Why Mardi Gras matters. Original story at NPR.
I'm with a bunch of misfits, poets, lunatics, artists and general quirks. Some of us run non-profits, some are professional musicians. One is a bartender, one is a lawyer, and one is working his way through law school as a bartender. There are about two dozen boats, paddling away, accompanied by a brass band that's desperately trying not to sink under the muck.
This is the Mardi Gras I love. The one where the whole social order is flipped on its head…I prefer the Mardi Gras where the jesters rule the kings. In medieval times, the rulers knew something like this needed to happen at least once a year. The common folk, especially the agitators, needed a day when they felt like the world was theirs.
I love that in New Orleans, the agitators often have the run of the place. Mardi Gras and carnival season is the time of year when this sort of thing is most evident, but the jester is always a threat to the monarchy here. The misfit toys who just don't fit in anywhere else, they find a home. They find tolerance, and creativity, and the best of Southern hospitality and warmth at the same time. That's a heady combination to drink off of, and not to engage in New Orleans clichés, but we drink a lot down here.
All photos on this page by Adam Karlin