Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current, December 21, 2011, Image 3

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Flagpole., December 21, 2011, Image 3

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Newspaper Page Texti- > i- \ \ V GOD REST YE “At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir." “Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge. "Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. "And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?" "They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not." Merry Christmas, y'all! I haven't had the Christmas spirit in a pretty long while, so I thought I'd set my taste buds back to zero and read A Christmas Carol, to savor that original template of Bah! Humbug! yielding to a concern for humanity. Since the run-up to Yuletide has coincided with the Republican debates, we have been reminded that the rich shall inherit the Earth, and that they deserve to, because they are job creators, and those who are not, those who have no jobs, who have lost their homes, who have no insurance to pay for the cost of ill ness... well, not everybody can be a winner in the race of life. We should indeed turn to Dickens, for his world was the quintessential working out of these iron rules of economics unfettered by the bleeding hearts of liberals. Read Dickens, and get it straight where we're headed. Read Dickens, and understand this reality show, where only the strong and the privileged stay on the island. Read Dickens, and sleep better at night just knowing that this is the way things are, and the way they are supposed to be. But if you do read Dickens, be prepared, too, for the spirits that come in the night. When they do, you, too, may be given pause at what our corporatocracy is wreaking on our people, with its loopholes and tax cuts paid for by downgrading education, by our war economy that has unlimited funds for bombs and drones but little for health, by our denigration of government and the acquiescence of both our political parties and our government institutions in the exaltation of corporate control. Read Dickens, and see what our return to Victorian values means for human life. Read Dickens, and wonder if there is any chance that we as a country can somehow know the epiphany that generated even in Ebenezer Scrooge a regard for his employee, his family and the people who made up the society surrounding him. Read Dickens, and hope that there is hope for us yet, that some spirit will come to us and open our eyes before it is too late, before we must forever confront the results of our neglect. They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menac ing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of human ity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. "Spirit, are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more. "They are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased... " Have they no refuge or resource?" cried Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?" Charles Dickens and Pete McCommons editor@flagpole com THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: NEWS <§2 FEATURES City Dope 4 Athens News and Views Some cautious optimism for a holiday season—and new year—full of peace and unity. Athens Rising 6 What’s Up in New Development The eastern slope of downtown is where Athens began, and a perfect place to initiate a new vision for its future. AFT EVEIN1T Art Notes 7 Village People Jill Carnes' drawings seem almost musical in their interplay of pattern and color. Movie Pick 9 With You in Poetry Young Goethe in love offers genuine, fleet-footed charm. [MUSO© Mixtape Wars 13 Holiday Cheer: Tobias vs. Lewis Cheer up. Charlie Brown! We’ve got two great mixes that’ll really spike your eggnog. Threats & Promises 15 Music News and Gossip Nugi's Spaca gears up for the next Athens Business Rocks! Tunabunny’s set to tour the U K.! And more... CITY DOPE 4 CITY PAGES 4 CAPITOL IMPACT 5 ATHENS RISING 6 ART NOTES 7 FILM NOTEBOOK 7 MOVIE DOPE 8 MOVIE PICK 9 HOLIDAY GUIDE 10 MIXTAPE WARS ’....13 THREATS & PROMISES 15 TOP 11 ALBUMS 16 TOP 10 SHOWS 17 THE CALENDAR! 18 BULLETIN BOARD 22 ART AROUND TOWN 23 CLASSIFIEDS 24 CROSSWORD 25 COMICS 26 REALITY CHECK 26 EVERYDAY PEOPLE 27 EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter ADVERTISING SAIES Anita Aubrey. Melinda Edwards. Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gilzenrat CITY EDITOR Dave Marr CLASSIFIEDS. DISTRIBUTION t OFFICE MANAGER Jessica Smith ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER Sydney Slotkm AO DESIGNERS Kelly Ruberto. Cindy Jerrell CARTOONISTS Cameron Bogue. Lee Gatlin, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long. David Mack. Clint McElroy ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Amy Andrews. Caroline Barratt, Tom Crawford. Carrie Dagenhard. David Fitzgerald. Maura Friedman, Chris Hassiotis, Derek Hill. Gordon Lamb, Emily Patrick. Matthew Pulver, Jeff Tobias. Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleal. Jesse Mangum, John Richardson. Doug Krump, Will Donaldson WEB DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto CALENDAR Jessica Smith ADVERTISING INTERNS Rebecca McGee, Morgan Guritz MUSIC INTERNS Jodi Murphy, Ryan Anderson COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto, featuring artwork by Lou Kregel STREET ADDRESS: 112 Foundry St.. Athens. GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027. Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: (706) 549-9523 ADVERTISING: (706) 549-0301 FAX: (706) 548-8981 ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com COMICS: comics@flagpole.com EDITORIAL editor@flagpole.com LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com WEBSITE: web@flagpole.com flagpole. Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 14.500 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens. Georgia Subscriptions cost $70 a year. $40 for six months. © 2011 Flagpole, Inc All rights reserved VOLUME 25 ISSUE NUMBER 50 ® ® ® Allocution of Alternative Newiweeklwn CIRCULATION •| VERIFICATION | t O U N C I L UQ3 a u s t r a I i a genuine • authentic • original masadaleather.com Leather & Outdoor WORLD OF FOTONS SPECIALIZING IN LOCALLY MANUFACTURED FUTON FURNITURE MADE IN ATHENS SINCE 1984 XMAS REANRAGS IN STOCK www.GetFutons.com 2041 WEST RROAD ST. ACROSS FROM REO LOBSTER 706-353-1218 DECEMBER 21,2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 3 »