William Gaither | The Sun Magazine

William Gaither

William Gaither landed a job as staff photographer for a daily paper in Clinton, North Carolina.

— From November 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Cockfighting

Cockers own cocks for a fairly obvious reason. It is the poor man’s way out. Few of us could afford the stable fees, much less the price, of a racing horse.

November 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Crimes To Fit The Individual: South African Justice

The destruction of the liberal, moderate left, both black and white, has brought apartheid to its logical conclusion, the polarization of the races. Each color is increasingly influenced by the voice of extremism. South Africa is now poised on the brink of guerilla war.

September 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Afrikaner

Following through on an attempt to understand white South Africa’s control and manipulation of the Black/Colored/Asian majority is a journey that invokes a logical progression of disbelief sliding to horror, then, finally, a half step beyond to revulsion.

July 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Free Kill

“Free Kill.” Just imagine. Part of every citizen’s inalienable birthright the freedom to off one other soul.

April 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Care Packages To Fat City

An Objective Opinion

I write of a ridiculous-acting class of people, but one that is not without craft and guile. Public office seems to attract people who are just smart enough to realize that elected positions of “public confidence” are the easiest and safest of possibilities for not especially bright individuals to get rich.

March 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Saving The Hunter From The Rabbits

“Watch out for the poor! They want to marry your daughter.” The Word: Anything that the poor want must come from the middle-class. The rich have somehow at once been bled dry while remaining wealthy.

February 1977
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

South Africa’s Dark Heart

South Africa first entered into the American national consciousness this past summer when the sprawling, million person ghetto of Soweto rose up in protests that the police and army quickly turned into bloody riot.

December 1976
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

The Republicans’ Nasty Little Screed

The Republican platform, in and of itself, is simply a nasty little screed, conceived in a moment of disappointment by the forces of Reagan. The monster off-spring of the reactionary right, it is loved only by its parents.

October 1976
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Cats And Dogs

After a lifetime of trying to deny it I am finally willing to concede that there are forces beyond human control at work in each of our lives.

September 1976
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

American Pie

So it is that every fourth year we are treated to a seemingly new series of causes and slogans that are destined to end up being a further boost to special interests and privileged classes to which none of us belong.

July 1976
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

Long Ride Into The Sunset

So it is that my attention is drawn to Ronald Reagan and George Wallace as they go through their spirited bicentennial hustles in an effort to become top banana.

June 1976
Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories

From The People Who Brought You Law An’ Order

In his unceasing quest to keep this country great by returning himself to office in November, Gerald Ford has been making some very troubling noises about national security lately. Initially, many of us were willing to regard speeches of this sort as little more than political necessity; a Republican candidate paying homage to the more rigid, “spare the rod, spoil the Dow Jones” spirits in the conservative camp.

May 1976
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