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215 North Lumpkin St. • Athens, GA
18 6- over / ID reqd. Tickets available online and at Georgia Theatre Box office
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
PARQUET
COURTS
WITH
MARY LATTIMORE
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8
JON LANGSTON
with COLE TAYLOR
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
AN EVENING WITH
BOB CRUEN
DOORS 6:OOPM SHOW 7:OOPM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9
zoso
% THE ULTIMATE
LED ZEPPELIN
t EXPERIENCE
,\P*. WITH
V MAGIC CITY
E&J HIPPIES
DOORS 7:OOPM SHOW 8:OOPM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY lO
PERPETUAL
GROOVE
WITH FUNK YOU
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY lO
HISS
GOLDEN
MESSENGER
WITH THE DEAD
TONGUES
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
COMING SOON
2/11
COIN - AT THE 40 WATT CLUB
2/20
BIG GIGANTIC W/ BRASSTRACKS
2/14
ANDERS OSBORNE
2/21
DEVENDRA BANHART
2/15 8-2/16 JAMEY JOHNSON
2/23
BOOMBOX
2/18
MAREN MORRIS
2/24
LOUIS THE CHILD
2/18
STRFKR - AT LIVE WIRE ATHENS
3/1
JOSEPH W/ KELSEY KOPECKY
• FOR COMPLETE LINEUP VISIT WWW.CEORCIATHEATRE.COM •
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26
SAMMY
ADAMS
THE
SENIORITY
TOUR
DOORS 7:OOPM SHOW 8:OOPM
moe.
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2
ANGEL A
OLSEN Y
WITH
CHRIS COHEN
//
DOORS 8:OOPM SHOW 9:OOPM
AT 40 WATT CLUB
hey, bonita...
Do Local Progressives Walk the Walk?
ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN
By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com
I am writing with a serious, heartbreaking case
of “I give up.”
There is a rather healthy new crop of “com
munity activists” coming up here in Athens. I
have dedicated years to local, state, national
and international environmental work, and
though I might say inside “Oh, now?/” I have
already worried my little head silly about that.
I came to Athens to build an off-grid solar
house from scratch, by hand, from recycled
materials because the winters are mild here
(*ahem* 70 degrees in January as I sit writing
this), and I paid for most of it by working at the
Waffle House and other blue-collar jobs. I am a
full-time cyclist. Have been my whole adult life.
The nagging ache that has developed goes
something like this:
“Who wants change?”
“We do,” cry the
masses!
“Who wants to
change?”
*crickets*
So many peo
ple talk, but do they
walk the walk? Athens
brands itself as a progressive com
munity, yet on so so many points it simply is
just a show, one kept up through boring panel
discussions and touchy-feely group activities
once every few weeks. But the data doesn’t lie.
Less than 2 percent of the population bikes
for transportation. Less than 4 percent of the
population of the surrounding region eats local
food.
What is really getting me is this: Even try
ing to communicate about this with people I
know gets me brow-beaten into silence, called
a “self-righteous, judgmental hypocrite.” The
nonprofits I have worked with have all suffered
from internal issues of conflicts over money,
drug and sexual abuse. When l have tried to
confront these types of issues within these
groups, I have been brow-beaten into submis
sion there, too.
The self-styled leaders of these groups seem
to regard themselves as the be-all, end-all of
progressive idealism. I guess I do too, but I live
a life that actually reflects my word, and it’s a
lot of actual work! However, I just don’t have
the strength anymore to try and operate in a
community of talkers who can’t seem to walk
their own line.
We all
have differ
ent levels of
commitment
that we can make to
changing the world. You
do, too. You ride a bike, sure,
but you’ve worked for Waffle House, a com
pany that sells factory-farmed GMO food
and has serious issues around wage theft
and abuse of employees.
But that’s a compromise you’ve made
to keep food on your table and a roof over
your head, right? For some people, the com
promise is driving an SUV to accommodate
their large family, or shopping at Kroger
because local organic eggs run about $6 per
dozen at the farmers market. And don’t
argue veganism, please, because one bunch
of GMO kale is 88 cents at Kroger, while
local organic is closer to about $3. As you
say, the data doesn’t lie.
You know what? I’m gonna echo your
peers. Get off of your high horse. I’m proud
of you for your dedication to healing the
earth, but compromise and mutual respect
are the way to get things done. When life
zigs, you zag. No one is perfect, not even
you, as you reduce your carbon footprint. ©
Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com, use the
anonymous form at flagpole.com/getadvice, or find
Bonita on Twitter: @flagpolebonita.
All we have in this life are our bodies and
our word. Two-thirds of the bodies of the wild
animals on this planet are gone! Six million
animals are killed for food every hour, and the
bodies of our children and grandchildren face
serious threat of not surviving unless we, here
and now, put our bodies on the line for what we
say matters to us—in our daily lives, not just
as part of the popularity contests. I’m not hold
ing my breath, but I have just about lost the
will to even try and open my mouth anymore.
Sincerely,
Paradigm Change, Not Climate Change
PCNCC,
You alone will not save the world. I think
you know this, what with the tremendous
expectations you place on your peers, but
you don’t seem to respect
the choices of
others.
JANUARY 25, 2017 | FLAGPOLE.COM 31