I visited Oxford this past weekend, and as I stood on stage holding a cutout, full-sized poster of Elvis and sang “La Bamba” with my accompaniment, Sloppy Seconds, I realized that Oxford has a lot of culture. I’m not sure how the thought came to mind at that precise moment. Maybe it was the thought of the literary conference I enjoyed attending earlier that day. Maybe it was my visit to Rowan Oak. Maybe it was the regular outings to the Square for food, drinks and entertainment, but as I stood there in front of a crowd of awestruck Oxfordians, I had my revelation–Oxford has loads of culture. It is truly unfortunate they placed such a pathetic university in that nice town. Culture has two definitions: “intellectual development” and “the way of life of a people.” I think culture is both definitions simultaneously. What we as a people decide to do with our lives relies upon our intelligence, and our smarts are dependent upon what activities we pursue. So what about Stark York City? Is there culture here?
Every town, state, nation, geographic area and ecological locality develops its own distinct culture. For example, the first culture I am a part of is that of an earthling. Next, I’m an American. Most importantly, I’m a Southerner. Specifically, I’m a Mississippian. I was also raised in a conservative, white suburbanite home that was rooted by moral decency as taught by the lessons of the Bible. All of the above has formed most of my identity. As I got older (I’m hesitant to use the word mature) I chose to pursue a college education, so I became a Mississippi State Bulldog. My time here has liberalized me a bit.This has lead me to become that strange mix of country-fied hippie. You know me-the guy with the Deadhead stickers attached to his four-wheel drive. Now, is this the culture of Starkos Aires ? Yes, partly. My identity helps define the cultural identity.
Of course, there are many aspects that make up a cultural identity called cultural diversification. The more diversified the culture is, the more intellectually balanced that culture becomes.
Stark Antonio is reaching levels of cultural diversification that I never thought were possible. We have two coffee shops, for crying out loud! Sushi is now available in town. Main Street is being revamped, and the entire town is being “beautified.” Perhaps the Enlightenment has begun in northeast Mississippi.
But what does that mean? Is our way of life going to change now that we are becoming intellectually diverse? Is this new culture going to replace our old one? Will our country tunes be replaced by bluegrass? Will our pickups be exchanged for Volvo wagons?
What Oxford has, and what Rio de Starkville is beginning to accept, are options. There are so many more choices for food, art and entertainment in Oxford. Every night I was in O-town, I was presented with a new set of alternatives. And during the day, there are more options than just going to the Refuge and skinny-dipping with the alligators.
Last weekend, there was a literary conference in Oxford. I was able to meet with some of my favorite local writers and learn some much-needed tips on technique. It was something that isn’t available to people here. But it should be.
Although this town is a tiny dot (and would be tinier if there weren’t a major university next to it) on any road map, we deserve more intellectual inspiration. We need art. We need expression. We need cultural diversification. So how do we get it?
We get culture by accepting it when it arrives. So go try sushi or drink a latte. Go eat a gyro. Go do these things because tomorrow they could be gone.