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Humor & Popular Culture

If You Can’t Be Yourself

Sometimes it’s best if you lose your dinosaur

Dr. Matthew Pate
Counter Arts
Published in
9 min readSep 10, 2021

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A dinosaur under assembly at the Clinton Presidential Library. Source: Author.

In a recent essay I wrote about Clayton Moore, the actor who famously played the Lone Ranger. Moore’s autobiography is titled I Was That Masked Man, a play on “Who was that masked man?” a recurrent question in the Lone Ranger series. As I wrote that essay, I thought a lot about becoming someone new. I also remembered a few times when I had to act like someone I wasn’t — and didn’t want to be.

Last week, I went to an Arkansas Travelers baseball game, also something about which I’ve written. Travs baseball is a homey, intimate outing where familiar faces and friendly staff make for a pleasant evening. While at a Travs game, you’re likely to spot the team’s two mascots.

Technically, the team mascot is Ace, a 7’2” tall horse in a black kerchief and red military tunic. He’s a nod to the rider’s horse in the famed Arkansas Traveler painting, song, and folktale.

The original “Arkansas Traveler.” Edward Payson Washbourne (1856). Source: Arkansas Secretary of State.

Ace also has a more diminutive “sidekick,” Otey, the Swamp Possum. The gregarious and welcoming marsupial is named in honor of former Traveler infielder and…

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Counter Arts
Counter Arts

Published in Counter Arts

The (Counter)Cultural One-Stop for Nonfiction on Medium… incorporating categories for: ‘Art’, ‘Culture’, ‘Equality’, ‘Photography’, ‘Film’, ‘Mental Health’, ‘Music’ and ‘Literature’.

Dr. Matthew Pate
Dr. Matthew Pate

Written by Dr. Matthew Pate

Criminal Justice Researcher. Erstwhile Detective, Author. Mixed Media Artist. Habitual Line Stepper. Loves Dogs and Cats. Holds Doors. Wishes for Better.

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