Original Gangsters
In John Leland’s book Hip: The History, he refers to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman as “the o.g.’s,” he wants us to believe that these men are responsible for hip. I am still working my mind around what the meaning of hip is, but I think Leland is stretching the meaning of "Original Gangster" in his book.
According to my American Heritage Dictionary:
Original means:
Preceding all others; one could argue that Emerson and Whitman were responsible for being the first in many things, including the spread of the Transcendentalism Movement, and questioning both church and state in America.
The same dictionary does not have a definition for gangster but has a definition for gang:
Member of an organized group of criminals, a social group gathered for often criminal purposes. We can assume that “ster” added is in reference of being a specific member of such a group.
This being said were these two gentlemen gangsters?
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| Walt Whitman |
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| Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Or were these two gentlemen gangsters?
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| Al Capone |
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| Lucky Luciano |
We are learning that Emerson and Whitman did many things towards the development of American culture; however I do not think that they were gangsters.
I think Leland might have been trying to stretch popular language a little too far. I read it as a tongue-in-cheek title, but one that's less than artful.
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