ATDTDA (12) - More NYC Stuff

Mon Jul 9 22:26:25 CDT 2007

I sort of feel the vego stuff is another aspect of AtD's focus on
non-mainstream political groups, or political activity of the era that
doesn't fit into communist/capitalist binaries. Anarchism, obviously,
but also things like irredentism, the mexican revolutionaries, stuff
like that which people might not be so familiar with but which perhaps P
doesn't want to be lost from the history books. 

I have no idea how AtD might allow access to the Real, especially given
all the blurring thereof via the Chums, but that could be my prejudices
which prevent me reading texts as accessing anything but texts. Damn
humanities edumacation.

________________________________

From: Mark Kohut [mailto:markekohut at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, 10 July 2007 5:14 AM
To: John BAILEY
Cc: pynchon -l
Subject: RE: ATDTDA (12) - More NYC Stuff

John,

I don't know how to read the vegetarianism stuff either, but maybe TRP
is saying it
is another variation in living 'naturally' that is ultimately of little
consequence, except 
to one personally?...Sorta like some irrelevant supernatural belief?

And, how much does Pynchon think is 'mediated' in the world of AtD he
puts on the page
and as it is the foundation of later History?     

I think pynchon points to aspects in life that are Real, natural light,
stone, wind, trees, humans out in same picnicing, occasionally love (not
usually psychologically off-center sex, and more)----the rest is all
mediated and is most of what he writes about as the Chums have
their adventures...

MK

John BAILEY <JBAILEY at theage.com.au> wrote:

	I really love this whole section of the novel - Dally as
flaneuse in
	NYC; the vegetarianism dropped in there unexpectedly (as happens
	throughout the novel, though I'm still in the dark as to how to
read
	it); and most of all the connections between the white slavery
panic and
	emergent entertainment media.

	Best starting point for this is:

	Gunning, Tom (1997) 'From the Kaleidoscope to the X-Ray: Urban
	Spectatorship, Poe, Benjamin, and Traffic in Souls (1913),' Wide
Angle
	19, 4: 25-61.

	...which looks at the way early cinema both played on those
(racist)
	fears while also in a sense creating them. I think that's
exactly what P
	is playing on here - on the way that modern entertainment and
spectacle
	are inextricably bound up with troubling ideological issues, and
that in
	this case the players (the Chinese performers staging the
kidnappings)
	are deeply implicated, too. They're giving gawking tourists what
they
	want to see, while remaining ironically aware of the fake nature
of the
	spectacle. Complicit critique? Or are they encouraging an
already
	entrenched racism?

	-----Original Message-----
	From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org
[mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On
	Behalf Of David Morris
	Sent: Saturday, 7 July 2007 7:12 AM
	To: P-list
	Subject: Fwd: ATDTDA (12) - More NYC Stuff

http://www.amazon.com/Tongs-Gangs-Triads-Chinese-America/dp/0595187544

	Tongs, Gangs, and Triads: Chinese Crime Groups in North America

	The so-called "Chinese Mafia" has earned a reputation as one of
the
	fiercest and most brutal in the seedy underworld of organized
crime.
	Yet does such an organization even exist? Or is there instead a
wide
	variety of "Tongs, Gangs, and Triads" stretching across not just
Asia
	and North America, but the globe?

	Although such groups are most notorious, perhaps, for their
control of
	the lucrative Southeast Asian drug trade, they are also known
for
	involvement in illegal immigration, smuggling, extortion,
kidnapping,
	home invasions and crimes of all sorts.

	How much of this is Hollywood hype and how much is reality? And
how can
	law enforcement and other interested parties overcome cultural
barriers
	and gain an understanding of a criminal element that shrouds
itself in
	secrecy - a secrecy that has proved to be its strength for
centuries?

	This book explores the rich Chinese tradition of tongs, gangs,
triads
	and secret societies and their frequent involvement in organized
crime,
	as well as their more recent and growing collusion with
Chinatown street
	gangs. The result is a work that provides an excellent
introduction to
	not just Chinese crime groups, but Chinese culture and history
in
	general.
	---------------

	Tongs

	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triad

	Tongs are similar to triads except that they originated among
the early
	immigrant Chinatown communities rather than an extension of a
modern
	triad in China. The first tongs formed in the second half of the
19th
	century among the more marginalized members of early immigrant
Chinese
	American communities for mutual support and protection from
white
	racists. These first tongs modeled themselves upon triads.
However,
	unlike the triads, the tongs formed without clear political
motives and
	soon found themselves involved in criminal activities, including
	extortion, gambling, human trafficking, murder, and
prostitution.[1]

	Many traditional tongs in USA Chinatowns have been replaced by
recent
	immigrants from China, especially from Fuqing City, Fujian
Province.

	---------------

	Mock Duck
	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_duck

	Mock duck, like seitan, is a gluten-based vegetarian food. It is
	generally made from wheat gluten and is thus high in protein.
Its
	distinctive flavor and artificial "plucked duck" texture
distinguish it
	from other forms of commercially available seitan. Mock duck can
be
	found in some Chinese grocery stores.

	----------------

	RW's production "African Antics" a "coon revue" modeled after
Williams &
	Walker

	Williams & Walker

	http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/Harlem/text/williams_walker.html

	Bert Williams (1874-1922); George Walker (1873-1911); and Aida
Overton
	Walker (1870-1914)

	George Walker and Egbert Austin Williams were a vaudeville
comedy team
	and had one of the most renowned and successful stage
partnerships in
	American theatrical history. They started in separate careers
and
	decided to team up when they met in San Francisco in the early
1890s.
	Their first success came when they billed themselves "The Two
Real
	Coons." This was at a time when minstrel shows featuring white
actors in
	black face were popular. Williams and Walker pioneered a new
kind of
	"black" humor and eventually developed their own company. With
musicals
	shows such as "Clorindy, the Origin of the Cakewalk," "Sons of
Ham,"
	"Bandana Land," and "In Dahomey," they opened the door for other
	African-American actors, singers, dancers and musicians and
redefined
	the boundaries of legitimate Negro theater. Additionally, their
efforts
	were a big influence on the development of American musical
comedy
	theater.

	From AtD Wiki:
	Courage, Camille
	345; "Courage Camille" is a game in which three players are
required.
	Two of the players face each other and lock hands. The third
person
	stiffens and falls backwards into their arms. This should be
done
	several times, with the person falling farther backwards each
time (the
	players locking their hands should lower them each time). Other
players
	can then try.

	-------------------

	Does Lillian Russel like hats?
	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Russell

	Lillian Russell (December 4, 1860 - June 6, 1922) was an
American
	actress and singer.

	Lillian RussellBorn Helen Louise Leonard in Clinton, Iowa,
Lillian
	Russell became one of the most famous actresses and singers of
the late
	19th century and early 20th century, known for her beauty and
style, as
	well as for her voice and stage presence.
	[...]
	For forty years, Russell was also the companion of businessman
"Diamond
	Jim" Brady, who showered her with extravagant gifts of diamonds
and
	gemstones and supported her extravagant lifestyle.

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