Is Hunter S. Thompson's Kentucky Derby Still Decadent and Depraved Forty Years Later?

Within the literary community of Louisville, Kentucky, the contributions of local author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson are annually perused as the Kentucky Derby approaches. Today, locals are still asking themselves if Hunter S. Thompson was right. Is the "Kentucky Derby Decadent and Depraved" ...forty years later?

Attending the 96th Kentucky Derby in 1970, Hunter S. Thompson portrays a viscous landscape of Mardi Gras gone wrong with the creme de la cr¨me of American celebrities vomiting on their shoes. Quoted in his writings were depictions of trigger happy locals that hate A) homosexuals, B) people of color, and C) anyone who refuses to inbreed.

Obviously, as a local, I can see a lot has changed culturally in Kentucky over the past 40 years. While no one fesses up about the inbreeding, there are several organizations that support homosexuality and people of color. As a person of color that support homosexual friends and family, I haven't found too many poor interactions with my local community in urban Kentucky.

However, I'm not really addressing the real issue; is the Kentucky Derby still decadent and also depraved? Well, actually, in my opinion; yes. Mainly, there are still lots of celebrities and big wigs that show up every year to watch the race. Locals love to snap photos of their favorite celebrities doing fancy things in the everyday places around Louisville, KY.

In many ways, Derby participators take on the decadent aspects of wealth culture by dressing up, gambling, throwing parties, and drinking as many Mint Juleps as possible. To add to this decadence, Louisvillians begin festivities a month before the race begins. Depending on your age, if you aren't from Kentucky, the constant month of Derby celebrations can make you feel as if you were voluntarily drafted into an extreme Bacchanalian hazing ritual.

Naturally, depravity is a good way of politely describing the alcohol-induced actions displayed by most past and current Kentucky Derby participants. The Kentucky Derby is not a festival or crafts fair. It is a test, to some degree, of your party animal warrior spirit. In other words, depravity and the state of being depraved is something that can only come out of drinking that much alcohol.

Nonetheless, depravity can have a somber aspect. For example, some locals in the state of Kentucky don't like the way race horses are treated. For others, becoming the picture of depravity almost always takes two avenues. The first avenue is straight into the notorious Infield. The inner ring of the Kentucky Derby's Infield becomes a slip and slide of alcohol laden muddy adventures that have a "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" spirit.

Nonetheless, the real secret party on the day of the Kentucky Derby is a couple of miles away. In the West End of Louisville, a unified scene of decadence and depravity is painted. By combining styled-out automobiles with parade ethics, the residents of this neighborhood capture Hunter S. Thompson's decadent and depraved Kentucky Derby visualization with a top notch Southern Black cultural flair that is only seen in Louisville.

However, what Hunter S. Thompson didn't have in 1970 was a large population of Latin Americans. Due to their superior skills in the equine industry, the gentle horse people of Central America have joined Kentucky's horse racing industry. This welcome influx of immigration over the past 10 years has evolved into a new trend called the "Mexican Derby".

Typically, the Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May. This year, the Derby is on May 6th and 7th. That means, on May 5th, a large majority of local horse professionals will also be celebrating Cinco De Mayo. By adding one more day to the intense celebrations, Mexican Derby has charmed locals from all over town to add tequila to their exclusive bourbon parties.

Between the decadent celebrations at Churchill Downs' Infield, the cruising in the West End, the KY Derby celebrity promenade, Mexican Derby, and the depraved way some race horses are treated all proves one thing. Nothing has changed. Hunter S. Thompson was right -- "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved".

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The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved by Hunter S. Thompson