... this time with 100% more misappropriation! It was bad enough with the keffiyeh, but it looks like U.O. decided they needed another piece of the Middle East to capitalize upon. Enter the Allah bracelet!
Thanks to KabobFest for bringing it to attention. Now, if you've read my keffiyeh post, y'all know how I feel about the misappropriation of culture. I won't repeat everything I've said there. But I will say that I am again totally amazed. Yes, there is Christian imagery everywhere, and used in popular culture everywhere from "Jesus is My Homeboy" apparel to Madonna's "Like a Prayer," etc. It's actually gotten pretty old now. But the difference is that Christianity in America is the majority and is not equated with the same level of politics and discrimination as Islam. At a time like this, do we really need to further exoticize and disrespect a culture by putting it on sale at a store whose goal is simply to make money, without any care towards sociopolitical context?
One one hand there's the argument that it is bringing an "exotic" culture into the mainstream, de-mystifying it, making it accessible to the common person (because, you know, Muslims/Middle Easterners/"others" can't be seen as just regular people). But I don't think the majority of U.O.'s commercial audience are going to even think that far. So the essential effect is tokenization of a culture, perhaps to seem "edgy." Again, if you do not know or willingly represent the context of this item, wearing it is quite disrespectful. (As someone commented on KabobFest, you wouldn't be able to go into a bathroom with this bracelet on.) It's not because I think everyone else should avoid anything to do with Islam, but I do think there are way more respectful ways to explore it. And it doesn't involve helping Urban Outfitters make money.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"But the children live here!"
I'm shocked, but very pleased, that this was on network news... 60 Minutes, no less. This is a very important and honest coverage of the way Palestinians are imprisoned in their own homeland (and homes!-- and how Israel is preventing peace. Must see.
It's good to see that the world, especially in the West, is (finally) starting to notice the David-and-Goliath situation in place here, the way that Palestinians are being unjustly, criminally, and often fatally mistreated by the Israeli state and some of its citizens, and that-- oh yeah-- maybe there is a reason that Palestinians are so angry.
Here's another heartening video... an Israeli citizen speaks the truth and describes his (and many of his fellow Israelis') feelings of despair at the recent Gaza attacks. Thanks to The Glaring Truth (a blog you should read) and the BBC for posting this.
Salaams, people. Have faith, stay strong.
WMEG
It's good to see that the world, especially in the West, is (finally) starting to notice the David-and-Goliath situation in place here, the way that Palestinians are being unjustly, criminally, and often fatally mistreated by the Israeli state and some of its citizens, and that-- oh yeah-- maybe there is a reason that Palestinians are so angry.
Here's another heartening video... an Israeli citizen speaks the truth and describes his (and many of his fellow Israelis') feelings of despair at the recent Gaza attacks. Thanks to The Glaring Truth (a blog you should read) and the BBC for posting this.
Salaams, people. Have faith, stay strong.
WMEG
Saturday, August 9, 2008
RIP Mahmoud Darwish
One of our great heroes has passed. And so the world has lost one of its most amazing poets. Rest in peace, Amo. Thank you for the armor, the sword, the pen, the hope.
"As if I returned
to what has been
As if I walked
in front of myself
I restore my harmony
between the trial and the verdict
I am the son
of simple words
I am the martyr of the map
the family apricot blossom
O you who grip the edge
of the impossible
From the beginning until Galilee
Return to me my hands
Return to me
My identity"
From Poem of the Land
"As if I returned
to what has been
As if I walked
in front of myself
I restore my harmony
between the trial and the verdict
I am the son
of simple words
I am the martyr of the map
the family apricot blossom
O you who grip the edge
of the impossible
From the beginning until Galilee
Return to me my hands
Return to me
My identity"
From Poem of the Land
Friday, July 18, 2008
It's back...
Project Runway, that is! I was happy to find out that the show has not moved to Lifetime yet (because, as much as I love the Golden Girls, I don't really want to see clothes designed for them... or do I??). There is no Arab Adonis this season to keep us occupied (bye, Rami), but there IS a woman (Terri) who suspiciously resembles Donna Summer, and therefore I already love her. There's also a woman (Stella) who looks like Cher on a bad day after a makeover from Tommy Lee if she hadn't had all that work done on her face (oops), and though she appears to be a one-trick pony when it comes to her designs (and her first one was totally lame and hideous), she is from Queens so therefore I already like her too. There's also a girl named Korto who I like because she seems like someone I'd totally want to hang out with on a daily basis (and have her design outfits for me!). Otherwise, most of the others are boring hipsters who are strangely indeterminate from one another. Except that weird guy called Suede (?!) who is apparently really desperate to have everyone call him Suede (and not Albert or whatever his real name probably is) judging by the fact that he constantly refers to himself in the third person. And Jerell who is actually really cute but kind of looks like a hobo. And Blayne, who is probably insane (hence the rhyme) and used "girlicious" even more often than Christian Siriano used "fierce" (even more bizarrely, he used it in description of this outfit he created, which is probably the last thing I'd describe with that term, except maybe the thing that Jerry guy who got auf'd created). Maybe there ARE interesting people on this season... it's really all too much... you'll have to see for yourself (bravotv.com/projectrunway). And thanks to the teasers, I am SO looking forward to hearing Tim Gunn tell the designers, "Holla at ya boy." Oh Tim Gunn!
Monday, June 23, 2008
We Heart Summer
Summer is, undoubtedly, the time of year most people can't wait for and when hella fun things happen. With one of us just graduated from college, one of us preparing for her last year (hopefully) of graduate school, and another about to begin law school, we're all geared up for an amazing, wayward summer.
We're also having a really busy summer, which should explain the dearth of postings as of late. The Prince of Kabob and I just returned from a two-week visit to Egypt visiting our dear friend Hector Bouvier, where we dined on the Nile, gazed at objects of classical antiquity, strolled the lovely parks of Cairo and beaches of Alexandria, and sweated a whole damn lot. Thank goodness for San Francisco fog! Soon our very own al-Fallaha will be traveling again as well, this time making her way to rock the Balkans.
Lots of good stuff is happening on our home turf, too. One big thing we're looking forward to this summer is the fabulous, chic, fun Bibi party, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this Friday. Really, every wayward Middle Easterner and SWANA folk should be there!
Wayward Middle Eastern Girls love summer! Even the foggy San Francisco kind! See you out there... xo
We're also having a really busy summer, which should explain the dearth of postings as of late. The Prince of Kabob and I just returned from a two-week visit to Egypt visiting our dear friend Hector Bouvier, where we dined on the Nile, gazed at objects of classical antiquity, strolled the lovely parks of Cairo and beaches of Alexandria, and sweated a whole damn lot. Thank goodness for San Francisco fog! Soon our very own al-Fallaha will be traveling again as well, this time making her way to rock the Balkans.
Lots of good stuff is happening on our home turf, too. One big thing we're looking forward to this summer is the fabulous, chic, fun Bibi party, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this Friday. Really, every wayward Middle Easterner and SWANA folk should be there!
Wayward Middle Eastern Girls love summer! Even the foggy San Francisco kind! See you out there... xo
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Victimized? A Fashion Controversy
As if it wasn't bad enough that the keffiyeh has been warranting so much debate thanks to its inappropriate adoption by those who think Urban Outfitters invented the thing, Palestine is again making news in the fashion world due to the production of a this tee shirt (as featured on the Fashionista website) displaying the image of a Palestinian youth holding a gun with the word "Victimized" written below him. While Fashionista appears to dislike the shirt, as well as totally misunderstand its purpose (there's no explanation of "why it was intended to be funny or ironic" because it WASN'T, geniuses), Freshjive-- the company that created it-- has offered an eloquent, intelligent, and perfectly acceptable defense of the shirt and rationale for its production.
While I am very critical of Urban Outfitters (namely because their clothes are way overpriced and often way ugly, plus the keffiyeh issue of course), I am not surprised they sold the shirt, given their apparent habit of wrongly using Palestinian images and culture for capitalist purposes. I am also not surprised they pulled the shirt, as they obviously weren't selling it for political reasons (and clearly have no backbone). So of course, that fact is a source of annoyance. But the reason I have Freshjive's back on this issue is because this is not a matter of simple misappropriation. The company knew exactly what they were doing by making the shirt; it wasn't (only) a money thing. Rather, the shirt was created as a political statement, a part of the company's "The World's Got Problems" line in which true political issues facing the world today are brought into the open. As Rick, the owner of Freshjive, states in his defense, "is it not simply true that some Palestinian kids have become child soldiers due to the ongoing battle between Palestine and Israel?... Is it not simply true that some Palestinians and especially Palestinian children are victims of this terrible conflict?" Can't deny that.
Even more so, I have their back because of the criticism they have received for the shirt-- not just aesthetic (that people think it is ugly or in poor taste because it features an unfortunate truth) but political. People have actually complained that the shirt is, among other things, a "brutal, bloody, Jew-hating tee shirt." I am pretty sure, just by looking at the shirt, that there is no mention of Jews (or people of any religion or ethnicity other than Palestinian) on it, and that it claims no political opinion thereof; it simply states that Palestinian children have often been victimized as a result of the conflict in Palestine, as stated above. There's nothing else to it, and if you have to make that kind of leap to support your case, you don't have much of one-- and if you are so quick to label things as hateful or bigoted when they really aren't, you should probably examine why you need to be that defensive to begin with.
Personally, I like what the shirt is saying and the creator's reason for making it. I think anyone who wears it-- unlike the ubiquitous keffiyeh-usurpers-- knows what it means and knows why they are wearing it, which I support. While I do have to think that it might serve to objectify Palestinians even more so than they already are, I also appreciate the fact that a company is taking these risks to speak their opinions and speak the truth about what goes on in the world-- the things that people don't like to think about or admit.
While I am very critical of Urban Outfitters (namely because their clothes are way overpriced and often way ugly, plus the keffiyeh issue of course), I am not surprised they sold the shirt, given their apparent habit of wrongly using Palestinian images and culture for capitalist purposes. I am also not surprised they pulled the shirt, as they obviously weren't selling it for political reasons (and clearly have no backbone). So of course, that fact is a source of annoyance. But the reason I have Freshjive's back on this issue is because this is not a matter of simple misappropriation. The company knew exactly what they were doing by making the shirt; it wasn't (only) a money thing. Rather, the shirt was created as a political statement, a part of the company's "The World's Got Problems" line in which true political issues facing the world today are brought into the open. As Rick, the owner of Freshjive, states in his defense, "is it not simply true that some Palestinian kids have become child soldiers due to the ongoing battle between Palestine and Israel?... Is it not simply true that some Palestinians and especially Palestinian children are victims of this terrible conflict?" Can't deny that.
Even more so, I have their back because of the criticism they have received for the shirt-- not just aesthetic (that people think it is ugly or in poor taste because it features an unfortunate truth) but political. People have actually complained that the shirt is, among other things, a "brutal, bloody, Jew-hating tee shirt." I am pretty sure, just by looking at the shirt, that there is no mention of Jews (or people of any religion or ethnicity other than Palestinian) on it, and that it claims no political opinion thereof; it simply states that Palestinian children have often been victimized as a result of the conflict in Palestine, as stated above. There's nothing else to it, and if you have to make that kind of leap to support your case, you don't have much of one-- and if you are so quick to label things as hateful or bigoted when they really aren't, you should probably examine why you need to be that defensive to begin with.
Personally, I like what the shirt is saying and the creator's reason for making it. I think anyone who wears it-- unlike the ubiquitous keffiyeh-usurpers-- knows what it means and knows why they are wearing it, which I support. While I do have to think that it might serve to objectify Palestinians even more so than they already are, I also appreciate the fact that a company is taking these risks to speak their opinions and speak the truth about what goes on in the world-- the things that people don't like to think about or admit.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Al-Nakba Event in SF!
Bay Area people (or should I say, beble?), you MUST come to this event on Saturday May 10 in SF, recognizing 60 years of al-Nakba (the Disaster) in Palestine-- the destruction of homes, seizure of land, denial of existence, and, yes, apartheid state, for Palestinians. It is being organized in part by our very own hardworking Miss al-FallaHa, among others, and is going to be excellent. The entertainment features the amazing local soul-funk-hiphop band the Scribe Project, the lovely and talented DJ Emancipacion, NaR, Dam, and other hotness.
Here's the scoop from the organizers, plus the flyer. Remember, the event is FREE and close to BART and Muni. Yalla, come out!
Here's the scoop from the organizers, plus the flyer. Remember, the event is FREE and close to BART and Muni. Yalla, come out!
The Local Nakba Committee
and the Palestine Right to Return Coalition Present
Nakba-60, Palestine Peace and Solidarity Festival
MAY 10TH 2008, 12-6pm
CIVIC CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO
We invite you to commemorate 60 years of struggle and resistance on the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, Arabic for "catastrophe" and marks the expulsion, dispossession and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
Bring the family, and join us for a special day of resistance music, cultural and youth programs, Nakba tent/art, Dabka, local solidarity groups and more! Meet survivors from 1948, and learn about the tragedy, while listening to Palestinian and Native American elders recount their experiences. Childcare assistance will be provided on-site.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Artists:
Dam, featuring Abeer – see: www.dampalestine.com
Shadia Mansour: http://profile.myspace.com
Fred Wreck
Ras Ceylon
Arab Summit: Narcicyst, Excentrik, Omar Offendum, Ragtop
Scribe Project
Rebel Diaz
Special performances by: Boots Riley, NaR, Mamaz, Kiwi, Polikal Heat, Rithmatik, Patriarch, and DJ Emancipacion - with MC's: Noura Erakat and Maysoon Ziyad.
We need your support!
Please donate what you can! Make your tax-deductible donation payable to 'Palestine Right to Return Coalition' or "PRRC/Palestine Solidarity" and mail to:
Local Nakba Committee (LNC)
PO Box #668
2425 Channing Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
To donate online: go to: www.al-awda.org, and please make sure to include 'Nakba-60, Palestine Solidarity Festival in the notes, or to the Facebook cause titled "Nakba-60, FREE Palestine Peace & Solidarity Festival".
A special thank you to event partners: Al-Awda, Arab Resource & Organizing Center, Middle East Children's Alliance, American Indian Movement, International Jewish Solidarity Network
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