increasingly the family breadwinners; fathers are increasingly family care- givers; and elder care is a challenge for just about everyone.
So it’s not surprising that workers these days are often looking for flexibility over money, title, or job
security. As a result, freelance work, entrepreneur- ship, and flex-time within existing corporations are appealing options for employees and businesses alike. Communities that understand these changes can ben- efit from them. Communities that don’t may well be left behind.
Fortunately, rural and small towns have long been populated with sole proprietors, family businesses and, increasingly, the freelancers and virtual workers who were part of this 21st century trend well before it became cool. As a result, we are likely to be big beneficiaries of the shift in work culture ... IF ... our thought leaders are aware of and responsive to how economic needs and opportunities have changed for our communities.
Work-life balance is key; along with understanding and embracing e-commerce, distance learning, remote health and virtual government. The days of hoping to persuade a major corporation to locate in the backyard are pretty much over. Now self-reliance, tech-forward thinking, get-it-done work ethic, and flexibility rule. That’s a pretty good recipe for smaller places.
EMEMBER LONG DISTANCE? REMEMBER when you could only sell your products or ser-
vices to customers who lived nearby? Remem-
Diane Smith is the founder and CEO of American Rural where she works to create greater awareness of the growing opportunities for those who choose to live, work and prosper in rural and small town America. Learn more about Diane by following her column here or visit American Rural at AmericanRural.org.
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JULY 15, 2015 | FLATHEADBEACON.COM