On Saturday I picked up the mail and received an invitation to “Celebrate the Good Life in the South.” It was a subscription request for a magazine called Garden & Gun. Why is it called Garden & Gun? There used to be a 1970’s nightclub in Charleston, SC called the Garden & Gun Club that was popular. It is “a metaphor representing the love and respect for the land, an enthusiasm for the active sporting lifestyle, and a magazine that appeals to a diverse audience that shares a common passion…a love of the South.” In light of the shootings that happened earlier in the week, it was probably not the best time to send that ad out.
I’m not sure why I received this – perhaps because I subscribe to the Oxford American, which is based in Mississippi. I am not the right demographic for the magazine, as my love of the South does not exist. I am from New England, and I would have to say that my love for New England is pretty non-existent as well. But the South? Does the magazine believe that I am one of the displaced Southerners toiling above the Mason-Dixon Line, or that I had relatives who lived in the South?
I am very pro-gun control, so the “gun” aspect of the magazine is abhorrent to me, and I say this as an NRA-approved Safe Hunter (from my time in the Scouts as a lad). I am not anti-gun: I grew up in a poor, rural area and have sympathy for those who still use guns to live off the land. Guns are ok, but not all guns in all areas, especially semi-automatic weapons. Although I’m sure the articles in Garden & Gun are very tasteful, they are also probably about fox hunts or other shooting party events I find distasteful and antebellum.
In fact, I’m sure that the magazine wants to hearken back to a “simpler” time – of slavery or Jim Crow, although dressed up in a modernized style. You’ll be shocked to hear that I saw no African-Americans in the photos that were sent to entice me to subscribe.
I’m taking easy potshots at a magazine that probably does not think of itself the way I’m describing it, and you (and they, certainly) would say that I am off-base in my criticism of the magazine. It’s just that, in light of last week’s killings in Charleston, I have become very sensitive to racism – both overt and covert – and this magazine violates the rules of non-racist. We need to be more cognizant of the image we are portraying – we do not live in a post-racist society, no matter what some of the Supreme Court justices say. If they had shown at least one African-American, just one – that would have given me pause (unless it was in a service capacity).
Let’s be better people – I’ll start by not subscribing to Garden & Gun magazine. See, it’s not even that hard to begin to take a stand.
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