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Atonism in 2020

Recently while attending an Illinois basketball game, I was seated in front of an older white couple, probably in their 60's or late 50's. Throughout they game they launched a barrage of attacks on the completely black Illinois players after every little mistake or play they deemed unacceptable. I found these white people's relentless criticism of the extremely talented black athletes uncomfortable at best, and downright bigoted at worst.

Besides calling the ref a "communist" on multiple occasions, and criticizing him by saying "he probably voted for Bernie Sanders," they displayed beliefs that were definitively Atonist. Anytime, an Illinois player tried anything flamboyant or flashy, they immediately let out cries of "keep it simple," or "that's just reckless." I couldn't help but draw connections between this and the clash between Atonism and Jes Grew in Mumbo Jumbo. A distaste for fun or creativity, and a strict compliance with standards and old fashioned conventions.

Since this moment I have noticed Atonism all around me. Western culture's obsession with repressing desire, sexuality and fun is evident on a daily basis in almost all facets of life. Jes grew also exists today, and if you look closely you might even notice some things which appear reminiscent of the talking android (mainstream media's adoption of social movements.)  Mumbo Jumbo is just as relevant in 1970 as it would've been in 1920, and possibly even more relevant in 2020.

Comments

  1. Peter ZhangMarch 3, 2020 at 7:07 PM

    Agreed. Jes Grew and Atonism in the book are eerily similar to many real-world phenomenon. One that comes to mind is the hostility between generations, especially recently, with the "ok boomer" shenanigans.

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  2. Zachary's History as Fiction BlogMarch 4, 2020 at 11:53 AM

    I also got the pleasure of witnessing this live. I feel that this episode we witnessed, where the right wing fans critiqued black players "showing off," really encapsulates the Atonism/Jes Grew divide. The Atonists behind us prefer when people don't show off, don't try to have fun, and don't let loose. This was in stark contrast to the group of 20-year old skilled black basketball players on Illinois, who not only play basketball but try to have fun while doing it.

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  3. Grace JuhnMarch 8, 2020 at 3:35 PM

    It's unfortunate that people are still expressing their hatred on black people just for the way they look. In your case, the basketball players were doing the exact same thing as the other players, the difference was that maybe they used different style of techniques. BUT they still followed the rules of basketball and mistakes are bound to happen to anyone, so essentially, there was no problem in the way those players acted.

    In this way, I feel like Jes Grews was also just a form of entertainment, one out of the many forms western culture portrayed. Jes grews initially started out as a way for people to express their wild nature and have fun, just like white people would've. However, atonists took it to themselves to stop this trend just because they weren't having fun and they couldn't adapt to this new form of entertainment. It's ironic to me that Western culture choose to repress the wild and sexual nature of black culture in particular.

    If you also look at hiphop and rap, many people will criticize the lyrics, the sexuality, and the controversial aspects of rap and link it back to black culture when many different people are immersed in rap ad hiphop.

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  4. MitchellApril 3, 2020 at 10:39 AM

    I'm struck by how easily this "shut up and dribble" attitude crosses over from criticizing athletes for too enthusiastically celebrating something that happens on the court (which is in fact something that many sports fans actually enjoy, back when we used to watch organized sports) to criticizing athletes for using their public platform to speak out on social/political issues. There's a short distance from the reactions you describe in the stands at the Illinois game to the criticism of Colin Kaepernick or others who inject their athleticism with activism.

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