My annual reminder that less government equals more wealth, or why I am English and poor, has come round again, with another vacation in the United States of America. This year, to combat the ennui and Autumn chills, Florida and the Keys beckons.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of a trip out West is finding some facet of American life that affirms the surprising echoes and extraordinary mixtures of the British Isles and other cultures. Such experiences confirm that the Anglosphere is certainly a cultural, if not a political project, although this is heresy in some quarters.
This year, my sojourn in the Keys coincides with the “Meeting of the Minds”, an annual shindig for the Parrot Head Clubs, an organisation that I had never heard of. Since their gathering cramped my search for accommodation, this piqued my curiosity. The Parrotheads are fans of Jimmy Buffett, a country rock singer and aficianado of the island lifestyle, who I had also never heard of. He became a far more likeable figure as soon as a website on music banned by the BBC revealed that he was censored:
Jimmy Buffett’s single, “come Monday” contained the line, “I’ve got my Hush Puppies on.” Since the BBC considered this to be advertising he re-recorded that line so it said, “I’ve got my hiking shoes on.”
The Parrotheads are a reminder of the strong links between civil society, charitable activities and other interests which bind individuals together. Such associations are now rare in Europe. The knowing classes would no doubt laugh at the voluntary activities of such simpletons and point out that their activities are wonderful examples of ‘false consciousness’.
It is therefore no surprise that, in the most modern of societies, the prevailing moralism is a hard nut to crack for radical critics. This moralism is not only a theoretical matter, a form of false consciousness. From the seamstress to the First Lady, people have an urge to practice the ideals of altruism, modesty, honesty, compassion, charity, etc. Everyone donates to the Cancer Fund, UNICEF and so on. People join associations which promote stupidity in young people, firmly believing that this is an opportunity to experience something workaday life denies them: community of purpose, solidarity, friendship. They compensate for the necessity to compete against each other by forming disgusting groups on the basis of their ideals, even if their idealism demands further sacrifices.
However, groups still crop up amongst the British and their expatriate communities, proving our traditional bent for voluntarist activities. A recent phenomenon is the Hash House Harriers: running clubs that replicate the joy of hare and hounds:
The Hash House Harriers is a more social version of Hare and Hounds, where you join the pack of hounds (runners) to chase down the trail set by the hare or hares (other runners), then gather together for a little social activity known as the On In or Down Down. In most groups, all are welcome, young and old, fast or slow. The only prerequisite to hashing is a sense of humor, so check out a hash near you.
To split the cultural difference, the emphasis is on humour rather than charity Still, if they ban hunting, this will provide suitable enjoyment for the interregnum, until liberty returns.
You don’t have to go to Florida to run with the hash HOUSE harriers. There are hashes in London and many other places in England.
On On
Dirtydingus – hasher and blogger
Hounds and house – a case of cognitive myxamatosis.
Now corrected!
Of all the bars, in all the world, you had to walk into er…the one with 3,000 rabid C&W fans dressed as parrots.
Phillip. How long before your legendry tolerance towards others and equally legendary incapacity to hold your beer prompts you to stand on a chair in the middle the town square and loudly urge the assembled throng to discard their Buffet collections for British Sea Power and the like, whilst reminding them that a nation so culturally stunted does not have the capacity to recognise good music and culminating in a personal attack on Buffet himself, casting grave doubt upon his parentage as well as his musical abilities?
Having performed this service, do you then not think you will be extremely discomforted to undertake an 8 hour flight home with a carved wooden parrots head stuffed irretrievably up what our American friends call, your “ass”?
Your travelling companions are, I fear, lions led by a donkey and deserve the sympathies of all who peruse these boards.
I’ve long been a Jimmy Buffet fan. ‘Why don’t we get drunk and screw’ was a favorite in my old Pittsburgh local’s record selection. Of course he has lots of other great ones too, like “Wasting Away in Margaritaville”.
As to the Harriers… I’m expecting Chuck Divine to appear at any moment to tell you about Red Dress Runs…
I enjoy a Jimmy Buffet tune or two on occasion. Jimmy even wrote a novel which I believe was titled Where is Joe Merchant and was suprisinly pretty good but not what I’d call heavy reading. The Parrotheads, however, I can largely do without. They just annoy me, can’t put my finger on exactly why.
Hashing: “recent” and “British”? This was so just before the Second World War.
It’s barely an international organisation in the traditional sense as it revels in its “mis-management”. Nevertheless Hashers run very successful events throughout the global community. Perhaps a good case study for libertarians.
On-on
Comes in Handy
a drinker with a running problem, oh and a drinking problem as well.
>> A recent phenomenon is the Hash House Harriers:
not convinced about the recentness of the HHH, I’ve been aware of them since the early seventies, but they seem to have become very popular as ‘fun’ running clubs recently.
As for any form of hunting substitute, if it doesn’t involve watching hounds working a chaotic criss-cross of mixed scents to resolve their quarry, it will only satisfy a very few followers. Many (most?) of us take our real joy in hunting from watching the hounds work. A better substitute would be “anti” hunting, we could have great fun hunting and disrupting those antis who seem intent hitting shooting if hunting is banned.
Yes, I’ve often thought it would be really great sport to hunt the anti-hunters with high powered water guns. Ambushes, tracking, stealth… why it could be marvelous fun!
And Hare and Hounds paperchases predate Hash House, going back well into the 19th century – see Tom Brown’s Schooldays published in 1857, and set a generation earlier.
It’s certainly been around for a while. I used to go ‘Hashing’ all the time with my father when we were stationed in Germany in the ’80’s. Was allowed my first ‘official’ beer at the end of one meet. Great fun, highly recommended.
Where to start?
1) I didn’t realize that there were normal people in the free world who have never heard of Jimmy Buffet. I am now officially convinced that there is no reason whatsoever to leave the US.
2) The left in Europe is like peeling an onion, each new layer smellier and more rotten than the next. While the American left has it’s stupidity and nonsensical viewpoints, a snide derision of voluntarism is not one of them. In fact the American left’s constant demands for more government arise, superficially anyway, out of a belief that they cannot get enough people to do various things voluntarily. But no self-respecting liberal in American would ever deride voluntary charity of any sort. If anything they condemn anybody who doesn’t participate in private charity enough.
Sometimes I think you guys are just making this stuff up to mess with the Americans heads.
3) Like most American celebrities, Jimmy Buffet is an environmental activist and a liberal, probably much more so that the average Parrothead. But he is still what I would consider in the American mainstream unlike your Martin Sheen/Susan Sarandon crowd. And although he is intimately associated with Key West, he hasn’t actually lived there for more than 20 years.
4) Anybody who has never been to a Jimmy Biffet concert outdoors in the summertime hasn’t really lived.
Is there any good reason to leave the United States of America?
The best place to see a Jimmy Buffett concert is at Miami Marine Stadium – sitting on a boat with plenty of cold beer. Interested to find out he is a cousin of Warren Buffett.
Dale – I was also going to draw attention to “A Love Song – Why Don’t We Get Drunk And Screw”. And there’s an Anglophone who’s never heard “Margaritaville”? This is not possible.
As DS says, Buffet’s Liberalish, but he’s laid back, friendly, non-hectoring and writes great songs. “Last Mango in Paris”, “A Pirate Looks at 40”, “Jamaican Farewell”. I’ve just been playing the CD, and it’s great.
BTW, people go hashing in Singapore.
The hash house harriers are nothing but a bunch of beer-swilling, pseudo-athletic vulgarians and I’m proud to be a part of this international conspiracy against propriety and good taste.
I’m more in tune with the beer house harriers, who wander down the street a ways and smoke hash.
You need to go running in Antigua with the local Hash House Harriers with Jimmy playing in your walkman. A cold Red Stripe afterwards would convince you you could leave the USA, at least for a while.
Are these Harriers the one with the motto:
Drink to run and run to drink. If you’ve half a mind to join the Hash, that’s all it takes.
?
Like others have said, Hashing has been around since 1938-founded by British ex-pats living behind the Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur.
Check Half-Mind.com for a hash near you-your first one is usually free, so there’s nothing to waste but your time. Having a sense of humor is more important than athletic ability.
And don’t wear new shoes!
OnOn,
Tampon Drizzle
Minneapolis Hash House Harriers
I’ve been a member of the Hash House Harriers since 1997, and a Parrothead for as long as I can remember. I highly recommend both.
Favorite JB song: “Peanut Butter Conspiracy”
On~On to the next beer check!
Knave’s Bitch
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