John and Jackie, a love story

Or, more accurately; John and Jackie, a complex entanglement.

Editors note: I began writing this post on Easter weekend, which by my calculations means it’s taken me well over a month to finish and publish. I bring this up because it’s relevant, not because i’m full of shame (although there’s that, as well). The opening paragraph refers to a far more innocent, hopeful era of the season- one that exists prior to the relentless tempering of the heart of a Giant’s fan, and the near daily reminder that this, again, might not be our year.  

That era is over. We’ve entered the bargaining phase. We’ll see how it goes.

Carrying on the theme of Baseball this overcast spring morning- waiting for the Giants game to start and mulling on this deliciously nascent stage of the season, when all things are possible and there’s still an Easter-esque aspirational whiff of teams rolling back their proverbial tombstones and, performing drills to summon the neuronal awakening of frankensteined body parts- shuffling on to mythologically level playing fields, arisen anew.

My intention with this substack began as an opportunity to dive deeper into the correlation between the aesthetic of western wear and its romantic portrayal of cultural hyper-individualism, while simultaneously uplifting the artists and craftspeople whose contributions and talent built and magnified this cultural zeitgeist.   

This recent foray into sporty spice-chat may have felt like a veer down a very random path. I’d argue, however, that there is a literal thread that ties together the likes of John Wayne and Jackie Robinson; one that weaves together, perhaps, why both icons have so beguilingly captured our imaginations while simultaneously representing such disparate characteristics.

I’ve opined at length about whether or not the aggressively lusty aesthetic of traditional western wear contributes to the calcification of inflated notions of autonomy and sovereignty. Can what we wear, our public exoskeleton, cocoon maladaptive beliefs about meritocracy and self-sufficiency?

If so, then might the reverse also be true? 

Enter baseball: each player dressed the same, in accordance with the rules of the league. Undisruptive discrepancies may be allowed but by and large the uniform acts as a physical manifestation of their energetic intention- to sublimate autonomy in the name of cohesion. To bind a team (a clan, a nation) to a shared purpose by doing away with the existential distraction of individualistic sentiment. 

I’m sure there could be a moving argument made to advocate for the superiority of one or the other of these two oppositional national costumes, one representing individualism, the other collectivism. I’d argue, however, that not unlike a game of catch, the alchemy exists in their complementary interdependence, and the conversation that transpires amidst their interaction. 

Like any sort of balancing act, equilibrium emerges from the art of subtle correction. The more quiet one becomes amidst the tension of opposites, the less violent the overcompensation effort. Tip too far towards your inner cowpoke, and you’ve convinced yourself that you’re the sovereign ruler of your own goddamn island. Tip the other way, toward your inner team-player, and you’ve lost any ability to challenge group think and flawed authority.

So perhaps the cowpoke and the ballplayer, entangled, emerge as the bride and bridegroom in our American Alchemical Wedding. We collectively recognize our need for both yin and yang, rugged individualist and team player. We are neither, and we are both. 

May we ever thread the needle that stitches these costumes together. 

I know. I couldn't resist. That metaphor was just right there.

So I know that a newsletter is exponentially more interesting when it comes with a list of recommendations- I love it when that’s the case. So I will leave you with one recommendation that feels intrinsically linked to the rambly post you may or may not have skimmed your way through, and it is the new FX version of Shogun.

I was fascinated by the representation of the cultural interplay between the west and east, and their inherent strengths and flaws. We just finished it a few nights ago and I’m ready to start it again. The textiles, oh! The whole thing is worth watching just for the textiles.