First of all, do we really need to convince you to head down to Tucson Meet Yourself this weekend? Seeing as it runs for three days, it would be appear to be statistically impossible that anyone actually in Tucson over the 11th through the 13rd couldn’t find time to head downtown for the 40th year of the celebration of art, culture and, of course, food. But, let’s pretend for a moment that this article is written for someone who either just moved to town or is visiting for the weekend. Certainly there are Tucsonans who don’t make the event part of their yearly routine (the festival has averaged around 100,000 attendees in recent years, so I guess quite a few of our friends and neighbors aren’t), but those people are choosing to live their lives in joyless ways that are difficult to understand.
Yes, there’s food. Lots and lots of delicious food from around the world, providing an opportunity for a number of local cultural groups to raise money for the rest of the year and earning the “Tucson Eat Yourself” nickname. No judgment if that’s all you get out of the festival, but just keep in mind that there’s a lot more to it than just giving your stomach a tour of the world.
In reality, the food is just a part of the opportunity that Tucson Meet Yourself provides Southern Arizona — a chance to both celebrate and learn more about the strange and wonderful collection of people that make up our corner of the desert. Whether that’s clothing, music, dance, crafts, storytelling or just having a conversation with someone new, the experience of TMY is educational without the drowsy side effects that can accompany learning something. While the festival wisely reined in the event’s size this year (last year suffered from a bit of sprawl, so they’ve gone from six to four entertainment stages for 2013), there’s something happening the entire time that represents a group of Tucsonans; how they live, how they celebrate, what they do, who they are.
A letter from the festival’s director, Dr. Maribel Alvarez, on the TMY website calls the event a “folk-life experiment,” and that’s a great way to describe it. Bring a bunch of people with a geographic location in common into one place over a weekend, feed them, entertain them and see what interactions, conversations, friendships result. It’s the best kind of party, one where you have a great time and somehow become a better person with a fuller understanding of the world around you simultaneously. What better thing could you do with your weekend, right?
This article appears in Oct 10-16, 2013.
“…but those people are choosing to live their lives in joyless ways that are difficult to understand.”
No Dan, some of these people work demanding schedules over the weekend. The division of the company I work for have some of these people working 12 hours or more per day on these days. It must be nice to live in a bubble and not realize what certain individuals have to sacrifice to make a living.
AZ/DC: Nothing personal, but I suspect you’d be one of those joyless people regardless of your work schedule. It was a bit of hyperbole, pal, and just so you know, if you think I’m living some charmed work life running out of the office at the 40 hour mark, you’re way, way off.
Wow Dan, your suspicions are WAY off, I am far from being joyless. Just because I do not see things as you do doesn’t mean I lack joy. Also, not that it’s any of your business, but I’ll tell you anyway, my work schedule does not usually involve working anything over 10 hours per day and I do not work on Saturdays, Sundays or Mondays. I myself will be at TMY like I have been for the last several years with my loving family and a couple of friends who know me worlds better than your joyless assuming personality ever could. Your backlashing makes me think that you are the joyless one. Nothing personal.
AZ/DC: All I have to go by are the volume and tone of your anonymous rants. If spending your spare time shitting on (nearly) everything I write is working for you, so be it, but it strikes me as a little joyless. If that’s just a persona built for the internet, even stranger.
I mean, you felt the need to comment on a post about an event you claim to enjoy because you didn’t like a style choice I made? Doesn’t that seem odd to you?
A heads-up: When I said “shitting on (nearly) everything,” that was hyperbole as well. No need to reply with statistics about your commenting history or anything.
“I mean, you felt the need to comment on a post about an event you claim to enjoy because you didn’t like a style choice I made? Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”
No, what seems odd to me is the fact that you misinterpret a lot of what I say. I didn’t say anything about enjoying or not enjoying the event, I pointed out a simple fact that I’m pretty sure you overlooked because of your lifestyle. Certain people have to work hard on these days and you excuse it by saying “It was a bit of hyperbole, pal…”; well, nothing personal, but it makes you come across as if you have no regard for those outside your circle. Then you assumed that I work the same hours as those I mentioned, which I do not and that’s why I felt the need to inform you of that.
Hell, if you really don’t like what I have to say and I’m misinterpreting (nearly) everything you write, go ahead and ban me from commenting. It really wouldn’t phase me at all. But to ban someone who is not hostile about simple disagreements with certain things you post wouldn’t make you look all to reasonable. Personally, I agree with or ignore most of what you do post, and sorry, but I couldn’t come up with statistics without wasting precious spare time so I do not feel the need to reply about my commenting history or anything.
Do tell, anonymous commenter, what is my “lifestyle” like? Tell me about my “circle.” I’d love to have more information about my own day-to-day existence, since you seem to know so much about it. I did make a mistake in thinking you were part of a class of people you were strangely offended on behalf of, but seriously, you might want to lay off on declaring a class war on me.
I’m not going to ban you. I think I’ve banned a whopping three people in my time here and none of those people earned that honor by just being mildly annoying and trollish. Get over yourself a bit.
“… just being mildly annoying and trollish. Get over yourself a bit.”
It’s like you’re inside my head reading how I am feeling about your return commentary.
I promise, I am finally done with this for good. If you feel compelled to add an additional comment than you can waste your time doing so, but I shall not respond. I have learned that when you make inconsiderate comments, such as the one I pointed out in this article and others I have read from you in the past, I will just keep my fingers off the keyboard. I never would have imagined anything would’ve been taken this far over what you have insisted is a “hyperbole.”
Coincidentally, I am now preparing to get myself over to TMY. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into each other. I (sort of) know what you look like from your commentary photos and I wouldn’t hesitate to actually introduce myself to you. Just because you make an inconsiderate comment and take major offense to it when it’s pointed out to you doesn’t necessarily mean you’re all bad. Hell, I actually respect you in certain ways, like the Tour de Tucson thing you are making an effort to participate in. Credit where credit is due.