Farewell

Good afternoon, Travelers, Matt Craft, Man, Myth, Legend, Historical Investigator, here. Thank you for joining me on this journey across the oceans of history. Hope you’ve enjoyed our journey. Sadly, it’s time for our trek to end. Don’t despair; don’t fret. I am not jumping ship.  I am not abandoning you. You are not losing your captain, your guide. 

Our journey is merely ending for this semester, for spring 2013. It will resume next semester, fall 2013. And resume it shall. Until then, peace! Good luck with all your finals and all your life trials. I  Hope you all have a great finish of the semester, and I hope you all have a wonderful summer. Again, thank you.

Matt

Crime Culture

Hey, Travelers. Hope this stage of your educational journey is reaching a smooth finish.  If not, remember: breathe. Light always shines from even the darkest of tunnels and caverns. You’ll reach it.  Just have faith.

            As promised, I am reporting on the spring 2013 edition of Dr. Peter Kuryla’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre academic lecture convocation. Sorry for the delay; I almost forgot and almost banished it to the depths of my mind. But now, it’s back, and you’re getting the opportunity to read the words of Matt Craft, MML, HI.

            Sadly, Dr. Kuryla didn’t deliver this awesome convo on the 84^th anniversary of this titular event. He delivered this convo on the day after instead. But if it’s all the same to you, it’s all the same to me. Now, let’s start   talking about the convo and its topic.

            The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is a tale of horrific and mythic violence:  on February 14, 1929, infamous mobster Al Capone orchestrated a masterful stroke of theater, murder, and militarism. Under the guise of law enforcement, Capone’s goons descended onto an inside gang and achieved complete slaughter but failed to eliminate Capone’s rival Bugs Moran.[1]

            If this murder was so villainous, then why are we 21^st-century Americans so fascinated with it? Dr. Kuryla unpacked our fascination and offered some explanations for its existence…

            Dr. Kuryla asserted that our fascination today stems mostly from film and other entertainment media. Nevertheless, Hollywood did not dream the gentleman criminal out of nothing; they crafted their fiction around a contemporaneous reality. This contemporaneous reality around which the gangster world of movies and stories emerged was the Prohibition and anti-Prohibition movements. The 1840s’ alcohol-saturated America consisted of immigrant populations – Italians, Poles, Jews, and Germans – who included alcoholic beverages in their familial and cultural rituals. The average alcohol consumption per American at that time was seven gallons a year, more than it is today.

A reaction to all this drinkin’ was bound to come, and Victorian morality helped spur that; the Anti-Saloon League was formed in 1893 and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in 1896. Cartoons and news articles reflected the intertwining of the American identity with the stance on alcohol production and use: the Hun, an invasion of brewers, was taking Lady Liberty. These cartoons and printed bulletins preached that drinking destroyed families, wasted grain, and was un-American.  Beneath all that Prohibition talk lay a desire to tame the numerous immigrants who patronized saloons and for whom drunkenness was a recurring problem.

Zealous preachers joined the cause and attacked particular immigrant groups. Billy Sunday,[2] for example, claimed that Hell was stamped with the words “Made in Germany.”  The various gangster organizations benefitted from Prohibition as it gave them a cause and an underground business on which to thrive.  Italian immigrant Johnny Torrio developed the Chicago criminal empire, and his protégé Al Capone inherited the empire and enlarged it. Ironically, Capone possessed a dual, often-contradictory image: he was both a celebrity and a criminal. In fact, he made the March 24, 1930 cover of Time magazine a little over 83 years ago, on which he looked respectable and middle-class.

The anti-Prohibition movement to legalize alcohol consumption and sales was actually the anti-gangster, anti-organized crime cause. I surmise that the members of this movement had many goals. But their main goal was to turn back the clock to pre-Prohibition America, and the destruction of the mob was an added bonus.

Gangster films, many of them now considered classics, reflected the organized crime culture of the Prohibition years and depicted various levels of assimilated aliens into Americans as consumers, businessmen, and gentlemen. One fascination for many people with The Godfather epic is a family’s assimilation into American culture from its Sicilian origins. Likewise, the 1983 remake of Scarface tells the story of Tony Montana who arrived in America in 1980 as part of the Mariel boatlift[3] —very recent to the film—and we watch Montana’s Americanization through “gangsterhood.”[4] And don’t forget The Sopranos! A completely assimilated Italian clan who parodies the older stereotype of an Italian-American immigrant family as they discuss “the mob” over moo-shoo pork from the local Chinese take-out eatery: an ultimate melting-pot scene! LOL!

Other films Dr. Kuryla excerpted in his presentation included: the black and white, original 1932 Scarface, complete with a gangster’s flirtatious dame and his own gaudy ring as a sign of prosperity (crime pays—for a while LOL!); Public Enemy, with Jean Harlow and James Cagney in which there’s a great scene of the stylish gangster with a huge car, a consumer flaunting his excess to attract an alluring woman, a “gun moll,”[5] to complete his persona; and Little Caesar, with criminal kingpin Edward G. Robinson and his handsome young protégé in a homoerotic film where Dr. Kuryla pointed out that consumption and power blur the boundaries of gender roles. Take note of the style of dress, hair, and adornments such as cars and jewelry that exemplify the 1920s and 1930s for us now, but the gangster films offer us more than that: they offer us a glance of the American business model lurking behind the shadows of impassionate violence. The crime lords, both real and Hollywood, appeared organized, rational, efficient, and utterly removed from anything “dirty.” As we observe in the 1972 classic, The Godfather, loyalty and structure prevail in the corporate hierarchy. Minions obeyed orders and received rewards.

Missing from these criminal empires is any burden of Protestant middle-class morality. There is no ethical limit, no effort to live moderately or lawfully. In fact, these “Napoleons of Crime”[6] twisted and used the law for their own guiltless gain. And in my opinion, the ultimate kingpin residing in our historical and mythic consciousness is Capone whose criminal monopoly continued until 1931. The countless murders he orchestrated did not lead to his defeat, but rather “tax evasion”[7] did, as depicted in 1987-stastic The Untouchables starring Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness[8] and Robert De Niro as Capone. Dr. Kuryla didn’t feature The Untouchables in his presentation, possibly because he considers it a bad movie with Costner in it. LOL! Or simply, he didn’t have time since the room was packed and therefore he is cut this convo short. Regardless, this ’87 film recounts some pivotal events in the history of crime and law enforcement. A more recent film that Dr. Kuryla also didn’t feature is 2009’s Public Enemies narrating the story of infamous crook John Dillinger and determined FBI agent Melvin Purvis. This 21^st-century telling of 20^th-century events stars Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Christian Bale as Purvis. Yeah! Batman and John Connor![9] Who’s better to portray a G-man[10] than Batman, the world’s greatest dark-winged detective, and John Connor, protector of mankind! Yeah!

Despite cutting this convo short and not featuring more recent films, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Kuryla’s presentation.  It was both informative and intriguing, a combo hard for some subjects to achieve. But not Dr. Kuryla. He delivered. As always.

Thanks for reading, Travelers. Peace!

MML, HI

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[1] George “Bugs” Moran was an old rival of Al Capone and watched helplessly as Capone’s minions slew his best goons during the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. “This Day in History: George ‘Bugs’ Moran Is Arrested,” History.com, A&E Networks LLC, 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-bugs-moran-is-arrested.

[2] William Ashley “Billy” Sunday was a baseball player who turned to Christian ministry. “Billy Sunday Remembered,” Billy Sunday Online, 2009, http://billysunday.org/.

[3] On April 20, 1980, Cuban emigrants, with Fidel Castro’s permission, left Cuba from Mariel ports and came to America in response to “housing and job shortages” in their native country. “This Day in History: Castro Announces Mariel Boatlift,” history.com, A&E Networks LLC, 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-announces-mariel-boatlift.

[4] Gangsterhood is a term that Dr. Kuryla used in his presentation.

[5] Occasionally shortened to just moll, gun moll is an early-twentieth-century slang term referring to a woman accompanying a male criminal or “a female criminal.” “Gun Moll,” Dictionary.com LLC, 2013, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gun%20moll.

[6] A reference to Sir Arthur Conman Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. In the 1893 installment originally intended as the last, “The Final Problem,” Holmes describes nemesis Professor James Moriarty as the “Napoleon of Crime.”

[7] “This Day in History: Capone Goes to Prison,” History.com, A&E Networks, LLC, 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/capone-goes-to-prison.

[8] A Chicago native of Norwegian parents, Eliot Ness was the leader of government agents dubbed the “Untouchables” who ultimately caught Capone. “Eliot Ness,” Map of People, 2013, http://www.mapofpeople.com/eliot-ness-726962/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=eliot-ness&utm_content=eliot-ness&utm_campaign=people-1-16.

[9] Son of Sarah Connor, John Connor is the leader of the post-apocalyptic human resistance in the Terminator franchise, and Christian Bale plays a 30s-year-old John Connor in the 2009 installment Terminator: Salvation.

[10] Short for government man, G-man is a term generally applied to FBI agents and coined by gangster “Machine Gun Kelly.” The story goes like this: the FBI was raiding his hideout and caught him shaving; he turned and said, “Don’t shoot, G-man.”

Elizabeth Timbs: Take Your Passion Everywhere You Go

Happy Monday, Travelers! MML, HI, here. Sorry for the delay, in case you expected a weekly post from yours truly. I’ve been busy. Anywho, as you may recall, the Bruin History Blog features character profiles of Belmont students, faculty, and alumni. The unbelievably awesome “Peter Kuryla: Living with Ideas” was the first of these profiles, and the profile of my friend Liz Timbs is the second. As before, this chapter of the blog’s saga opens with a brief biography and then proceeds to an interview between me, MML, HI, and the subject.

            And now, the second character profile, “Elizabeth Timbs: Take Your Passion Everywhere You Go…”

            A first-year doctorate of philosophy in African history student at Michigan State University, Elizabeth “Liz” Timbs “tutored” me once upon a time, back in the2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years (my high school freshman and sophomore years and her college junior and senior years respectively).  She currently resides in Lansing, Michigan, but was born and bred in Nashville, Tennessee, I proudly proclaim! Timbs attended Belmont University for her undergraduate history degree and George Mason University (in Virginia) for her master’s and is presently enrolled at Michigan State for her Ph.D. (Doctorate of Proudness High! LOL!)  She chose Belmont over Vanderbilt University or Middle Tennessee State University for a simple reason: Timbs desired “to pursue a career in Music Business.  Obviously, that didn’t work out, but I am so glad I went to Belmont because it was a spectacular experience and I was exposed to so many incredible people who changed my life in ways that I am still discovering.”[1] Similarly, she selected George Mason “for [its] concentration in Comparative World History [which] allowed me to explore different regional foci and really pin down what I wanted to study as I continued to pursue my graduate education.  And, again, I am so blessed to have been at Mason because I met so many phenomenal people and made lifelong friends.  Plus, Mason is where I decided that I wanted to make a career out of history.”[2]

 Timbs’s accomplishments and interests do not end here.  She proudly noted her membership in both the Belmont chapter of the national history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta, and the inclusive social club, the Belmont History Society. Timbs applauded my recollection of her interest in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons; nevertheless, that is not all she reads for pleasure. She said, “Dan Brown’s books are some of my favorites, and I am very much looking forward to reading his new book that is coming out later this year.  I also really love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, which may seem somewhat childish, but I developed and taught a course on this series, which is based on Greek mythology, so it is very dear to my heart.  I also love the writing of Ngugi Wa’Thiongo,[3] Chinua Achebe,[4] Gabriel Garcia Marquez,[5] Mario Vargas Llosa,[6] Salman Rushdie,[7] Chris Cleave,[8] and a bunch of others that I can’t even remember right now!”[9] Truly, history defines her: “I take history with me everywhere I go, because it is my passion.  I am lucky to be in a program here at Michigan State with so many other students who share my same passion, so I am immersed in history all the time and it’s great!”[10]

            And now, the Q’s & A’s…

            CRAFT: Why history?  What first got you interested?

            TIMBS: What a question!  I guess I can start with the second part, regarding what first got me interested.  As I mentioned above, I had always been interested in history, but it definitely was not my favorite subject in school.  My first semester at Belmont, however, I enrolled in a survey course taught by Dr. Jackson-Abernathy and her course showed me that history could be so much more than pure memorization. She inspired me to really delve into history. I was originally a Music Business major and her class was a big part of why I changed to studying History and Political Science. 

            In regards to “why history,” I defer to a quote by one of my favorite historians, Roy Porter.  “The historical record is like the night sky,” Porter writes, “we see a few stars and group them into mythic constellations. But what is chiefly visible is the darkness.” The challenge of reconstructing the past is my favorite part of being a historian.  I have always loved puzzles and writing history is like a really fun puzzle!  Piecing together documents, interviews, photos, and all sorts of sources is exciting and engaging!

CRAFT: What role do you think history plays in all levels of education?  Do you feel history gets enough attention or focus in all levels of school?

TIMBS: In my opinion, history holds incredible potential at all levels of education.  I always challenge my students to tell me an arena of life that history does not encompass, and no one has ever succeeded.  Studying history helps reading comprehension, writing skills, statistical analysis, and other critical thinking skills. 

CRAFT: Where is the gap in the average person’s historical knowledge the widest? Where is it the narrowest?

TIMBS: In my opinion, the average person’s gap in historical knowledge is the widest in regards to the scope of what history can encompass.  In my experience as a history teacher at different levels, you run into a lot of people who profess to be “history buffs,” meaning that they can recount myriad facts and dates at the drop of the hat, especially in regards to wars, presidents, politics, etc.  In fact, this memorization of dates and individuals is where I would say the average person’s historical knowledge is the strongest.  Now, I am always impressed with people that possess this skill, because I have a hard time remembering the most basic dates.  What I think those people miss out on is the huge range of human experiences that historians aim to recount.  At the very basic levels, historians are storytellers and the stories we tell vary in their focus from diseases to biographies to politics to music to every topic imaginable.  I think that the range of things that history encompasses is what most people miss.

CRAFT: Who is your favorite intellectual or historian? Why? How? Where do you see their historic relevance and importance?

TIMBS: My favorite intellectual is Dr. Paul Farmer, the famous anthropologist and doctor.  His work on structural violence and the interactions of poverty and disease have been fundamental in my understanding of how impoverished nations experience health crises.  I think that his historical relevance is still to be seen, but he has played an important role in raising public awareness about the dangers of poverty in “third-world” countries.  I would be very surprised if he did not win a Nobel Peace Prize one day.  If you are interested in his work, I would highly suggest Pathologies of Power and AIDS and Accusation (both by Farmer himself), as well as Tracy Kidder’s book about Farmer, Mountains beyond Mountains.

            As far as a favorite historian, there are too many to choose from.  But the short list would include David McCullough[11], Robert R. Edgar[12], and Luise White[13]. 

CRAFT: What book of a historical nature would you recommend that everyone read?

TIMBS: Hmm…that’s a difficult question.  I guess it would have to be Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.  I read this book as an undergraduate and Madiba’s life story inspired me in so many ways.  It also gave me a profound respect for South African history, which is what I am studying now.

CRAFT: What book would you recommend that any president should read?

TIMBS: Again, a really difficult question!  I think I would recommend that any president should read David McCullough’s biography of John Adams.  I think it really gives a sense of the weight of responsibility that presidents carry, and I think that most presidents could relate to the story. Plus, David McCullough is a phenomenal writer…maybe it would inspire better speechwriting!

CRAFT: Is there a person you admire or model yourself after? Dr. Jackson-Abernathy? Dr. Schafer?  Dr. Mrs. Bisson? Dr. Mr. Bisson?

TIMBS: I think I have tried to take a little from each of my professors at Belmont and integrate them into the way I approach teaching and the writing of history.  Dr. Shafer’s passion for Russian history inspired me to really dive headfirst into the culture that I study.  His Russian Revolution course also helped me produce one of my first original research projects, and his lessons in method and organization are insights that I still refer to.  Dr. Mrs. Bisson was always kind, but demanding of her students.  She always expected the best from her students, and treated us in such a way that we wanted to give her our best.  I never got the chance to take a class with Dr. Mr. Bisson, but he was always very kind and supportive.  Finally, Dr. Jackson-Abernathy is one of my main role models, not only as a historian but as a person.  She has always encouraged me to aspire to be the best version of myself and she inspired me to pursue history as a career.

CRAFT: In your opinion what role does writing play in history and other disciplines?   

TIMBS: Writing is absolutely central to history.  I take the craft of writing as seriously as I do my research.  Part of our job as historians is to convey stories to our readers in the most powerful, effective ways possible.  Good, clear, concise writing is central to that aim.

CRAFT: What is the most important thing you left your history classes with?

TIMBS: The most important thing that I leave each of my history classes with is a profound respect for the human experience and the power of historians to convey those experiences. 

CRAFT: How did you come to give the personal/professional growth convocation talk back in 2008 or 2009? Did Dr. Jackson-Abernathy call you up and ask you to do it?  How did it feel giving the personal/professional growth convocation talk back in 2008 or 2009?

TIMBS: In Fall 2009, Dr. Jackson-Abernathy sent me an email asking if I would want to come to campus and talk about my experience in graduate school.  I was incredibly nervous (as I always am when it comes to public speaking), but honored that the History Department had thought to ask me to give this talk. It was really exciting to present my research to a new audience and get their feedback.  And I got to see everyone, which was the best part!

CRAFT: Did you ever study abroad with Belmont?

TIMBS: I never was able to study abroad with Belmont and it is something that I really regret not pursuing.  Belmont has some really incredible programs, so I would encourage students to travel as much as possible.  My travels have taught me more about life and humanity than any class ever could. Travel as much as you can while you don’t have too many responsibilities!!

CRAFT: Is there a specific avenue or focus of history you find most interesting, and why?

TIMBS: My research focuses on the history of South Africa in the twentieth century.  While I was at Belmont, I studied Latin American and Caribbean history.  In particular, a research project I did for Dr. Jackson-Abernathy’s Caribbean history course focused on Jamaica and I really became interested in the connections between Afro-Caribbeans and Africans on the continent.  So, when I started my master’s at George Mason, I took a class in the social history of Africa my first semester.  My professor, Benedict Carton, really inspired me and my interests just mushroomed from there.  South Africa’s experiences with racism, their difficult path to democracy, the impact of the AIDS epidemic, and the rich culture of this nation all drew me to focus my research on this nation.

CRAFT: Did you know you would continue your educational journey after graduating from undergrad at Belmont?

TIMBS: Yes, I knew that undergraduate would not be the end for me.  At first, I thought I might go to law school, but ended up pursuing graduate degrees in history instead.

CRAFT: What do you want to do with your history degree(s) at Belmont and George Mason? What is the next stop in your educational journey?  What is the final destination in your educational journey? Teaching? Archiving?

TIMBS: I plan to continue studying history and pursue my Ph.D.  I began a doctoral program in African history at Michigan State University in Fall 2012.  Upon completion of my doctorate, I hope to teach African history at a university and also hope to transition into doing work in HIV/AIDS awareness projects in South Africa.

CRAFT: Did tutoring me help advance you along your educational journey? How? Why?  Did you know tutoring me would help advance you along your educational journey?

TIMBS: Tutoring you taught me so many things that I continue to apply as a teacher and a person in general.  You taught me the value of seeing beyond someone’s exterior and getting to know the person inside.  You taught me patience and the value in pushing someone to achieve their best.  Seeing you succeed has been a greater gift to me than my own success in a lot of ways.  As I continue to pursue a career as a professor, the lessons I learned with you continue to be valuable as I interact and engage with students.  But I still love to edit people’s writing, which I know was probably one of your least favorite things that I did (I think I even edited these questions a bit!  Sorry! )

CRAFT: What advice would you give to lower-class history majors and minors? What advice would you give to upper-class history majors and minors?

TIMBS: The main advice that I would give to lower-class history majors and minors is to take as many classes in as many different subjects as you can.  Even if you know you are interested in American history, taking classes in other subjects can really open up your perspective and help you figure out what you really want to pursue in the course of your undergraduate education.

For upper-class history students, I would say that you are at one of the best times in your life.  You’re not tied down to anything yet, job/spouse/kids, etc., and nothing has to be rushed.  This is a great time in life to travel, explore, and really find yourself.  I always felt like I had to rush, but I found that [in] the times when life intervened and I had to slow down that I really found myself.

CRAFT: What advice would you give to pre-collegiate students interested in and/or passionate about history?

TIMBS: I would say to pursue your passion!  Life is very short and if you aren’t doing what you love, life doesn’t have much meaning.  Read as much as you can, not just history but literature as well!  Find your bliss and follow it!

            Don’t know about you other travelers, but I thought Timbs was great!  She was insightful and sincere. It was refreshing for me to hear such groovy remarks from a fellow student – a doctoral student mind you, but a fellow student nonetheless.

            Thank you for reading, Travelers. Stay tuned!

MML, HI

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[1] Liz Timbs, personal interview March 24, 2013.

[2] Timbs.

[3] Ngugi Wa’Thiongo is Kenyan-born scholar and a writer, holding a professorship in “English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.” “Ngugi Wa Thiong’o: A Profile of a Literary and Social Activist,” ngugiwathiongo.org, n.d. http://www.ngugiwathiongo.com/bio/bio-home.htm. ugiwathiongo

[4] Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian scholar and writer, holding a professorship in Africana Studies at Brown University. “Chinua Achebe,” Brown University, n.d. http://brown.edu/Departments/Africana_Studies/people/achebe_chinua.html.

[5] Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Columbian journalist and writer and has won the 1982 Literature Nobel Prize.  “The Nobel Prize in Literature 1982: Gabriel García Márquez,” Nobelprize.org, 2013. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1982/marquez-bio.html.

[6] Mario Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian politician and writer and won the 2010 Literature Nobel Prize. “Mario Vargas Llosa,” Biography.com, A+E Networks, 2013. http://www.biography.com/people/mario-vargas-llosa-37161. 

[7] Salman Rushdie is a bestselling Indian novelist. “Salman Rushdie,” Biography.com, A+E Networks, 2013. http://www.biography.com/people/salman-rushdie-39245.

[8] Chris Cleave is a multi-award-winning British novelist and journalist. “Chris Cleave,” BrookBrowse LLC, 2013. http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm/author_number/1183/chris-cleave.

[9] Timbs.

[10] Timbs.

[11] A distinguished and masterful historian and author, David McCullough is a two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “David McCullough,” Simon & Schuster, n.d. http://authors.simonandschuster.com/David-McCullough/938.

[12] Robert R. Edgar is a Howard University Graduate School professor teaching areas in African studies and history and a published author on said areas. “Faculty Profiles: Robert R. Edgar, Professor,” Howard University, 2004. www.gs.howard.edu/gradprograms/african_studies/profiles/edgar.htm.

[13] Author of thirty-plus articles, Luise White is a faculty member of the University of Florida, Gainesville, and an accomplished scholar with experience in African and European history. “Luise White,” University of Florida, 2013. http://history.ufl.edu/directory/current-faculty/luise-white/.