Just caught The Order of Myths, a documentary by Margaret Brown about the oldest Mardi Gras in the US, which is in Mobile, Alabama and dates to 1703. Brown brings to light the Mardi Gras that most of us are not privvy to: the balls and coronations of Mardi Gras "royalty," the elaborate preparations of the costumes and floats, and the staggering amounts of money middle-class people are willing to spend on all this. No women flashing breasts for beads here — this is Old World Mardi Gras.

It's a fascinating look inside a centuries-old tradition, but as Brown subtly points out, the racial divide that these traditions are based on is still alive. It's not as deep as before, and there are those working to heal that divide, but it colors (no pun intended) the way people look at their world. In Mobile, there are two Mardi Gras — one for the whites and one for the blacks. I lost count how many times white people told the camera that there is no reason to integrate because the black people want to keep their own traditions. But I never heard a black person say that.

It's odd for a northerner (I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio) who spent fifteen years in Japan and now lives in the very secular Pacific Northwest to watch this movie and remind himself that this is the same country he lives in. I don't mean that in a high-minded way at all. In many ways, the people in Mobile are on the front lines of our racial divide and they're dealing with it in sometimes horrible and sometimes very noble ways. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, we aren't really forced to deal with it in the same way, and so it's easy to get all snobbish toward attitudes in the South (I've had my moments, believe me). But The Order of Myths shows us what's wrong with our race relations while also showing how the divide is getting smaller. It's easy to laugh at the fact that the one integrated krewe in the carnival, a fairly recent addition, has just one white member. But at least there's an integrated krewe, or society, as they call them. I wish Brown had interviewed that one white guy.

It's a fascinating film. Being a godless northerner, if I ever make it to Mardi Gras, I'd probably end up drunk as a skunk, but it's interesting to see the traditions and prep work that go into this celebration. And I find the statements of the black and white Mardi Gras kings and queens somewhat hopeful.

Brown ends the movie with one final nod to just how deep this divide goes and just how many secrets are left to be revealed. As Obama runs for president, this is an excellent time to start giving our dirty laundry the air it desperately needs. Thumbs up.