Incoherent Scribblings

My mom sent me an anniversary card with Barbie and Ken spoofing Grant Wood’s famous painting “American Gothic.” “American Gothic” has been interpreted as a satire “on the intolerance and rigidity that the insular nature of rural life can produce” and “the narrow-mindedness and repression that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture.” Wood denied both of these interpretations, saying that in actuality it represented “the Puritan ethic and virtues that he believed dignified the Midwestern character.”

But no matter how the painting is interpreted Midwestern stereotypes surface. Being from Iowa, which is usually seen as the core of the Midwest, I am quite familiar with the stereotypes of farm life, agricultural heritage, small towns, physical and cultural homogeneity, and pastoral and traditional values.

As all stereotypes, those about the Midwest have some basis in fact. For example, I am from a small town where society revolves around the farm. It is often said (though I don’t think ever verified by census) that there are more pigs than people in Iowa and if you entertain the idea of becoming a vegetarian you are accused of hurting the economy.

As for Midwesterners being dignified, have you ever seen the crowd at a Green Bay Packers game? How can you call people dignified who wear (fake) cheese on their heads and watch football in an outdoor stadium during a blizzard bare-chested?

As a general rule, most Midwesterners are also hospitable, down to earth, reliable, peaceful, considerate, cheerful, and easy-going. In fact, when I think about the Midwesterners I know, I think maybe the smiling Barbie-version of “American Gothic” is more representative than the sullen original.

Since about March 20 and for another few days, if you live in the northern latitudes and look in the evening sky about 45 minutes after sunset, you can see a rare occurrence with the naked eye: The alignment of five of the planets of our Solar System; Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. This is unusual because Mercury is so close to the Sun that it never gets very far above the horizon, and always only near dawn or dusk.

If you miss out seeing the five planet alignment this time around, you should be able to see it again from late December 2004 through early January 2005, but then it will be in the morning sky. (This means in order to observe the phenomenon you will have to get up before dawn!) Otherwise you will have to wait another 32 years for such an occurrence in the evening sky.

Last evening, A. and I took the opportunity to find Mercury and observe this exquisite five planet panorama and I would encourage everyone to do the same. Even if you are not normally an amateur astronomer, finding the planets isn’t too difficult. A clear sky and a pair of binoculars are the most helpful and recommended ways to locate the planets. After you find the planets in the binoculars, seeing them with the naked eye is a piece of cake.