"An Evening at Owl Farm"
This short video shows American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson at his home or 'fortified compound' as he referred to it known as Owl farm in Woody Creek, CO.
The clip shows Thompson, most likely under the influence of cocaine and alcohol engaged in a gun fight with a neighbour for an evening's entertainment. Although ludicrous, Hunter and the unnamed neighbour are essentially exercising their second amendment rights, although doing so in a way that is clearly not the law's intention. Hunter explains over the top of the video that "the people who did this, uh, declaration of independence and the constitution were, uh, good people.". Here, Hunter's meaning is perhaps unclear as we are unsure whether his gratitude to the founding fathers is based purely upon his 20th century right to fire a gun for amusement, or whether he holds a deeper respect for the legislation and ideologies which they created for the new American nation. Overall, it is interesting how these constitutional rights and their original meanings ("a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state") may become obscured as society develops, taking on new meanings that question the nature or integrity of American liberty. On one hand, we might criticise Hunter for appropriating the 2nd amendment for a vain purpose, but on the other we may suggest that as an American, Hunter is within his right to exercise his rights how he sees fit.
Hunter clearly sees the latter of the two options, justifying his wild behaviour by stating that "It's our country, it's not theirs, it's not a bunch of used car dealers from Southern California.". This is particularly interesting as it highlights the individualism that remains a key American identity - the idea that the country belongs to people like Hunter who are free from the capitalist trappings and are able to live the way they want with the law on their side. However, Hunter was also a frequent user of illegal substances and had broken the law on many other occasions showing that, although he holds respect for the framers of the declaration of independence and the constitution, overall, his priority is his own life experience. He respects the rights he has been given that allow him his freedom to live the way he wants, but equally, he has no hesitation in crossing legal boundaries when his rights don't extend as far as he would like. The "used car dealers" comment is also interesting, as it perhaps represents a stereotype of capitalism and the working class American who is too preoccupied with being a part of the capitalist system to realise what the true America is (in Hunter's view). This is also represented in landscape and region as Hunter states "it's a good place. Here we are in the middle of it, up on the mountain", referring to his town of Woody Creek, a tiny village near Aspen, very much a rugged mountainous area of Colorado. Although not explicitly declared, there is a definite link here between the idea of Hunter's home being representative of a true America or the American dream compared to Southern California being a commercialised parody of these, perhaps having lost touch with the "good people" who signed the declaration of independence and constitution.
The video closes when Hunter states that "In democracy, you have to be a player" again, with unclear meaning. A literal meaning might suggest that in order to consider yourself a part of the democracy and therefore a subscriber to American liberty, it is necessary to exercise those rights, as evidenced in the video. Otherwise, we might infer that this is a criticism of the system, as although American ideologies revolve around individual freedom, you are actually forced to "be a player" in order to fully connect with these freedoms. Given the nature of his literary work and his status as an anti-establishment icon, Hunter's meaning in this statement is surely open to interpretation and it is likely that he would be able to expand on the subject indefinitely. It seems that he is simultaneously both critical and respectful of the system; thankful for its freedoms, but wary of its trappings as he seems to consider himself above all else, an independent American.
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