Watch The Order of Myths Movie
Release Date: July 25th, 2008
Director: Margaret Brown
Writer: Margaret Brown
Studio: Cinema Guild
Genre: Documentary
Official Site: theorderofmyths.com
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
This film does a credible job of showing how Mardi Gras has progressed, or not progressed, in Mobile, Alabama which is the city where the first US celebrations started in 1703. Much is made of the segregated societies, both black and white, still wanting to keep their groups separate and it gives the wrong idea to a lot of people who have seen it. The Globe and Mail in Canada says: “A study of community ritual, pomp and camaraderie, ‘The Order of Myths’ also gradually unveils the startling connections between the two communities, where the great-grandchildren of slaves and the great-grandchildren of slave owners still live highly segregated lives.” This is patently untrue of the city and it’s citizens. True, Mardi Gras groups, all but a couple of them, are segregated by race but it is what each society wants for themselves. Freedom of Assembly is a basic tenet of our Constitution and both races, as private organizations, are free to admit whomever they please.
Mobile has had a very diverse city and county government for decades and currently has a black mayor, Sam Jones, elected by a wide margin in the last balloting. He is well liked by most everyone in the city as far as I know and will be a shoo-in next time. The movie presents all the parades and balls as just silly merrymaking but with it’s emphasis on racial segregation gives the impression of Mobile having separate water fountain, back of the bus, Old Time Southern Democrat forced segregation.
The doctrine, “separate but equal” ended in the 1950s, right? Think again. At America’s oldest Mardi Gras — celebrated each year in Mobile, Alabama — events remain segregated between white and black residents. Beneath the surface of pageantry, lies a complex story about race relations and the ever-present racial divide that persists in America today.
In this clip, members of the Striker mystic society enjoy the freedom of anonymity that comes with wearing a mask. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/orderofmyths/
