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Volu m e 14
| Nu mber 25 | November 25 - December 9, 2020
G N I P E P U A S R S I W ER P A P
Illustration by Contributor Vendor June P.
IN THE ISSUE 4
9
5
Contributor Board
Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Erik Flynn
10
Vendor Spotlight
National Mourning
Moving Pictures
Vendor Writing
“When I started at The Contributor, the guy who owns the house I’m painting was one of my customers.”
“On this National Day of Mourning, Bender will simply be present on the land that was taken from his ancestors.”
A blender of blunders, Planes, Trains and Automobiles makes us thankful for even disastrous holidays.
In this issue, vendors write about COVID-19, nightcrawlers, and a security guard who blocks the sidewalk
Contributors This Issue
Amanda Haggard • Linda Bailey • Hannah Herner • May Hartness • Elizabeth Jones • June P. • Cynthia P. • Harry Smith • Mr. Mysterio • Joe Nolan • Jen A. • Harold B. • Vicky B. • Norma B.
Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Patti George • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Nancy Kirkland • Mary Smith • Andrew Smith • Ellen Fletcher • Richard Aberdeen • Shayna Harder Wiggins • Pete MacDonald • Robert Thompson
Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Hannah Herner Staff Writer Jesse Call Housing Navigator Raven Lintu Housing Navigator Barbara Womack Advertising Manager
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Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders
Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org
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ABOUT US
INVEST IN YOUR NEIGHBORS TODAY! At The Contributor, we give a hand up, not a hand out, to our homeless neighbors, empowering them to become micro-business owners while offering housing and resource navigation, all in one location. • More than 70 percent of our vendors who sell the paper for more than six months work their way into housing. • Every dollar you invest in The Contributor becomes $6 in a vendor’s pocket.
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November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3
FEATURE
Why Johnny STILL can't read? 3 out of 4 children in Tennessee cannot read at grade level. Find out why at N2Reading. com or check out N2Reading on Facebook.
Bronson H. paints a bright future BY MAY HARTNESS Bronson H. moved to Nashville from Ashland City, Tenn., in 2014 and has been selling The Contributor for four years on Mallory Lane and South Spring Street. He also paints houses in Linden, Tenn., and enjoys reading John Grisham and James Patterson novels. In the past four years, he’s had some memorable interactions, especially during the holiday season. “I was working here in Franklin one day and a lady stopped and parked her car and walked over to where I was working. We talked for a little while and she asked me if I needed anything. I said no ma’am. Then she asked me what size shoe, pants, and shirts I wore; this was a couple weeks before Christmas.” he said. “And I had forgotten about it. I hate asking people for stuff, but I told her my sizes. When she pulled up two days before Christmas and gave me a couple outfits she had bought me, some boots for winter, and a card with $100 in it, it broke my heart. Oh man, that was awesome. She was a blessing really.” Bronson sells the paper five days a week and spends his weekends working his other job: painting houses. Over the past five years he has painted seven homes and has formed several meaningful friendships in the process. “When I started at The Contributor, the guy who owns the house I’m painting was one of my customers,” he says. “He’d buy my paper and then one thing led to another and I started mowing his yard. Now, when I work for him I have my own room at his house and his family feels like family to me. I look up to him. He’s
been a big influence on my life and tries to steer me in the right direction. I enjoy that.” Bronson says even when he experiences challenges in his life, he finds hope in his customers and strives to maintain a positive outlook. “I like to look at all the positive things in life,” he says. “I think, ‘I can walk, I can get out and work.’ I just try to look at things in a positive form.” And although he likes to keep a positive outlook, when I spoke to Bronson on Nov. 3 he expressed the ways that voting can be especially difficult and frustrating for those experiencing homelessness. “There are absolutely challenges. It’s kind of hard to get out and vote when you don’t have a place to live and you don’t have nowhere to go,” he said. “It’s so hard. When I was homeless, the last thing I cared about was voting. I hate to see people out there on the streets because I’ve been there and it’s awful.” Bronson describes himself as uninterested in politics, but he did describe what he thinks are crucial qualities in a leader. “I just always thought honesty and loyalty are the two characteristics I think a leader should have, he says. “How can you be a leader and not be honest?” Bronson hopes for the best when it comes to America’s political future, and is excited for his own future — as long as it includes the friends he’s made in Nashville, the work that he loves, and late nights spent reading John Grisham.
PAGE 4 | November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
NEWS
LOOKING FOR HOME IN THE HOMELAND Nashville’s role in Native American removal and today’s repercussions BY HANNAH HERNER In school we learned that Native Americans and Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving together. Their descendants certainly don’t. On Thanksgiving Day, Native Americans observe National Day of Mourning instead. National Day of Mourning started in 1970, led by Native Americans of New England demonstrating in Plymouth, Mass. A statement from the United American Indians of New England website reads, “Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience.” Albert Bender, a leader in the Nashville Native American community and member of the Cherokee tribe, says the Nashville community typically doesn’t organize a protest on Thanksgiving — they simply don’t celebrate it. “Once the Pilgrims landed, instead of it being one of those situations where everyone lived happily ever after, it was the start of a genocide of millions of native people, the theft of land, and an assault on Native culture,” he says. “The original Thanksgiving is part of the white man mythology that has been used to give an impression of natives and pilgrims getting along.” Just one example of the oppression and erasure that Native Americans face was the The Trail of Tears, which forcibly removed more than 16,000 Cherokee from the American South in 1838, with at least 4,000 dying along the way. Many who traveled from concentration camps near modern-day Charleston, Tennessee, stopped in Nashville for supplies on their way
WAYS TO PAY RESPECT TO NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING • Donate to local indigenous-led organizations, such as Native American Indian Association of Tennessee.
• Use Thanksgiving Day as a “teachable moment” to educate family and
friends on the White myth of Thanksgiving. (as suggested by the Native American Indians of New England)
• Learn more about the Trail of Tears and other important historic events at the Tennessee History Museum’s permanent exhibition, Forging a Nation.
to Oklahoma. They crossed the Cumberland River near where Victory Memorial Bridge and the Downtown Courthouse is today. Bender says the Trail of Tears is also used as a blanket term for any removal of Native Americans from their homeland in the Southeast, forced or not, before or after 1838. His ancestors chose to migrate earlier, avoiding the inevitable encroaching of the white settlers, he says. Nashville also plays a role in the Trail of Tears by association with former president Andrew Jackson. He kept his home at The Hermitage just outside of Nashville when he wasn’t in the White House, which has since been converted into a museum. He was an advocate of Indian Removal and signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 into law. This required the government to negotiate treaties with Native Americans, exchanging their land in the south for land west of the Mississippi. In the end, most were coerced. While The Trail of Tears forced most of
the Native Americans out of the Southeast, it is certainly not the end of the story of Native Americans in Tennessee. The Native American Indian Association is looking for funding for a new center, which will serve the Native American population in Tennessee, to help with jobs, medical care, and educating the public on Indian history and modern-day affairs. “The non-native population — in particular the white population — they need to reach out to native people and become better educated and more cognizant of our struggles and how they can provide support,” Bender says. Homeless in the homeland A 2020 report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness found that out of 567,715 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, nearly 18,000 of them are Native American. The report also says that Pacific Islanders and Native Americans are the most at risk of be-
November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5
coming homeless out of all racial/ethnic groups. Out of every 10,000 Pacific Islanders or Native Americans, 160 are homeless, as compared to the national average of 17 out of 10,000. “Pacific Islanders and Native Americans are numerically small groups within the U.S., making it more difficult for the U.S. Census Bureau and homelessness services systems to count them accurately. Nevertheless, available data suggest they face significant challenges,” the report reads. The American Community Survey estimates 2,053 people in Davidson County who are American Indian and Alaska Native. Bender estimates there are closer to 5,000. Nashville’s Point-in-Time count didn’t find any people who were Native American sleeping outside during the annual night-long count. Nashville’s homeless database reports seven people who identified their primary race as American Indian or Alaska Native served by street outreach programs. This number could be affected by the transience Bender notices in the Native American population in Nashville, with some passing through and asking NAIA for assistance to meet basic needs or travel home. Still, he doesn’t know of as many experiencing homelessness as there were when he moved here in 1995. At the time, a group of Native Americans lived in tents on the Cumberland River. Bender considers the city of Nashville to be occupying Cherokee land. He said returning to the Southeast is known as “returning to the homeland” for Cherokees. On this National Day of Mourning, Bender will simply be present on the land that was taken from his ancestors.
The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams (1941)
Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver
25th Wednesday after Trinity WHAT is that which shines through me, and strikes upon my heart without hurting it? And I shudder and kindle: shudder, in as much as I am unlike it; kindle, in as much as I am like it. It is Wisdom, Wisdom’s self which thus shines into me; even breaking through my cloudiness: which yet again overshadows me fainting from it, under the gross fog and heavy load of mine own punishment. St Augustine: Confessions. THEN also thou shalt so rest in us, as thou now workers in us: and so shall that rest be thine, through us; even as these works are thine through us. But Thou, O Lord, dost work always, and rest always too. St Augustine: Confessions.
25th Thursday after Trinity THE qualities of the devil and all fallen angels are good qualities; they are the very same which they received from their infinitely perfect Creator, the very same which are and must be in all heavenly angels; but they are an hellish, abominable malignity in them now, because they have, by their own self-motion, separated them from the light and love which should have kept them all glorious angels. William Law: An Appeal.
25th Friday after Trinity WHETHER I eat or drink, or whatever else I do, the dreadful trumpet of the last day seems always sounding in my ears: Arise, ye dead, and come to judgement. Attr. to St Jerome by Alan Butler: Life of St Jerome. OUR critical day is not the day of our death, but the whole course of our life: I thank him, that prays for me when my bell tolls; but I thank him much more, that catechizes me, or preaches to me, or instructs me how to live. Donne: Sermons.
25th Saturday after Trinity
IT is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities which one has oneself prevented from becoming realities. A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it. In every man there is latent the highest possibility, one must follow it. If God does not wish it them let him prevent it, but one must not hinder oneself. Trusting to God I have dared, but I was not successful; in that is to be found peace, calm and confidence in God. I have not dared: that is a woeful thought, a torment in eternity. Kierkegaard: Journals. AN old man was once asked, “How is it that thou art never dejected?” And he said, “Because each day I hope to die.” The Paradise of the Fathers.
First Sunday in Advent GOD is intelligible light.
Aquinas: Summa Theologica.
GOD is that which demands absolute love. Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling. THE beginning is faith, the end is love. And the two blending in unity are God, and all else follows on these, ending in perfect goodness. St Ignatius: Epistle to the Ephesians. A NOBLE lover does not rest in the gift, but in me above all gifts. Thomas à Kempis: Imitation of Christ.
CONSOLE thyself, thou wouldst not seek Me, if thou hadst not found Me. Pascal: Pensées. HOW admirable is thy Justice, O thou First Mover! Thou hast not willed that any power should lack the processes or the qualities necessary for its results. Leonardo da Vinci: Notebooks.
The Feast of St Andrew THE Church was created before all things, and for her sake the world was framed. Hermas: The Shepherd. IF you have the unity (of the Church), whoever possesses anything in that unity possesses it also for you. St Augustine: On St. John. EVERYTHING in the Church is done to create love, in love, for the sake of love, and by love. St Francis de Sales: On the Love of God.
1st Monday in Advent
OH make this heart rejoice, or ache; Decide this doubt for me; And if it be not broken, break, And heal it if it be. Cowper: Olney Hymns.
1st Friday in Advent RELIGION is the possibility of the removal of every ground of confidence except confidence in God alone. Barth: Epistle to the Romans. NOTHING burneth in hell but self-will. Therefore it hath been said, Put off thine own will, and there will be no more hell. Theologia Germanica.
1st Saturday in Advent A CERTAIN brother asked an old man, saying, "What shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, "If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negligence, a great forest will come into being." The Paradise of the Fathers.
GOD is Love; and He cannot deny Himself. Doctrine in the Church of England, Report of the Commission.
EVEN the things which you do after the flesh are spiritual. For you do all things in Jesus Christ. St Ignatius: Epistle to the Ephesians.
WHEN God was made man the innermost heart of the Godhead was put into man. Eckhart: Sayings.
YOU will never be younger; if not done soon it [the work] will never be done, to the end of all eternity . . . You may indeed excuse yourself and see reasons why the work should not have been done, but it will not have been done. Gerard Hopkins: Letters.
FROM all bodies together, we cannot obtain one little thought; this is impossible, and of another order. From all bodies and minds, we cannot produce a feeling of true charity; this is impossible, and of another supernatural order. Pascal: Pensées.
1st Tuesday in Advent THE will to all goodness, which is God Himself, began to display itself in a new way, when it first gave birth to creatures. The same will to all goodness began to manifest itself in another new way, when it became patience and compassion towards fallen creatures. But neither of these ways are the beginning of any new tempers or qualities in God, but only new and occasional manifestations of that true eternal will to all goodness which always was and always will be in the same fulness of infinity in God. William Law: The Spirit of Love.
Second Sunday in Advent WHAT, then, is God? As regards the universe, He is the final end; in respect of election, He is salvation; as regards Himself, He is self-knowledge. What is God? He is almighty will moved by loving-kindness, virtue, eternal light, incommunicable reason, highest blessedness; He is the creator of minds to enjoy Himself; He endows them with life to perceive Him, disposes them to long for Him, enlarges them to receive Him, justifies them to be worthy of Him, fires them with zeal, fertilizes them that they may bear fruit, guides them into sweet reasonableness, moulds them into loving-kindness, regulates them for wisdom, strengthens them for virtue, visits them for consolation, illuminates them for knowledge, preserves them for immortality, fills them for happiness, is about their path for safety. St Bernard: On Consideration.
1st Wednesday in Advent THE years A.D. 1-30 are the era of revelation and disclosure; the era, which is shown by the reference to David, sets forth the new and strange and divine definition of all time. The particularity of the years A.D. 1-30 is dissolved by this divine definition, because it makes every epoch a potential field of revelation and disclosure. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans. WHAT was the purpose of the Incarnation but this—that the flesh which had sinned could be redeemed by itself? St Ambrose: Of the Incarnation.
1st Thursday in Advent THOU hast united, O Lord, thy divinity with our humanity and our humanity with thy divinity, thy life with our mortality and our mortality with thy life. Thou hast received what was ours and given unto us what was thine. Syrian Liturgy of St James.
2nd Monday in Advent IN every soul, even that of the greatest sinner in the world, God dwells, and is substantially present. This way of union or presence of God, in the order of nature, subsists between Him and all His creatures. St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel. BY love all God's chosen have been made perfect; nothing is well pleasing to God without love. St Clement: Epistles.
2nd Tuesday in Advent GOD is in all things as being, as activity, as power. But he is procreative in the soul alone for though every creature is a vestige of God, the soul is the natural image of God. This image is perfected and adorned in this birth. No creature but the soul is susceptible to this birth, this act. Eckhart: Sermons and Collations II. GRACE is indeed needed to turn a man into a saint; and he who doubts it does not know what a man or a saint is. Pascal: Pensées.
Sponsored by Matthew Carver, publisher
PAGE 6 | November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7
FUN
HOBOSCOPES SAGITTA R IUS
The holidays are about family, Gemini. But, then again, so is The Mandalorian. I mean, it’s the story of a loner who finds purpose when he finally begins to value the life of another more than he values his own social standing or even his carefully cultivated moral code. What’s more “family” than fighting to protect somebody even when you don’t entirely understand them? Whatever protecting your family looks like for you this season, Sagittarius, don’t forget to take care of yourself too. This is the way.
They’re playing Christmas music at the gas station, Aries. You don’t even have to go inside, it’s right here at the pump. I know you tend to be a little cynical about these kinds of things, Aries, but think about it, something as mundane as pumping gas and here’s a reminder of a season of joy, gratitude, and giving. I think maybe it’s worth leaning into this time, Aries. You can even sing along. Nobody’s watching.
TAURUS
CAPRICORN
My dog is dreaming. She’s laying on the end of the bed with her eyes closed kicking her legs in a tiny little run and breathing out quiet muff led barks. What do you think she’s dreaming about? Maybe it’s a possum in the yard or a UPS delivery guy across the street. I guess I’ll never know. Sometimes I wish I could just show you what’s in my brain, Capricorn. But as it is, we’ll just have to keep talking and listening and trying to understand each other.
Thankfulness is interesting stuff, Taurus. I mean, I say “thank you” to the kid at the drive-thru window and the postal worker at my door. Sometimes I even say “thank you” to the automated self-checkout voice that reminds me to take my receipt and my coupons. But what if we went a little deeper, Taurus? What if we said thank you to everybody who did any thing that got us to this point in our lives? That’s a lot of people, Taurus. Maybe just do one.
GEMINI
AQUA RIUS
I think about all the mall Santas, Aquarius. And all the pictures of crying kids sitting on the laps of white-bearded, red-capped strangers who were never really equipped for the level of excitement and fear and disappointment and joy that their presence might bring about. It’s a strange tradition and I wonder how long it will last. This could be a great year to take apart your traditions, Aquarius. What’s been working? What just been making everybody cry?
PISCES
ARIES
Sometimes it seems so strange to me that I don’t remember the day I was born and that I don’t know anything about the day I will die. Both of those events seem so important, Pisces, but they’re really both just stories. The only moment we’ve really got is this one right here. You can’t change the past or control the future. But you can make all kinds of decisions about right now. Start by taking one slow, deep breath.
It was so good to see you the other day, Gemini! I mean, sure, it was accidental. And sure, we really just waved at each other when you passed me driving across the bridge, but lately, it’s just nice to be reminded that there are people who will smile and wave. I guess I’m just saying that you matter to me and you matter to a lot of people and I hope you’re getting enough smiles and waves because you sure do deserve them.
CANCER
It gets dark so early lately, Cancer. It makes it hard to stay awake past dinner. Makes it hard to remember what we even used to stay awake past dinner for. But this is just for a season. It comes and it goes. It makes it a little easier to stay home and get cozy. Go to bed if you feel like it. Or read a book or watch something funny. There’s plenty of daylight coming when you can see and be seen. For now, just let the darkness do what the darkness does best.
LEO
When I was 10 my granddad taught me to play chess. It was a heavy marble board and the pieces looked ancient. I liked the rules and the structure. I picked it up quickly. He beat me the first game. And again the second. Halfway through the third game, my cousins came over and we went outside to play with remote control cars. And that’s the story of how I never became a chess prodigy. Sometimes, Leo, you’ve got to stick with something if you really want to get good at it. Sometimes, you’d be better off driving an RC Bigfoot down the stairs.
VIRGO
Being an amateur astrologer is a huge responsibility, Virgo. People really look to me for answers about the big questions. But it’s a strange time to be in the business of thinking about the future. Honestly, Virgo, I didn’t see any of this coming. Honestly, I have no idea what’s coming next. But I do know that you’ve done a great job so far. And I know you’ve learned a lot. And I know you’ll be ready.
LIBRA
I saw an article about how microscopes take pictures of the neurons in the human brain that are nearly indistinguishable from photographs taken by powerful telescopes pointed at far away galaxies. I didn’t really read the article, but I looked at the pictures and they’ve got a point. It made me think, Libra, that you’ve been focused on some things that are pretty far away. But if you take a minute to zoom in you might find that you’ve already got those things right here.
SCORPIO
Are we almost done with the most wonderful time of the year yet, Scorpio? I don’t mean to sound like a grinch, but I have a hard time with all the hype. Sure, there’s lights and trees and marshmallows and all that, but how about we live through it first and then we decide whether or not it was the most wonderful time of the year? What I’m saying is that if you don’t feel wonderful, Scorpio, you don’t have to. Just feel how you feel and we can rate times of year based on wonderfulness later.
Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained statistician, or a registered crab. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1
PAGE 8 | November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
MOVING PICTURES
Blender of Blunders PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES MAKES US THANKFUL FOR EVEN DISASTROUS HOLIDAYS BY JOE NOLAN Film Critic Holidays and films go hand-in-hand: Christmas is huge for big new releases as well as classics on the small screens in our homes. Halloween has an overflowing trick-or-treat bag of movies that name-check it. And even St. Patrick’s Day can lay claim to the entire Leprechaun universe. That said, Thanksgiving is less represented by holiday screen fare — it’s mostly overlooked in lieu of NFL football and the looming shadow of that fat man in the red suit. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is the outlier movie of writer/director John Hughes’ filmography: the film is uniquely centered on the Thanksgiving holiday, and it’s an
adult comedy that stands-out in a career forged in teen flicks. John Hughes is mostly celebrated for his Brat Pack films of the 1980s. Movies like Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Weird Science (1985) are coming-of-age classics that remain relevant because Hughes was never satisfied to let his characters be only the clichés that he roasted in these class war parables disguised as high school dramas. Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ adult focus and holiday setting make it a rare and special offering from Hughes. But Planes, Trains and Automobiles isn’t completely removed from Hughes’ teen movies: it’s also a film about class, and — like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) it’s about gratitude and generosity, but this time with a side of stuffing and turkey gravy, and shower curtain rings. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is an odd-couple story that finds a marketing executive named Neal Page (Steve Martin) trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Page leaves a pointless, frustrating meeting in Manhattan before crossing paths with a traveling shower curtain ring salesman named Del Griffith (the late, great John Candy). In that instant Neal’s short trip back to his beautiful home, his beautiful wife, his beautiful family, and their picturesque holiday celebration is thrown into a blender of blunders including snowstorms, rerouted flights, stolen cabs, nasty hotels and plenty of quality time for the mismatched pair to be forced to get to know one another. Hughes’ teen movies stood out in a cinema era awash in varsity jackets, pocket protectors, big hair, and bad
school principals. Hughes’ films were laugh-out-loud funny, but they were grounded in a realism he established with three-dimensional characters and their genuine-seeming interactions. In Hughes’ films the kids are alternately dumb and funny and talented and bright and beautiful. But all of them are insecure and struggling and dreaming like only adolescents can. Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Neal is an uptight snob, but he’s also a loving family man who desperately wants to spend the holiday with his family. Del is an overly-friendly oaf who hides deep pain and loss behind a constant torrent of friendly chatter. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is 33-years-old and this evergreen holiday classic is full of funny lines and hilarious moments that many of us know by heart. This movie is hilarious, but in the hands of John Hughes it’s much more than just a road trip comedy. It’s a film about two men from two different strata of society who ultimately choose to connect with one another through goodwill, generosity and gratitude, demonstrating the transforming power of the magical holiday season. Of course — spoiler alert — Planes, Trains and Automobiles is also a movie about a man struggling with homelessness. This film is an antidote to the capitalist values reflected in holiday consumerism, and it reminds us of the common humanity we share with all of our neighbors.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.
November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9
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VENDOR WRITING
THE CONTRIBUTOR CONTINUES TO SURVIVE IN SPITE OF COVID-19 NIGHTCRAWLERS JEN A.
After sunset In vast multitudes They slither... Swell... Undulate... From rich loam homes To envelope every surface Glistening moist... In the moonlight... A solid ebony-red mass Alive and moving Silent... Hermaphrodites of the dark At morning twilight The red tide recedes Colors begin to return Grass green, concrete grey Asphalt black, wood frame white As the sun Climbs past the horizon Those languid in torpid afterglowEndangered by the lightLinger... Until good people Bring out their brooms
BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR Hard to believe, but it’s been almost two years since the relaunch of The Contributor in newspaper format. We were all so full of hope about the future then. With this upcoming anniversary, we find quite a different scenario underway. The unthinkable happened: a pandemic and along with it a devastating global economic shutdown. People the world over are losing their livelihood, their jobs, even their lives to an insidious virus that shows no sign of relenting. In fact, it continues to spread like wildfire. Everyone’s life has been affected in one way or another. The same is true of The Contributor. All in-person meetings have been cancelled or replaced by Zoom teleconferencing. Though many staff members at The Contributor have reported actually enjoying working from home and spending more time with family, everyone I’ve talked to has expressed one universal complaint: They miss interacting with the vendors. The office, once buzzing with activity often standing room only, is now anything but. Instead, it is closed off and protected by a plastic shield. Vendors are permitted to approach in a socially distant fashion with masks and hand sanitizer readily available. In spite of the fact that COVID-19 has posed a real threat to the business model the paper is founded on, The Con-
tributor has persevered and continued printing during this most difficult time. (It is the only street paper to have done so in the US from March-July.) One reason the paper felt this was vitally important was so the paper could maintain contact with the vendors— many of them continued to check in even though they weren’t buying papers. How was the paper able to continue? They were not content with keeping the status quo. The model continues to flex, grow, and expand — something that would be difficult under the best of circumstances has further been hindered by a dwindling volunteer force as many of them are retirees in a high risk group unable to serve at present. As a result, office hours were drastically reduced from six days a week down to three. (I have it on good authority more volunteers will be back as soon as a vaccine is available.) The Contributor is now a more multifaceted organization in that they have joined forces with other agencies to provide additional services vendors need during this difficult time — a one stop shop if you will. Examples include everything from distributing grocery and gift cards, bus passes, birth certificates, accessing stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, food stamps, even rental assistance for vendors in housing. The paper has also acquired a grant under the C.O.V.E.R. Program that as-
sists with rapid rehousing of displaced/ homeless individuals, but the organization need s landlords to work with them as liaisons to make that part of the program a success. Additionally, in an effort to help vendors who are struggling financially, The Contributor has lowered the cost to purchase the papers to .25 ea., also in keeping with the times we’re living in. Thanks to Big Machine Distillery, vendors can also now offer hand sanitizer to their customers. We even have face masks. There are two styles to choose from. One has The Contributor logo and the other says, “Happy to Contribute.” Ask your local vendor for details. There are even new ways to get your paper: They can be mailed directly to you once a month with the proceeds going to the vendor of your choice. A one year subscription is $99 (for 26 issues) or 3 month subscription (six issues) for $30. (This is to help cover the cost of mailing.) Thanks to all the hard work in the area of social media you can even get a digital edition of the paper with your subscription, but I must warn you, you’re giving up something special with these options: personal one-on-one interaction with your vendor! It is important to note that those who are working so tirelessly in their time of need are also struggling with issues related to the ongoing pandemic — how remarkable!
path of travel to the altered area and the restrooms, telephones, and drinking fountains serving the altered area are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, unless the cost and scope of such alterations is disproportionate to the cost of the overall alteration.” I’ve sent numerous emails to the property manager about this. During a resident meeting prior to COVID-19, the property manager said residents aren’t even allowed to check their oil in the parking lot during a conversation about making vehicle repairs in the parking lot. Lawmakers worked many hours to protect individuals from harm when they created the American Disability Act, and we’re disregarding them. When I first saw this trend with security guards parking their vehicles up on the sidewalk preventing disabled
individuals from using the sidewalk, I was told, “she can park anywhere she wants to.” When I emailed the property manager asking to correct this issue, no response was given. Could it be that she’s making her own rules? Making new MDHA laws? These laws aren’t made by MDHA, they are made by the lawmakers in Congress. Last I checked MDHA hasn’t been given the authority to create new laws that go against the ADA at will. Upon further conversation with the security guard, she told me, “the manager said she’s okay with the way I park.” I haven’t been writing this series to call anyone out. It’s an attempt to make things better for the community I call home. Many don’t like me here and I’m okay with that because the other residents don’t know me well enough yet. I hear many times that “nothing will ever change.” A mentor of mine taught me to be the change.
To whisk away The creepers of the night
POOR MANAGEMENT BY VICK Y B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
IT’S XMAS HAROLD B..
What do I want for xmas Let me see… I want to help place the ornaments On the tree Really… I’d like a few dollars This is true So I can split them With you, you and you .
I used to take Faith, my dog, outside for her morning and evening ritual, behind the building where I live. After the time change and it’s getting dark earlier, I’ve noticed the lighting is very poor in the back of the building. The front is well lit, safer, and fewer residents are outside then, so I’d prefer to take her out in the front, however there seems to be a parking issue. The third shift security guard parks their personal vehicle in a way that blocks, cuts off and obstructs the sidewalk, making it impossible for people to safely cross in front of the building and it’s against the law. Not MDHA law, but the federal government law. The ADA. gov website states, “Path of travel. An alteration that affects or could affect the usability of or access to an area of a facility that contains a primary function shall be made so as to ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible, the
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November 25 - December 9, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11
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