"The 38th Parallel

With restraint and patience in my restless bosom
I reached stealthily near the 38th parallel,
And shrunken, casted my eyes carefully around,

The sad heart turned my steps into secluded lanes.
My hairs stood up at the casual sound of grass-leaf.
And every step of mine was full of hatred.

Children of a village chatted about the uncertain border.
They should have been more cautious in their answer to me.
Whatever action the enemy may take, the children and I could be confidential.

Where is the 38th parallel? I couldn't realize it, though crossed over.
Forests and fields, South and North, were in the same colour,
Who did thrust the arrow in the innocent land?

      May, 1946"

--Sông-yôn Czoe

Question: how do tribes define themselves in a society
where costuming is to some degree a matter of personal
taste? and to a greater degree, dependent on what's
available and what's allowed? Related thought:
boundaries that are defined with subliminal repulsions,
is counter-magic, in a way. I thought of how, tuning
through the music band, I jump away from some classes
of music like a hot surface. I so strongly dislike sports,
etc that an ambience of those sounds is sufficient to
keep me from casually wandering into a space that
contains them. In a population which is largely funct-
ioning on autopilot, no greater force than this is
necessary, especially where it isn't critical to defend
class privileges or possessions (e.g. at the symphony.
I can go there [or i used to be able to, before each
season became sold out in advance to $200 season
ticket holders--] , but the presence of people dressed
up makes me uncomfortable). --How a city is
organized according to caste dislikes, through a gradual
process of unconscious sorting. --How it is a very
useful ability to tolerate feelings of extreme dislike
in order to transgress these minor aversive boundaries.
   [2003. Perhaps it was by this
means that all but a certain kind of player, was driven
out of the Game of Politics.]

They died for raisins!? (via Metafilter)

Listening to: The Boredoms.