This t-shirt and hat are both recent acquisitions. Let’s start with the easy one, the Bowregard hat. It doesn’t fit all that well. I guess I have a big head (literally that is, though maybe metaphorically, too. After all, I’m writing a blog entry about my clothes!) because I always have to set adjustable hats as to the last pin on snapbacks, of to the widest possible link, if there’s a buckle. Still, I love the logo and the black denim. I’m also really into the band.
This hat was a replacement perk for a donation to Bowregard’s Kickstarter Campaign to make their first album. I didn’t know who this band was when I pledged, but the clever name caught my attention. Sure enough, I liked what I heard, and I wanted to help. I’m a failed musician, by which I mean I not only failed to make a living in music, but also that I failed to manifest any real musical talent. Perhaps that’s why I get such satisfaction in helping people with real talent to get other people to hear them.
The album, Arrows, is now available, and it’s excellent! That’s probably not surprising, given that the band has already won over fans in their home state of Colorado. They won both the 2019 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest and the 2018 Ullrgrass Bluegrass Band Contest. I’d probably be wearing their t-shirt, too, but they were out of stock, so I’m waiting on that. I can’t wait until they come my way on tour, but in the meantime, I’m watching concert video on their YouTube channel.
The t-shirt is a slogan that first caught my attention through the Instagram account of The Bitter Southerner. I love the irony of that name, The Bitter Southerner. It sounds like it should refer to what B J Barham refers to as those “old men” still defending “monuments to treason,” (“A Better South” by American Aquarium). When in fact it refers to those of us who are bitter about our region being reduced to a caricature because of the antics of those people who cherish symbols of slavery and oppression and who refuse to relinquish unearned privilege so that our society can actually move forward!
The notion of “radical empathy,” as I understand it, goes beyond just putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes, but of taking that commitment to the next level. Not just imagining how someone else might feel a certain way or believe a certain thing, but by actively seeking to understand why this might be the case. It also means actively interrogating our own positions, and seeing where we are prejudiced by our own position vis-a-vis others.
Most importantly, radical empathy means not just understanding the position of another, but also actively seeking the best possible redress for the situation. That may be as simple as just getting out of the way of progress.
As I said, that is how I understand it, but there’s a better explanation by Terri E. Givens on this page.