And They're Off...

Anyone who follows horse racing knows that the Kentucky Derby was May 1st. As the Derby is an American tradition which started in the Victorian Era, what better way to celebrate the fastest two minutes in sports than with a festive afternoon tea filled with all the delights of Churchill Downs. There's just one problem, when we decided to have the tea we realized we didn't know quite as much about the Kentucky Derby as originally thought. So I sat down to do some digging on the subject. Imagine my surprise when the research proved to be one of the most interesting days I've spent at the Hunter House Victorian Museum. I thought I'd be learning about the history of the race, the food served there, and the motivation behind women wearing the most elaborate and outlandish hats to such an event. Instead, I spent the afternoon delightfully learning about the history of the word 'dude'.
So, I guess now you're wondering how I got from the derby to 'dude'. Well, I started with reading about how the race was started by the grandson of William Clark, that's right half of the Lewis and Clark team that explored America. Col. M. Lewis Clark traveled to Europe where he experienced the thrill of horse racing. Upon his return, he decided to create a horse race that would capture the intrigue of Americans. Clearly, he succeeded. However, knowing the history behind the race lead me to ask the question "why drape the horse in a blanket of roses?" I then started in search of the answer. This tradition started when a New York social elite came to the race, bringing with him one red rose for every woman in attendance at the race. This social leader, Evander Berry Wall, had the distinction of being labeled 'King of the Dudes'.
Being a child of the 1980s myself, I have been using dude for pretty much my entire life. I had never thought that the word was used in the late 1800s. Obviously, I had to find out why Mr. Wall was a 'dude'. I found that the word dude first appeared in print in the 1870s as a derogatory word. When Mr. Wall became King of the Dudes, a dude was an "ill-bred and ignorant, but ostentatious man from the city who was unfamiliar with life outside a big city." It was taken further when dude ranches were created as a place for a 'dude' to go outside a city and learn about cowboy life. Outside of dude ranches, the word fell out of use until the 60s, when it was resurrected by surfers as a way of greeting. The word has evolved again since then. Now, not only is it used as a greeting but it is also used to express emotions. By simply saying the word 'dude' in a different tone of voice, someone can express sympathy, support, or even disapproval. However, today people do not use the word as an insult.
Even after all that research, I'm still not quite sure how the word evolved from an insult to what it is now. However, I do know that the word isn't likely to go away anytime soon. After all, it has infiltrated our whole system of pop culture. Ever heard of "Dude, Where's my Car?", "Hey Dude", or "Dude, Looks Like a Lady"?

Don't forget about our "Run for the Roses" tea, Sunday, May 16,2010 at 2:00pm. We still have spaces available. Admission fee is $15.00 per person. Please call 757-623-9814 for reservaions.