Cultural English 468 - Jonestown Massacre; Square Dancing; Q&A

Complete Transcript

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 468.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 468. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

On this Café, we’re going to talk about a happy topic and a not-very-happy topic. We’re going to start with the “not-happy” topic, the Jonestown Massacre. And to finish, we’re going to lighten it up a little and talk about a traditional American dance form called “square dancing.” And, as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started.

We begin this Café talking about one of the sadder events in American history, the Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre took place, or happened, on November 18, 1978. A “massacre” (massacre) is when a large number of people are killed in a very violent and usually terrible way. In the case of the Jonestown massacre, over 900 people died, including nearly 300 children under the age of 17.

How did they die? They died by drinking a fruit-flavored drink that had poison called “cyanide” in it. They drank this poison because a man named Jim Jones told them to. It’s a sad, tragic event, but in some ways a very American story – even a very Californian story, as we’ll see.

Our story begins with this man named James Jones. Jones was born on May 13th, 1931, in Indiana. Indiana is in the Midwestern part of the United States near the state of Illinois. In the 1950s, Jones began leading a church. He was the head of a church even though he had no training in church leadership and was not affiliated with any religious group.

When we say someone is “affiliated” (affiliated) with someone or with some group, we mean they are officially attached or connected to this person or group. Jones’s church was not affiliated with any other religious group – at least, it wasn’t when he first started the church. He called his church the “People’s Temple.” A “temple” (temple) is a building that is created especially for religious worship, for praying.

In 1965, Jones moved to California and set up, or established, the People’s Temple here. In 1970 and 1971, Jones began holding religious services in San Francisco. He began having regular meetings of people who believed in the things that his church believed in. And what was Jones’s religious view? Well, it was very strange, actually, which is not surprising since he came to California, where there are a lot of strange people, like me.

Jones was a communist. He was a believer in the ideas of Marxism. However, he also used some of the Christian ideas. He tried to make Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian religion, into basically a communist. Jones had some other very strange ideas about religion. He often criticized the Bible. He still very much believed in the Marxist ideas. He just combined those in a very strange, some would say “bizarre,” way with certain ideas of Christianity.

He took this strange mix to San Francisco, which is probably the weirdest place in California – even weirder than Los Angeles, I think. However, although Jones started his first church in California up in San Francisco, he also started a temple here in the beautiful city of L.A. Jones and the People’s Temple were very popular in one particular area in San Francisco called the Fillmore District. This was an area where a lot of African Americans, or blacks, lived.

It was also an area that had been very badly treated, we might say, by the politicians who were in charge of the city. When we say someone was “badly treated,” we mean here she wasn’t given very good care, wasn’t taken care of. The people living in the Fillmore District wanted someone who could help them have better lives. Jones was a person who promised this better life.

One of the reasons he was so successful is that he was a very charismatic man. “Charismatic” (charismatic) means having a kind of personality that makes other people want to follow you or even obey you, do what you tell them to. Jones had many followers from the African-American community, and this was very important to the politicians of San Francisco.

Politicians, of course, are always looking for people to vote for them. The politicians wanted people from the Fillmore district to vote for them, and so they became friends with Jones. In fact, Jones became friends with several very powerful political leaders here in California. If a politician asked Jones for help, he would go to his temple to his followers, the people in his church, and get them to help the politician.

He would also go to political meetings. He would arrange for buses to pick up people and take them to vote. Sometimes people voted in the elections who were not allowed to vote, but Jones took them anyway. That happens all over the world, and it still happens here in the United States sometimes.

Helping the politicians win was not something Jones did because he was a nice guy, because he was a nice person. Instead, he wanted the politicians – especially those in the local government – to owe him something. “To owe” (owe) someone something means that you have to give that person help because that person helped you. Jones would ask the politicians to give him some powerful positions in government and would remind the politicians that he helped them get elected.

Interestingly enough, several of these politicians were strong supporters of the Temple, even though now no one talks about it, people like the then-mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone – Harvey Milk, a very famous San Francisco politician. The governor of California as I record this, Jerry Brown, was a supporter of the People’s Temple. Now of course, politicians support people who support them, so this is not too surprising.

With these political connections, Jones also began to have political power at a national level. He met with the first lady of the United States – the wife of the president of the United States – Rosalynn Carter several times and had lots of friends in Washington, D.C., as well as in California. It became clear in the late 1970s that Jones wasn’t really a religious believer at all. He was using the ideas of religion in order to build this political organization. He in fact even said that he was an atheist – that he didn’t believe in God – that his heroes were people like Mao Tse Tung and other communist leaders.

Within the People’s Temple, there was an atmosphere of violence, of people being treated badly. Some people were beaten, some people were blackmailed. “To be blackmailed” means that someone who knows a secret about you promises not to tell anyone in return for money or for some other favor. Jones often made the members of his church to give all of their belongings, their houses, and their money to his church.

In 1977, news reporters began looking into, or investigating, the People’s Temple and how badly the members of the Temple were treated by Jones. Jones decided that he wasn’t going to stay in California. He was going to leave the country. So, he took several hundred people with him and moved to an entirely new country. He moved to the country of Guyana in South America.

He started his own little commune in Guyana. A “commune” (commune) is a place where a large group of people live together and share all of their belongings and possessions. This type of community was popular in some places here in the U.S., especially during the 1960s and 70s, especially here in California. Jones moved, as I mentioned, several hundred people down to Guyana, and they lived in a community which was called, what else, Jonestown.

Although Jim Jones had left the United States, many Americans were still concerned about what was going on down in Jonestown. A California congressman who represented a part of California in Washington, D.C., decided to visit Jonestown. Congressman Leo Ryan in November of 1978 asked for permission from the U.S. Congress to go down and investigate what was happening in Jonestown.

The reason he wanted to investigate is because he had received information that some people living in Jonestown were being held against their will. “To be held against your will” means that you are not allowed to leave a place, that you are kept in a certain place basically like a prisoner. Ryan was saying that some of these people were being basically held as prisoners in Guyana by Jones.

Ryan took a plane and flew down to Guyana in November of 1978. During his visit, some of the people living there came up to him and told him that they were being held against their wills and that they wanted to leave. Ryan left on November 18th. However, 15 people from Jonestown went with him back to the airport. When he got to the airport, another group of people were there already from Jonestown and began shooting at Ryan and his group.

Ryan and four other people were killed. There were 11 other people who were hurt. Ryan was the first and, to this date, only member of the U.S. Congress to be killed performing his duties as a representative, killed in what we might describe as the “line of duty.”

Back in Jonestown, Jones realized that there were going to be more problems for his community. So, he ordered all of his followers – he told all of his members there - to drink a fruity drink called Kool-Aid. This drink was something that was very popular among children. However, Jones put poison in the Kool-Aid. He put cyanide in the Kool-Aid.

Children were given the drink first and then the adults. Jones himself never drank this Kool-Aid. He instead died by shooting himself. For those of us who remember this event from the late 1970s, it was a terrible, terrible thing. The television was filled with pictures of hundreds and hundreds of bodies, bodies of people who drank this Kool-Aid and died.

After the Jonestown Massacre, as it was called, the People’s Temple was disbanded. “To be disbanded” (disbanded) is to be broken up – when an organization no longer continues functioning. The Temple also declared bankruptcy. When you declare “bankruptcy,” you are saying that your organization no longer has any money.

Today, the site of Jonestown in Guyana is completely covered with plants. There are no more buildings left there. But Jonestown continues to have a certain – I guess we could call it “symbolic importance” in American culture. It stands for, or represents, the dangers of powerful, charismatic leaders who form what are called “cults” (cults) – small groups of religious believers typically with very extreme or unusual beliefs.

The Jonestown Massacre also produced a now common idiomatic expression in English. If someone believes something without questioning it, or follows someone without asking any questions, it is said that this person is “drinking the Kool-Aid.” “To drink the Kool-Aid” means to accept some idea, often a political idea, without thinking about it, without analyzing it. That, then, is briefly the story of the Jonestown Massacre.

On a happier note, let’s talk about a popular form of American dancing, at least popular among certain groups of people, called “square dancing.” The people who came to the United States from England in the 1700s brought, of course, in addition to their language and culture, their forms of dance. As they traveled west through the U.S. as the United States grew, these dances continued to be performed. They continued to be means of entertainment. Remember, there was no Internet back in the 18th century. I know – how did people survive?

Square dancing is basically a form of dancing where you have four couples, four pairs of people, who stand next to each other and form – guess what? – a square. That means that each side of the square has two people on it. Also in the room there is a group of musicians or some music and what is called a “caller” (caller). A “caller” is a person who tells people what they should do now. The caller yells out the motions that the dancers should go through.

So, basically you’re standing there and you’re waiting for instructions from the caller about what to do next. The motions are ones that all of the dancers are familiar with. So, when the caller says something like “do-si-do,” the people dancing know what to do. The dancers listen to the caller and perform the movements that he or she calls out.

The movements usually involve walking in and out of the square and sometimes linking, or putting your arm around, someone else’s arm. The dancers do these movements using a very quick pace. They do it quickly. They’re not running around, but they are moving somewhat quickly. The dancers, as I say, all know the movements, so they are able to follow the instructions easily.

Traditionally, square dancing has been popular with older people and even more popular in areas outside the big city. My parents, for example, when they were in their 60s and 70s used to go square dancing every week, sometimes twice a week. In fact, I remember them traveling to other parts of the country to go to, I guess they were called, “square dance conventions,” where lots of people would get together. It was a very good way for them to socialize – to get out and meet other people – especially when they had retired, they had stopped working full time.

Some people say that younger people are now getting interested in square dancing, that there has been a revival in the popularity of square dancing. A “revival” (revival) is when something seems to be going away, seems to be dying, and then suddenly comes back to life – suddenly becomes, in this case, popular again.

When I was in grade school and high school, the teachers taught us some of these traditional square dances, and we had to perform them in school as part of the gym class, or physical education class. This perhaps is something that was only popular in the Midwest or some of the areas outside of the big cities. I don’t really know. I know that when I grew up, we learned how to square dance in gym class.

Now let’s answer some of the questions you have sent to us.

Our first question comes from Xinyu (Xinyu) in China. The question has to do with three words that sound similar but have different meanings. The first one is “perspective.” The second is “prospective.” And the third is “prospect.” Let’s start with “perspective” (perspective). Your “perspective” is your way of thinking about something. It’s your, what we might also describe as, “point of view.”

For example, “From his perspective, his mother-in-law’s arrival for a two-week vacation is not good news.” From the perspective of the husband, in this example, having the mother-in-law come and stay for two weeks is probably not something he’s happy about. “Perspective,” then, is your way of thinking – taking into consideration, if you will, your interests and your views.

The second word is “prospective” (prospective). “Prospective” relates to something that will likely happen in the future, something that we expect to happen in the future. It’s often used as an adjective to describe, for example, a person who might perform some action or might be someone who does something.

Let me give you an example. If you go to a store, there will be people who walk into the store. Those people are “prospective buyers.” They haven’t bought anything yet. They are not buyers right now, but in the future, maybe even in just a few minutes, they will become buyers. You could talk about a “prospective manager.” The person isn’t a manager in your company yet, but they might be someday. It looks as though that might happen.

The third word is “prospect” (prospect). “Prospect” refers to the possibility of some future event occurring. “Prospect” is a noun. “Prospective” is an adjective. So, when we talk about the “prospects” of the success of this business, we’re talking about what will happen in the future. Will it be successful or won’t it?

One of the more common expressions with this word is “to be excited by the prospect” of something. “I’m excited by the prospect of being able to visit New York City.” I’m not there yet. I haven’t gone there yet, but there is a possibility that I will do so in the future. Actually, I’ve been to New York before. It’s okay.

“Prospect” is also used sometimes when we’re talking about someone getting married. We may talk about a person’s “marriage prospects,” meaning what are the chances, what is the likelihood, that this person will get married. “To have good prospects” means that there are good possibilities, people out there that you may want to marry.

I should mention, briefly, that prospect can also be a verb. “To prospect” means to look for something, like gold. We talk about people “prospecting for gold” here in California back in the middle of the 19th century. They were looking for gold.

Our second question is also from China, from Cao (Cao). The question has to do again with two similar-sounding words. The first one is “scheme.” The second is “schema.” “Scheme” (scheme) is a large-scale or a very complicated plan in order to achieve some goal or to reach some objective. “I have a scheme for solving all of the problems that the United States has with its economy.” It’s a very complicated – “grand,” we might say – plan. Schemes don’t have to be necessarily about politics. You could have a scheme in order to get yourself a job at a company.

Now, “scheme” is often used negatively when you’re talking about these plans to achieve some goal. Let’s say you’re a beautiful girl and you’re interested in a very handsome guy, but this guy already has a girlfriend. You create a scheme to make the two of them break up, to end their relationship. That would be an example of “scheme” in a negative way. “Scheme” can also be a verb which means to make plans about something.

“Schema” (schema) is something a little bit different. “Schema” is a noun referring to a way of representing a plan or a theory. Usually, but not always, it’s an image which shows how an idea or a plan is organized. It’s not a word you hear very often. It is used more commonly in cognitive psychology and education to refer to a person’s previous knowledge about some topic.

The plural of “schema” is “schemata” (schemata). Your “schemata” are your ideas from your previous experiences about a certain place or event. We all have a certain schemata about airports. We kind of know how airports are organized. When you go to an airport, a new airport, usually you’re not completely surprised by the way the building is organized and by the processes that you have to go through in order to get on to your airplane.

Our final question comes from Lorenzo (Lorenzo) in the Dominican Republic. Lorenzo wants to know the meaning of the phrase “heart condition.” Well, your heart is what is in your upper chest that pumps blood to the rest of your body. A “heart condition” would be some sort of illness or problem with the heart, some problem with the way the heart is functioning. The term “heart condition” is often used to mean something similar to the phrase “heart disease” – when there’s some problem with your heart.

The word “condition” is often used in this sense – to describe a disease, or what is sometimes called in the medical world a “disorder” (disorder). If someone has a, I don’t know, a “foot condition,” this would be someone who has some problem with his foot – maybe he hurt it or maybe he has some disease that is affecting his foot. My wife sometimes says that I have a brain condition – there’s something wrong with my brain. Maybe she’s right.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.

Glossary

massacre – a killing of a large number of people in a very violent and terrible way

* The barnyard looked like the scene of a massacre after the foxes got into the chicken pen and killed all of the chickens.

to be affiliated with – to be officially attached or connected to another person or organization

* Smaller airlines are often affiliated with larger ones so that they can offer more flights to customers.

temple – a building built for religious worship and used by people to gather and to perform ceremonies

* The temple was open to the public on Saturday morning for Passover services.

charismatic – having a personality that attracts other people and makes them want to follow that person and do what he or she says to do

* Many people loved John F. Kennedy not only because he was good looking and smart but because he was charismatic.

to owe (someone) (something) – to be required or obligated to help someone because that person helped you

* Yvette paid for Hiro’s coffee when he forgot his wallet so he said that he owed her a coffee the next time they went out.

to be blackmailed – for a person to know a secret about another person and to promise not to tell anyone in return for money or favors

* Senator Jones was being blackmailed $1,200 a month to keep photographs of him doing illegal drugs hidden.

commune – a place where a large group of people live together and share their belongings and possessions, working together for the benefit of the group

* There were no locks on any of the doors in the commune so that everyone had access to whatever they needed, whenever they needed it.

to be held against (one’s) will – for a person who does not want to stay in a place to not be allowed to leave; to be kept prisoner

* The rebels held the reporters against their will until the government sent in the military to rescue them.

to be disbanded – when a group or an organization stops operating or working and is no longer working as a group

* The chess club disbanded when they couldn’t find enough people to participate.

bankruptcy – a legal status indicating that a person or organization has no money to pay what it owes and cannot continue to operate

* The company declared bankruptcy and over 200 people lost their jobs.

caller – at a square dance, the person who calls out loud which dance moves should be done next

* The dancers listened closely as the caller shouted the moves over the music.

revival – when something that has stopped happening or gone out of fashion becomes popular again

* The theater performed a revival of one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays.

perspective – a particular attitude toward something; a way of thinking about something; a point of view

* It’s hard for the very rich to see life from the perspective of someone struggling to earn enough money to live from one day to the next.

prospective – regarding a person, expected or expecting him or her to be something in the future; likely to happen at a future date

* The real estate agent will be showing the prospective buyers our house today.

prospect – the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring

* Juno isn’t looking forward to the prospect of visiting her in-laws.

scheme – a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for reaching a goal or putting a particular idea into effect

* The mayor says she has a scheme to improve safety on the streets.

schema – a way of showing or representing a plan or idea in an outline or model; an image showing the parts of an idea and/or the relationships of those parts

* This schema shows how the brain sends messages to different parts of the body.

heart condition – a disease or disorder of the heart; a medical problem with one’s heart

* Lisa’s heart condition makes it difficult for her to do strenuous exercise.

What Insiders Know

Hootenanny

“Hootenanny” is a word with its “origins” (beginnings) in Scotland, but has several meanings in American English. In Scottish English, the word means “celebration” or “party. It is believed to be taken from the biggest celebration on the Scottish calendar, the New Year celebration called “Hogmanay.”

The term “hootenanny” came to the U.S. when a large numbers of Scottish people arrived in the 1700s and 1800s to Appalachia, the cultural “region” (area) in the eastern U.S. that “stretches from” (includes in area) the southern part of New York state to the southern states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. The Scottish people, or Scots, were among the largest groups of “settlers” (people who travel to an area to live) in Appalachia.

Although the term is considered a little old-fashioned today, at one time, “hootenanny” was used to refer to something whose name you’d forgotten temporarily. For example, you might say: “Bring me that hootenanny,” when what you mean is “pen” but can’t think of the word “pen” at that “precise” (exact) moment.

“Hootenanny” had another meaning in “war” (fighting with soldiers between countries). “Hootenanny” was used informally to refer to a meeting between high-level officials, a meeting more formally known as a “war council.” A hootenanny or a war council is was an important but formal meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually during battle. “Hootenanny” is still used today, though not as frequently, and it is more likely to be used to refer to meetings between high-level officials in a business than in the military

Hootenanny was also the title of a 1960’s TV series. The show “aired” (was shown on television) from 1963 to 1964. The show featured “pop-oriented” (focusing on popular culture) music groups such as The Journeymen, The Big 3, Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, and many others.