Myth Madness
The New White Power?
This Holden Matthews knucklehead — the alleged Louisiana arsonist — has been found to be associated with a whole new ilk of white supremacist lunatics. Revering the Germanic god Odin, this growing number of pitiable dopes range from the merely sad and innocuous to the potentially murderous. They embrace the ancient theology because its pantheon is populated by Scandinavian types. In other words, the whitest of the white.
At times like these I’m astonished our benighted species has lasted this long.
Anyway, here are a couple of pieces connecting Matthews to Odinism and here’s a description of the cult from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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Checking Out
Kel McBride remains a Bloomington institution even though she skedaddled out of town years ago for love and Louisville. One of the driving forces behind the originally-monikered Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls, this town’s annual Krampus Night fete, and the late, lamented Eroticon, her business for the last few years has been death.
Kel styles herself The Lively Death Lady. Her outfit, Clearly Depart, helps people plan for their own and for loved ones’ final bon voyage. Employing the tag line, “A Death-Changing Experience,” McBride offers practical advice for the ultimate planting — it’s no secret the death industry in America is a huge, too often byzantine, biz — as well as psychological and emotional resourcing. If only it were as easy as The Dude and Walter lugging Donny’s ashes in a Folger’s coffee can to the San Pedro cliffs.
In any case, McBride’s throwing a Thanatic confab later this month. Labled the Before I Die Festival, this year’s second annual iteration “for the living about dying” will be held at various locations around our town from April 16th through the 30th.
Who says death has to be a drag? The festival will feature, among other things, the following events:
- A Death Café
- Death Over Dinner (yep, a big dinner for future mourners and die-ers
- Drink to Your Death (a cocktail party for same)
- New ideas including green burial mushroom suites
- An “Obits and Bucket Lists” writing workshop
- A Rose Hill Cemetery Picnic
- A fundraising skee-ball tournament
Phew. Interested? Contact Kel McBride at kel.mcbride@clearlydepart.com or phone her at 812.322.3754.
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In The Arena
My guest on yesterday’s Big Talk was independent mayoral candidate Nile Arena. Here’s the link to the podcast. Tune in Monday during the 5:00pm Daily Local News for Big Talk Extra, when Arena will discuss his platform issues.
Big Talk airs every Thursday at 5:30pm on WFHB, 91.3 FM. All Big Talks are archived here.
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