In Hunter S. Thompson's "The Kentucky Derby is Decayed and Depraved" we get Thompson's new style of journalism, the Gonzo Style. In this style of writting Thompson uses himself as the main protagonist of the story. This style of writting has no real objective other than slight notions of "social critique or self-satire" which I will be using to translate ideals or stereotypes of people to thier communities or place of origin.
Thompson uses the Gonzo style of writting to creat fictional or bizarre stories that really have little factual claims to a plot rather they creat scenarios that can lead people to think more indepthly about what the message is rather than what the story is. The first story we get is an interaction at a airport bar. The conversation between Thompson and "Jimbo" gives us the first impression of a die-hard Derby fan. Jimbo comes off as someone who is a stereotypical southerner saying statements like: "Naw, naw... what the ell kind of drink is that for Kentucky Derby time?... Goddam, we gotta educate this boy. Get him some good whiskey...". Or the concept that this fan "knows this Derby crowd," and states that "this is no town to be giving people the impression you're some kind of faggot". Jimbo leaves us with this impression of arrogance and over-convidence. Thompson then continues with other stories that leave almost the same kind of impression. The impression that Thompson is irritated or does not approve of the Derby. His stories actually seem to reduce the Derby to nothing more than "a spectacle of comercialization of a sport, surviving only because of things such as "tradition" or "The American Way". Later in the evening Thompson and his artist Steadman try to find a face that to Thompson was "a symbol, in my own mind, of the whole doomed atavistic culture that makes the Kentucky Derby what it is." This then leads Steadman to suggest taking a different approach, one of a "native" or someone who doesnt just spectate but participates in the events. As we see his participation in certain events we get to see the depraved side to the community that Thompson called "home and im feeling a bit weird being here." This idea that the area he used to call home has changed into a place where the "natives" are super heavy on drinks such as wiskey or to run around under the lights doing acid or other drugs. Really shows why Thompson truely does not enjoy the Derby because of how the race and the community of fans of different types has made thier own impact on community as a whole. How the expectations and how little social deviation is allowed, has truely changed for what he considers the worst. |