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Thomas James, polymath
Professionally, I am a sound designer. At all other times, I am a pianist, composer, photographer, philosopher and libertarian. Among other things.
I’m trying to imitate Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe museum in Richmond, Virginia The largest collection of Poe relics and memorabilia in the world.

I’m trying to imitate Edgar Allan Poe.

The Poe museum in Richmond, Virginia

The largest collection of Poe relics and memorabilia in the world.

James River in December

University of Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

Blings of Wonder at Lewis Ginter

Blings of Wonder at Lewis Ginter

a bit of Earl Grey with Sarah in Carytown

a bit of Earl Grey with Sarah in Carytown

Walking under the train tracks by the James River in late December

Walking under the train tracks by the James River in late December

Down in Shockoe

Down in Shockoe

epic train is epic.

epic train is epic.

just in case you weren’t sure, no diving. because it’s shallow.

just in case you weren’t sure, no diving.

because it’s shallow.

Confederate flag, United Daughters of the Confederacy Richmond, Va One of the many long-standing historical niches Virginia has is the short-lived and deeply flawed Confederate States of America. While I was born in Virginia, my early years weren’t spent there. So upon moving back, still a relative youngling, I found the accent unbearable and its attachment to this portion of its history baffling. I can understand its attachment a little more these days, whereas I used to just associate the flag with endemic and institutional racism, slavery, ignorant pride, and senseless propaganda; now, I can also associate it with the idea of state’s rights, an overpowering federal government, and an unjust political favoritism towards the northeastern states. Many authors before me have written about this, and I doubt I can shed any new particular light on it but it truly is a slice of history that has several layers that it would be unjust to oversimplify. One such oversimplification would be calling the conflict a “civil war”; this is a misnomer, for a war to be a civil war, the opposing sides need to be vying for the same power, and by proxy power over the others. The confederate states did not seek to control the union states by any means - they merely meant tosecede. So “The war of secession” seems to be more apt. Outside of the US, and indeed outside of the southeast, it seems to garner relatively little interest but I think it serves as a model of when a seemingly “perfect” political structure (antebellum US) cannot bear fundamental flaws.

Confederate flag, United Daughters of the Confederacy

Richmond, Va

One of the many long-standing historical niches Virginia has is the short-lived and deeply flawed Confederate States of America. While I was born in Virginia, my early years weren’t spent there. So upon moving back, still a relative youngling, I found the accent unbearable and its attachment to this portion of its history baffling.

I can understand its attachment a little more these days, whereas I used to just associate the flag with endemic and institutional racism, slavery, ignorant pride, and senseless propaganda; now, I can also associate it with the idea of state’s rights, an overpowering federal government, and an unjust political favoritism towards the northeastern states. Many authors before me have written about this, and I doubt I can shed any new particular light on it but it truly is a slice of history that has several layers that it would be unjust to oversimplify. One such oversimplification would be calling the conflict a “civil war”; this is a misnomer, for a war to be a civil war, the opposing sides need to be vying for the same power, and by proxy power over the others. The confederate states did not seek to control the union states by any means - they merely meant tosecede. So “The war of secession” seems to be more apt.

Outside of the US, and indeed outside of the southeast, it seems to garner relatively little interest but I think it serves as a model of when a seemingly “perfect” political structure (antebellum US) cannot bear fundamental flaws.