Globalization: Denied
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Karan Johar has been shooting his highly anticipated film, My Name is Khan, in LA for the past couple of weeks. The film, starring SRK and Kajol, tracks the experience of a young Muslim couple living in the US during 9/11/01.
I'm not sure why they're shooting in LA...I'm pretty sure I read the movie takes place in NYC. Meh.
Either way, the film costars Aamir Bashir. Aamir is Muslim. Uninportant...unless you're trying to get into the US. Aamir was denied a US visa to come shoot for the film for no good reason. This is crazy. Read more here: Muslim movie star denied access to film for Karan Johar's film
Dropping the F bomb
Currently Reading: Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers
Feminism is something I think about a lot. I first started composing this blog entry in my head while I was sitting alone in my friend's apartment while he dropped some friends off. After a wonderful evening with my friends was over, I was suddenly hit with an intense feeling of, well, loneliness.
This is something I have gotten used to. The random attacks, not the feeling. But the fact still exists that, even though it happens intermittently...the feeling is still there. Sometimes it's a fleeting thought, sometimes it turns into an all out emo show.
Usually (and this is no different) it somehow revolves around the fact that I haven't really had a romantic relationship. I know I'm not alone in this, and I don't want to pretend that I am. But- it's relevant to the point I'm going to make.
When I start to feel in the doldrums about my lack of dating experience, I always somehow justify it by telling myself that I am a strong, independent woman and that I do not need someone else to feel validated.
That's what I kind of thought earlier.
But I thought about it further. I don't agree with this. For me (and I stress, this is my own experience), being "strong and independent", whatever that means, doesn't cure loneliness. Sure, I can blame being socialized and blah blah blah, but it's biological too. Humans are social creatures. There's something to be said for that and for the need of having a monogamous relationship/starting a life with someone else.
I take pride in the fact that I can think for myself, make decisions on my own, etc. etc. But women who are in relationships can do that too. Why aren't they "strong" in the same way that single women are labeled? I don't understand it.
At the end of the day, I don't think that I take as much pride in being "independent" as I feel I'm supposed to. I believe there is something really beautiful about making yourself vulnerable to certain situations. What's life without that?
Also, why the hell are women being taught that "you dont need a partner to survive". I know that's true, but why are women who WANT a partner being viewed as compromising? That's a ridiculous double standard- men who marry are not viewed as any less manly than men who pursue a bachelor life. But that rant is for another day.
Of course, now my biggest worry is that I've spent the last 21 years - and still continue to- building up resistances to making myself vulnerable. I'm a victim of unrequited whatever (its never love, i refuse to believe that) for my entire life. I'm starting to feel the effects of it.
So, what do you think? What are your opinions on how "single" is viewed/interpreted/embodied? Independence? And, most importantly, does the song "Miss Independent" by Ne-Yo make you swoon, but "Single Ladies" by Beyonce make you want to tear your hair out? It does for me.
India's 9/11? aka wtfrk, media.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Quick plug to Rupa's coverage of the Mumbai attacks over at New American Media.
The events of last week are NOT India's 9/11. First of all, I think it cheapens the impact of what happened in Mumbai to compare it to something that happened in the United States- it's kind of an extreme case of cultural appropriation. This is India's tragedy and their experience needs to be heard and documented. Biju Mathew's article in Samar magazine highlights some of the unsung heroes whose faces will never be seen on our side of the world.
The shock in India is very different than what we felt in the US 7 years ago. Incidents of terrorism have happened in Mumbai before. In the past few years, there have been at least two train bombings and I'm sure theres many more that I don't know about. What we've been hearing from India is frustration, exhaustion, and disappointment.
The Western media is the one emphasizing shock. This is the first time "we're" hearing about things like this happening in Mumbai, and the only reason we're hearing about it is because they were "targeting Americans". Yeah, that was part of it. But what about the Indian citizens that died. We can't forget about them. We mustn't.
I wonder what it means that we're so desensitized to the violence in the middle east that nobody cares about the day-to-day terror there, and that the world comes to a standstill when the "terrorists" strike somewhere "new".
I have another huge gripe about the way media handled the situation. Folks, we still don't have any confirmation that they were Muslim or Pakistani. The constant riots in Gujurat prove that terrorists don't have to come externally from India. There's plenty of people IN India who insist on keeping the option open that these people were Indian citizens.
Also, why the hell does Western media automatically assume that this has to do with Kashmir? I think it's pretty ignorant that that's the only speculation I heard about these attacks. It seems that the possibility that these terrorists were not a.) Muslim and b.) Pakistani was not even considered by these so-called reporters/scholars. Anyone who follows world news knows that the Kashmir conflict has never reached such extreme levels as to arrange such a highly organized hostage situation. That's outrageous.
Overall, I'm just really disappointed about the way this situation was handled in the mainstream media in the US. They managed to take a situation that was very uniquely Indian and turn it into a uniquely American issue without actually hearing out what Indian people and government had to say about it.
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