Environment influences production. It's a simple formula, really. Artists are the obvi-ous example. Not only do they often need to see the world they are re-creating but they also need a community that fosters their inspiration. That is environment. This also works for all of us non-artists. We all soak in the visual and aural stimuli around us and use it consciously or unconsciously for our own output. Therefore, it makes sense that when we are in unfamiliar surroundings our senses are heightened. We notice different stuff. We think new thoughts. For good or bad we see alternate angles. Sometimes we get disoriented -- particularly in the dark.
Academic question: Would Nietzsche's aphorisms have been so dark and pithy without those extended times of isolation? Sport question: Would Kobe Bryant be such a brat without the bright lights? General question: Would that first year chug beers without the presence of those frat boys?
Enough seriousness. I was trying to understand the change in the way I think about the United States. When I was first given this column, I was charged with writing as a foreigner on this soil. Sometimes I did that and once I wrote about a guy who I used to work with back in New Zealand. But I am heading home to New Zealand soon and I am trying to make sense of the big picture. Oddly enough, the environment I chose to write this column in provided some perspective.
See this:
It's Tuesday night and I have sat down in the "New Books" section of Clemons Library. Actually, as you probably know, it is called Club Clemons by the cooler late-night crew. There's a lot of laughter and food in Clemons -- something I am not used to. When I was a kid, (Oh no, this is where it starts!) we were taught that libraries were a special place. Silent and holy like a tomb. Hell, my mum used to repair all the books I borrowed, even the ones that didn't need it. The library was sacred. Yet at Clemons it's like an open mic comedy night and everyone's been invited to go first. I'm not complaining, believe me. I don't really like tombs. Plus, you do get to hear some pretty funny things. For example, here are two snippets I have heard in the last 26 minutes:
Girl in loud voice says, "He said I'm a ho! (voice rising) I ain't a ho! I ain't a ho!"
Ten minutes later, boy in loud shirt says, "I am just so exacerbated that she's coming down this weekend. (takes a bite of Chicken McNugget) I'm so exacerbated!" What that means, I have no idea.
So, that's the environment.
Take Two: Club Clemons, late night. I am sitting in the New Books section. I like the spines of books. Truth be told, I am easily sold -- I was the kind of kid that favored the packaging over the toy inside. I was easily pleased. Looking at the shelves, autobiography and different forms of memoir seem to be in fashion at the moment. In the New Books section, you have the choice of memoir, and it seems to be a real sampling of life in the United States. Of course it's the type of life in the U.S .that gets to publish books -- I didn't see any memoirs about growing up dirt-poor in southern Georgia and spending one's life working at the local gas station. Nope, that wouldn't sell. The New Books section has "American Life, Hollywood Version!" only. In "The Last Season," you have Coach Phil Jackson whining rather than winning his way through his "last" season with the Lakers. Despite his counter-culture, basketball-as-Zen mantra image, it seems to me that Phil Jackson isn't that different from the egos he tries to harness into a winning formula.
Below the Jackson book there are two Sean Hannity books, side by side -- one called "Let Freedom Ring" or something like that, and the other I don't know because I can't turn my neck that far. I grab the closest one. As you might have guessed, this is more political diatribe than memoir. Perfect for a radio host. In a book there are no ads to run, no callers to listen to, and no pesky timeslots to adhere to. It is pure one-way traffic. Absolutely perfect for Mr. Hannity. He can weave every page around the idea of the "reds under the bed." Above the Hannity book is "To Hate Like This is To Be Happy Forever," by Will Blythe. This book is essentially a UNC fan going deep into his hatred of Duke. Ouch -- that's a little harsh to start with, but right now? Is it bad timing on the release of the book? Chances are that sales have increased with the media spectacle that is Durham, N.C.
So as I distract myself by flicking through a number of books, the din in Clemons grows louder. It's not an unpleasant sound. It's more the din of a high school cafeteria than a concert. What's this all got to do with experience? The New Books section is a perfect microcosm for life. Books to flick through, grab a slice of life. Conversations drift by before disappearing. People walking by and then they're gone. Club Clemons: A World inside a World.
Chris Garland is an exchange student from New Zealand. His column runs biweekly on Thursdays.
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