When speaking or thinking about unparalleled human atrocity against fellow human beings in the twentieth century, the names of three people instantly come to mind. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. While for the most part Hitler and Stalin have found their rightful place in history, Mao continues to be revered and celebrated in China as a leader unsurpassed. The 60th anniversary celebrations that took place on October 1st - orchestrated to a jaw dropping gaudy spectacle - showed the Communist Party come of age, by wiping and reshaping its dirty past and consolidating its grip over a new generation with the seductive promise of capitalism.
The 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples Republic of China were very tightly managed. Only a select 30,000 were invited to see it in person, the rest were ordered to stay home and watch it on TV. All dissidents were arrested a few days before the event and media access was closely monitored. Apart from the impressive and wasteful fireworks display reminiscent of the recent Olympic orgy, Tiananmen Square looked more like North Korea than China. Military hardware was on glorious display, soldiers by the thousands marched in impeccable symmetry and hordes of carefully picked Chinese men, women and children sang nationalist songs as they marched down the boulevard in unison. The cult of personality of the party bosses and its past leaders was on full display, as gigantic portraits of Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Jiang Zemin and others were paraded on floats. It seemed like there was a deliberate attempt to hark back to the glory days, to send a message that the Communist Party was still in charge and stronger than ever.
What was obviously missing were solemn pauses for the lives lost during the Communist Party’s rise to power — not for the estimated tens of millions who died during the civil war, nor the millions of landlords, Nationalist sympathizers and other perceived enemies who were exterminated during Mao’s drive to consolidate power. Not for the siege at Changchun where an estimated 160,000 civilians were deliberately starved to death by Mao's army. The 40,000 who survived did so by eating insects, leather belts and, in some cases, the bodies that littered the streets. And of course no mark of respect for the countless who died during the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square uprising. This incident has so successfully been wiped out of the Chinese consciousness that if one were to google the words " Tiananmen Square" in China, just a few images of the landmark would sift through while outside China all you would see are countless images of the anonymous brave lone man standing in front of a convoy of tanks.
History is always written by the victors for the victors, and often the vanquished are committed to oblivion. In the case of China a whole generation's memory has been successfully conditioned through censorship, to forget the moments in its recent history that truly made its red flag red with blood.
It is hard to believe that just twenty years ago one would risk severe punishment if not seen wearing a Moa suit. Today a few in China can afford to wear Gucci, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana. No country on earth has seen such a monumental change, in such a short time. At the same time somethings have not changed at all. China still puts more people to death than any nation in the world. Political dissent is not tolerated and human rights are ignored by giving enough of its people a chance to wear a western suit and a tie.
China will soon be the planets second largest economy and will solidify its unshakable influence on the globe and the Communist Party of China will take credit for it. So for this 60th celebration China showed its might by virtually controlling the weather. Clouds were artificially seeded and banished giving way to blue skies, the high command would not have it any other way. Rain was forbidden. As a sign of the times even the Empire State building in New York city, the erstwhile center of capitalism, turned its lights red on this day. It is what it is.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
You Lie!
September 7, 2003 a president stood at a podium, facing a room full of "distinguished gentlemen" and spoke the greatest lie ever spoken. Nobody shouted "you lie!", nobody showed disrespect by waving pamphlets and placards of protest, nobody asked how would we pay for it. The result, nations were dragged into war, countless innocent paid with their lives and a people were morally and financially bankrupt in the eyes of the world.
Six years later another president stands at that same podium and makes a speech, hoping to bring that same group of "distinguished gentlemen" to fix something that is broken to the core. He attempts to bring to the people of a so called "wealthy nation" health care that works for all and not a few. Quality care that everyone is entitled to as a human right. He attempts to unite the congress to work for a common good. He is heckled, shouted at, called a liar, socialist, Marxist, fascist, communist, terrorist and is compared by the right wing to the most hated man in history, Hitler. Never in the history of the United States has a president been heckled during a speech to the congress. This is a new dark stain and a sign of the times that will be recorded for posterity.
We have seen images on TV of absolute chaos and pandemonium on the assembly floor of South Korea, India, Iraq and other nations where congressmen come close to fist fights, smash furniture and show disrespect to their office. Now the United States has joined those ranks. In a vote 240 to 179, the House of Representatives officially rebuked Republican Joe Wilson for disgracing the office of the president by calling him out in the middle of his speech to the nation. The unfortunate aspect of that vote is that 179 members of congress did not find Joe Wilson's action objectionable. He got away with a slap on his wrist when he should have been firmly censured. The dignity of the congress which as it is, is at an all time low, has now fallen even further.
In a recent interview president Jimmy Carter acknowledged that the reason we are seeing such outbursts and rising opposition to President Obama and his policies is because he is not white. The color of his skin is causing deep seeded racism to surface in ways never seen before. His eloquence, intellect, dignity and poise is falling by the wayside for many, just because he is half black. Imagine what would have happened if he was full black.
The fact of the matter is that in politics, which is mostly "poli-tricks", the people are habitually lied to by their leaders. Be it Obama, Bush or Kennedy. In retrospect one has to gauge the impact of those lies and the larger context they were framed under. There is a lot to disagree, debate and discuss about what a president proposes. But to instinctively respond due to deep seeded prejudice is deplorable.
The right wing everywhere operates on the fringe. This time around the Republican party has been hijacked by the fringe as they see no other way to mount an opposition against a popular president. This in no means is a recent trend. Truman faced it from Senator Joseph McCarthy, Kennedy faced it from the religious right and Clinton faced it as they tried to pin the murder of Vince Foster on him, when in fact he had committed suicide. To understand how the right wing operates in America today, it is worth reading Max Blumenthal's carefully researched book Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party. He makes a crystal clear analysis of how the Republican party has transformed from being the "big tent party" to an entity that embodies only virtues of extremism, much like any fundamentalist group out there. He also talks about how radio disc jockeys and media ideologues like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity are deliberately painting the current president in a certain light, in order to serve the agenda of the extreme right.
As the battle lines are drawn in the murky world of politics and media, one thing is for sure, lies are transparent and can be concealed and camouflaged only for so long. Public display of one's prejudice is tolerated only by a few. And you cannot shape public debate on policy via deceit and deception. You have to come clean. It is what it is.
Six years later another president stands at that same podium and makes a speech, hoping to bring that same group of "distinguished gentlemen" to fix something that is broken to the core. He attempts to bring to the people of a so called "wealthy nation" health care that works for all and not a few. Quality care that everyone is entitled to as a human right. He attempts to unite the congress to work for a common good. He is heckled, shouted at, called a liar, socialist, Marxist, fascist, communist, terrorist and is compared by the right wing to the most hated man in history, Hitler. Never in the history of the United States has a president been heckled during a speech to the congress. This is a new dark stain and a sign of the times that will be recorded for posterity.
We have seen images on TV of absolute chaos and pandemonium on the assembly floor of South Korea, India, Iraq and other nations where congressmen come close to fist fights, smash furniture and show disrespect to their office. Now the United States has joined those ranks. In a vote 240 to 179, the House of Representatives officially rebuked Republican Joe Wilson for disgracing the office of the president by calling him out in the middle of his speech to the nation. The unfortunate aspect of that vote is that 179 members of congress did not find Joe Wilson's action objectionable. He got away with a slap on his wrist when he should have been firmly censured. The dignity of the congress which as it is, is at an all time low, has now fallen even further.
In a recent interview president Jimmy Carter acknowledged that the reason we are seeing such outbursts and rising opposition to President Obama and his policies is because he is not white. The color of his skin is causing deep seeded racism to surface in ways never seen before. His eloquence, intellect, dignity and poise is falling by the wayside for many, just because he is half black. Imagine what would have happened if he was full black.
The fact of the matter is that in politics, which is mostly "poli-tricks", the people are habitually lied to by their leaders. Be it Obama, Bush or Kennedy. In retrospect one has to gauge the impact of those lies and the larger context they were framed under. There is a lot to disagree, debate and discuss about what a president proposes. But to instinctively respond due to deep seeded prejudice is deplorable.
The right wing everywhere operates on the fringe. This time around the Republican party has been hijacked by the fringe as they see no other way to mount an opposition against a popular president. This in no means is a recent trend. Truman faced it from Senator Joseph McCarthy, Kennedy faced it from the religious right and Clinton faced it as they tried to pin the murder of Vince Foster on him, when in fact he had committed suicide. To understand how the right wing operates in America today, it is worth reading Max Blumenthal's carefully researched book Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party. He makes a crystal clear analysis of how the Republican party has transformed from being the "big tent party" to an entity that embodies only virtues of extremism, much like any fundamentalist group out there. He also talks about how radio disc jockeys and media ideologues like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity are deliberately painting the current president in a certain light, in order to serve the agenda of the extreme right.
As the battle lines are drawn in the murky world of politics and media, one thing is for sure, lies are transparent and can be concealed and camouflaged only for so long. Public display of one's prejudice is tolerated only by a few. And you cannot shape public debate on policy via deceit and deception. You have to come clean. It is what it is.
Friday, September 11, 2009
9/11
It is that time of the year when we in New York look to the sky and remember that ill fated morning. A moment in time etched onto every New Yorker's being, like a hot brand seared onto the skin of an animal.
Today "nine-eleven" has become just a phrase which is often used and abused to define a turning point in the time line of our recent existence. An endless amount has been said about how the world changed since that September day in New York. Wars ignited, countless killed and incarcerated, countries turned into fortresses and a heightened mistrust of the other growing all over the world. Instead of revealing my thoughts about the obvious, I thought I would share my 9/11 story. A memorial to my memory. Here it is.
LOOKING FOR TWINS, AGE 28
September 11th 2001 6:30 AM: my plane took flight from Hancock Airport, Syracuse, on the dot. The previous night I was restless and stayed up flipping through mindless television until 2 AM. I was awake by 5 AM to catch my flight. As the Airbus soared over the clouds there was a sense of peace. The golden sun shone on the silver wings as the plane swayed to the left to go down on JFK airport. There in the far distance I saw the monolithic twins jutting out of the concrete jungle, bold indestructible and timeless. The sky was clear as far as I could see and below me the Atlantic’s ripples shone, speckled with boats leaving ribbons of surf. We touched down at 7:30 AM and within no time I was in a yellow taxi stuck in the middle of Atlantic avenue with the morning traffic reminding me I was back in chaotic, polluted, beautiful Brooklyn. There was still that sense of peace from being in the air and life seemed normal on the ground. By the time I completed my mildly frustrating taxi ride and rang the doorbell it was 8:15 AM and she was surprised to see me back home early. I wanted to surprise her and kept my arrival a secret. I had chosen the right day for it. My three-year-old daughter was delighted to see me. The lack of sleep was taking its toll; I was groggy and irritated. It was time for my daughter’s daily chariot ride to school. As I bent down to tie her shoelaces we heard a loud bang. She remarked, "Daddy I hear thunder" I said it must be a balloon popping. That was the first airborne missile made of jet fuel and bodies smashing into one of the twins. Having ignored the sound, the two of us started our routine journey to school. As we came out of the gate George, my friend from across the street stuck his head out of his window announcing that a plane had crashed into the twin towers. For a moment I was worried, but then I thought it must be an unfortunate accident, a Cessna must have lost its bearings.
As I reached the end of my street, I could sense there was something wrong. When I looked up at the sky, there it was the hideous remains of dead souls in the form of thick black murky smoke. All heads around me were looking skyward and I was walking in a rush unaware of the scale of the events to follow. A young lady walked up to me and said another plane had just crashed into the towers. I thought to myself "why is she telling me this?" When I looked around I noticed strangers talking to each other. I thought, "well, there goes the rumor factory." As we crossed Flatbush Avenue the city was already screaming of sirens. But when I saw an army of fire engines charge past me- that’s when I knew there was something seriously wrong.
We moved along and made our way to school. There was palpable tension in the air but nobody knew where it was coming from. As usual I led her into her classroom, packed away her stroller, and headed home. As I reached the main street, the chaos was tangible. Minutes later the New York skyline was engulfed in a thick gigantic white cloud, and I was back in no time to pick up my daughter from school. On our way back we saw streams of people covered in white powder pouring into Brooklyn. They walked like an army of zombies with their Kabuki faces expression less and dumb struck. In my mind they were walking in slow motion. They had seen the twins fall. Everybody else saw it on TV over and over again, but what I saw in their eyes was death, and what I saw on TV was concrete.
September 11th 2002; it’s a year since I flew from Syracuse, and I have seen the planes on TV go into the towers countless times from every angle possible. Much to the credit of the camera savvy American public. And every time I see it, there is no telling what goes through my being. As my train crossed the Manhattan Bridge today, meandering into the great metropolis, I took a moment to gaze in the direction where the twins once stood. I could not help but see the planes on their hellish journey once more in my mind.
9-11-2002 was a magical day much like the day I flew from Syracuse: clear blue sky, the balmy sun shining high in the sky. But this time there was a bright white cloud hanging over downtown. It was as if three thousand doves were looking down in reflection on a large hole surrounded by tall buildings a place where they once worked. Trailing behind the large white cloud were other smaller clouds forming a trail exactly in the direction the black smoke blew on that grisly day. Now all that remained was a large field of empty earth - a painful reminder of people dying saving people, people being vaporized into thin air in an orange mushroom and people jumping through blown out windows in hopes of flight. As we all watched the concrete fountain come crashing down, did anybody see faces of the three thousand or so reported missing? They said they were able to find the remains of only sixty people, where did the rest go? They all looked down today from that white cloud, as President Bush shook hands with their loved ones around a sacred circle of flowers. As tears came down their faces and as children tried to make sense of the gathering, the moment was lost in a media haze, as the shaking hands and the ritual took precedence. Then came speeches of patriotism, revenge and resolve.
Today "nine-eleven" has become just a phrase which is often used and abused to define a turning point in the time line of our recent existence. An endless amount has been said about how the world changed since that September day in New York. Wars ignited, countless killed and incarcerated, countries turned into fortresses and a heightened mistrust of the other growing all over the world. Instead of revealing my thoughts about the obvious, I thought I would share my 9/11 story. A memorial to my memory. Here it is.
LOOKING FOR TWINS, AGE 28
September 11th 2001 6:30 AM: my plane took flight from Hancock Airport, Syracuse, on the dot. The previous night I was restless and stayed up flipping through mindless television until 2 AM. I was awake by 5 AM to catch my flight. As the Airbus soared over the clouds there was a sense of peace. The golden sun shone on the silver wings as the plane swayed to the left to go down on JFK airport. There in the far distance I saw the monolithic twins jutting out of the concrete jungle, bold indestructible and timeless. The sky was clear as far as I could see and below me the Atlantic’s ripples shone, speckled with boats leaving ribbons of surf. We touched down at 7:30 AM and within no time I was in a yellow taxi stuck in the middle of Atlantic avenue with the morning traffic reminding me I was back in chaotic, polluted, beautiful Brooklyn. There was still that sense of peace from being in the air and life seemed normal on the ground. By the time I completed my mildly frustrating taxi ride and rang the doorbell it was 8:15 AM and she was surprised to see me back home early. I wanted to surprise her and kept my arrival a secret. I had chosen the right day for it. My three-year-old daughter was delighted to see me. The lack of sleep was taking its toll; I was groggy and irritated. It was time for my daughter’s daily chariot ride to school. As I bent down to tie her shoelaces we heard a loud bang. She remarked, "Daddy I hear thunder" I said it must be a balloon popping. That was the first airborne missile made of jet fuel and bodies smashing into one of the twins. Having ignored the sound, the two of us started our routine journey to school. As we came out of the gate George, my friend from across the street stuck his head out of his window announcing that a plane had crashed into the twin towers. For a moment I was worried, but then I thought it must be an unfortunate accident, a Cessna must have lost its bearings.
As I reached the end of my street, I could sense there was something wrong. When I looked up at the sky, there it was the hideous remains of dead souls in the form of thick black murky smoke. All heads around me were looking skyward and I was walking in a rush unaware of the scale of the events to follow. A young lady walked up to me and said another plane had just crashed into the towers. I thought to myself "why is she telling me this?" When I looked around I noticed strangers talking to each other. I thought, "well, there goes the rumor factory." As we crossed Flatbush Avenue the city was already screaming of sirens. But when I saw an army of fire engines charge past me- that’s when I knew there was something seriously wrong.
We moved along and made our way to school. There was palpable tension in the air but nobody knew where it was coming from. As usual I led her into her classroom, packed away her stroller, and headed home. As I reached the main street, the chaos was tangible. Minutes later the New York skyline was engulfed in a thick gigantic white cloud, and I was back in no time to pick up my daughter from school. On our way back we saw streams of people covered in white powder pouring into Brooklyn. They walked like an army of zombies with their Kabuki faces expression less and dumb struck. In my mind they were walking in slow motion. They had seen the twins fall. Everybody else saw it on TV over and over again, but what I saw in their eyes was death, and what I saw on TV was concrete.
September 11th 2002; it’s a year since I flew from Syracuse, and I have seen the planes on TV go into the towers countless times from every angle possible. Much to the credit of the camera savvy American public. And every time I see it, there is no telling what goes through my being. As my train crossed the Manhattan Bridge today, meandering into the great metropolis, I took a moment to gaze in the direction where the twins once stood. I could not help but see the planes on their hellish journey once more in my mind.
9-11-2002 was a magical day much like the day I flew from Syracuse: clear blue sky, the balmy sun shining high in the sky. But this time there was a bright white cloud hanging over downtown. It was as if three thousand doves were looking down in reflection on a large hole surrounded by tall buildings a place where they once worked. Trailing behind the large white cloud were other smaller clouds forming a trail exactly in the direction the black smoke blew on that grisly day. Now all that remained was a large field of empty earth - a painful reminder of people dying saving people, people being vaporized into thin air in an orange mushroom and people jumping through blown out windows in hopes of flight. As we all watched the concrete fountain come crashing down, did anybody see faces of the three thousand or so reported missing? They said they were able to find the remains of only sixty people, where did the rest go? They all looked down today from that white cloud, as President Bush shook hands with their loved ones around a sacred circle of flowers. As tears came down their faces and as children tried to make sense of the gathering, the moment was lost in a media haze, as the shaking hands and the ritual took precedence. Then came speeches of patriotism, revenge and resolve.
And then came the war. It is what it is.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
War is Peace
It did not take a war, economic sanctions or diplomatic isolation to bring a reprehensible regime to its knees. It took a man to spend a lifetime in prison. "The struggle is my life", said Nelson Mandela as he fought quietly. Famous words that are not to be taken lightly, as that is what makes people prevail against all adversity. As Aung Sung Su Kyi goes back to her prison home with her elegance and dignity intact, she follows in the footsteps of Gandhi, Mandela and King. Her penance is the only thing that will break the monsters back and set the Burmese free. The world is too preoccupied to see her plight. While China and India prop up the military junta in utter shame, as America and Britain propped up Botha's South Africa, it is her humanity that will rise up to steal the thunder. And then everyone will rush to garland and celebrate her with pomp and song. But for now we wait, hoping she will conquer death and desolation. It is what it is.
Why does war come to those who have nothing? Why does war rain down on only the poor, disenfranchised and the miserable? Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Darfur, Iraq, Congo no matter where you turn, all you see are images of people who have nothing, now having to contend with bullets, mortars and drones. Running with their only possessions, their life and their children. The searing image of naked napalm burned children running down a tar road in agony, sent chills through the compassionate, bringing the Vietnam war to an end. Images of children in bandages are a common occurrence now, but it does not seem to do anything to a world desensitized to numbness.
While we sit in our arm-chairs professing about bringing wars to an end it becomes clear that like racism, regionalism and colonialism, war is an integral aspect of humanity. Ever since the World Wars ended and the United Nations was created to stop wars, there has never been a single moment in earth's history, when wars were not waged in some shape or form on its surface. It is clear that as an institution the United Nations is a miserable failure. It is a political and bureaucratic organization like any that feeds on itself. Decisions are made by a select group of nations who violate every principle there is of peace and democracy. It is time to abolish the United Nations or restructure it so it works. It has become a fat pig which gets very little done in the face of crisis after crisis facing the globe.
War is the most depraved economic engine that prospers one nation while decimating another. There will always be war maiming and killing people as long as it provides jobs and industry. There is no such thing as a "just war" there is only a "cost war". Some Taliban fighters bear arms as it provides a livelihood. A man gets into his car in an American suburb to go build a fighter jet or a nuclear bomb, as it provides him a means to buy another car. How are they any different? It is what it is.
Why does war come to those who have nothing? Why does war rain down on only the poor, disenfranchised and the miserable? Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Darfur, Iraq, Congo no matter where you turn, all you see are images of people who have nothing, now having to contend with bullets, mortars and drones. Running with their only possessions, their life and their children. The searing image of naked napalm burned children running down a tar road in agony, sent chills through the compassionate, bringing the Vietnam war to an end. Images of children in bandages are a common occurrence now, but it does not seem to do anything to a world desensitized to numbness.
While we sit in our arm-chairs professing about bringing wars to an end it becomes clear that like racism, regionalism and colonialism, war is an integral aspect of humanity. Ever since the World Wars ended and the United Nations was created to stop wars, there has never been a single moment in earth's history, when wars were not waged in some shape or form on its surface. It is clear that as an institution the United Nations is a miserable failure. It is a political and bureaucratic organization like any that feeds on itself. Decisions are made by a select group of nations who violate every principle there is of peace and democracy. It is time to abolish the United Nations or restructure it so it works. It has become a fat pig which gets very little done in the face of crisis after crisis facing the globe.
War is the most depraved economic engine that prospers one nation while decimating another. There will always be war maiming and killing people as long as it provides jobs and industry. There is no such thing as a "just war" there is only a "cost war". Some Taliban fighters bear arms as it provides a livelihood. A man gets into his car in an American suburb to go build a fighter jet or a nuclear bomb, as it provides him a means to buy another car. How are they any different? It is what it is.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
My name is Khan. So what?
On August 14th, an Indian movie actor named Shahrukh Khan was pulled aside by immigration officials at Newark Airport, in New Jersey. He was detained for ninety minutes and then let go. This common occurrence that happens to many travelers from all parts of the world at airports across America, became an international incident. Primarily because Shahrukh Khan is a Bollywood actor with a huge following and expected airport security officials to be his fans as well.
Ever since 19 mad men flew airplanes into buildings the world has been turned upside down and people have come to accept it as a fact of life. Secondary immigration checks at airports have become routine. Initially Shahrukh Khan alleged he was singled out because his name indicated he was a Muslim. Just a few months ago parents of a relative of mine, who are in their late seventies, were subjected to this same ordeal at a Seattle airport. They never made it to the news. The only thing they shared with Shahrukh Khan, was their Indian origin.
During his ninety minute ordeal, Shahrukh Khan with a single text message was able to activate the Indian government to come to his rescue. The Indian embassy in New York was alerted instantly about this incident and it was dealt with at the highest levels with a complaint officially lodged. Back in India, two government ministers reacted with anger stating “We will take up the issue with the United States government strongly. Such incidents involving Indians due to their religion or nationality should not happen ... we will not accept it.” There were many other angry protests from movie stars and everyone else who wanted to be heard. The Indian and American news media generously made room for this story, even John Stewart on The Daily Show devoted a whole segment. Shahrukh Khan had more to gain from this than lose. His name was now known across America. Even his blockbuster movies could not achieve this feat. If this was a publicity stunt, it was a gigantic success. His trip to the US in part, was to promote his new film My name is Khan which incidentally is about a Muslim man persecuted in post 9/11 America.
In the past many Indian movie stars and dignitaries have been subjected to treatment at the airports which in their mind they did not deserve because they were special. Even the former Indian President was frisked at the Delhi airport by the Continental Airline staff, causing an uproar. Anyone detained at airports feels the same. They always feel they have been singled out. The fact of the matter is we live in a world where shoes and belts have to come off before you board a plane. Its as simple as that. No matter who you are, you can be singled out for further questioning. There is no special pass that will get you past this line. And even though its overkill, I don't think anyone would like to take the slightest chance at 31,000 feet cruising altitude.
And why in our culture do we give movie actors so much importance, that they demand to be treated differently? Relentlessly their images are driven into our subconscious via pornographic billboards, magazines, gossip columns and the insatiable and infinite television/internet machine. Yes they have the talent to do things in front of a camera which most people wont. Mostly because they are exhibitionists by nature and for that reason alone they get paid more than they deserve. They shake their hips, lip sync to songs they don't sing, disrobe under bright lights and kill and maim people all in the service of entertainment. Sure that requires talent, talent to be schizophrenic without being schizophrenic. But for that, should they be held in such high esteem? And should they represent the United Nations like some Hollywood actors do? Yes good acting is a talent. It is an art-form. A craft that needs to be honed to draw people into a fictitious world so they can forget the real one. That is all it is. The glamor and glitter is hogwash, a wrapping made to conceal flaws. Deifying mortals for the way they look and the expensive pretend games they play, is sheer insanity.
If people think they are "stars" or "celebrities" (what ever that means) they have to realize that they are nothing more than members of the "meat market". The market that drives and pimps them for profits. The only stars that exist are the ones in the night sky. So lets not give Shahrukh Khan or Tom Cruise more than what they deserve. An occasional space on our television and movie screens and in our dinner conversations. Which are as disposable as cheap wine and chewing gum. It is what is.
Ever since 19 mad men flew airplanes into buildings the world has been turned upside down and people have come to accept it as a fact of life. Secondary immigration checks at airports have become routine. Initially Shahrukh Khan alleged he was singled out because his name indicated he was a Muslim. Just a few months ago parents of a relative of mine, who are in their late seventies, were subjected to this same ordeal at a Seattle airport. They never made it to the news. The only thing they shared with Shahrukh Khan, was their Indian origin.
During his ninety minute ordeal, Shahrukh Khan with a single text message was able to activate the Indian government to come to his rescue. The Indian embassy in New York was alerted instantly about this incident and it was dealt with at the highest levels with a complaint officially lodged. Back in India, two government ministers reacted with anger stating “We will take up the issue with the United States government strongly. Such incidents involving Indians due to their religion or nationality should not happen ... we will not accept it.” There were many other angry protests from movie stars and everyone else who wanted to be heard. The Indian and American news media generously made room for this story, even John Stewart on The Daily Show devoted a whole segment. Shahrukh Khan had more to gain from this than lose. His name was now known across America. Even his blockbuster movies could not achieve this feat. If this was a publicity stunt, it was a gigantic success. His trip to the US in part, was to promote his new film My name is Khan which incidentally is about a Muslim man persecuted in post 9/11 America.
In the past many Indian movie stars and dignitaries have been subjected to treatment at the airports which in their mind they did not deserve because they were special. Even the former Indian President was frisked at the Delhi airport by the Continental Airline staff, causing an uproar. Anyone detained at airports feels the same. They always feel they have been singled out. The fact of the matter is we live in a world where shoes and belts have to come off before you board a plane. Its as simple as that. No matter who you are, you can be singled out for further questioning. There is no special pass that will get you past this line. And even though its overkill, I don't think anyone would like to take the slightest chance at 31,000 feet cruising altitude.
And why in our culture do we give movie actors so much importance, that they demand to be treated differently? Relentlessly their images are driven into our subconscious via pornographic billboards, magazines, gossip columns and the insatiable and infinite television/internet machine. Yes they have the talent to do things in front of a camera which most people wont. Mostly because they are exhibitionists by nature and for that reason alone they get paid more than they deserve. They shake their hips, lip sync to songs they don't sing, disrobe under bright lights and kill and maim people all in the service of entertainment. Sure that requires talent, talent to be schizophrenic without being schizophrenic. But for that, should they be held in such high esteem? And should they represent the United Nations like some Hollywood actors do? Yes good acting is a talent. It is an art-form. A craft that needs to be honed to draw people into a fictitious world so they can forget the real one. That is all it is. The glamor and glitter is hogwash, a wrapping made to conceal flaws. Deifying mortals for the way they look and the expensive pretend games they play, is sheer insanity.
If people think they are "stars" or "celebrities" (what ever that means) they have to realize that they are nothing more than members of the "meat market". The market that drives and pimps them for profits. The only stars that exist are the ones in the night sky. So lets not give Shahrukh Khan or Tom Cruise more than what they deserve. An occasional space on our television and movie screens and in our dinner conversations. Which are as disposable as cheap wine and chewing gum. It is what is.
Friday, July 31, 2009
When is it racisim?
On my break from New York city, in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, I was on my bicycle going uphill on an empty sidewalk which doubled for a bike lane. The manicured green and the gray and beige of prefab houses surrounded me, as I enjoyed the fresh breeze against my chest giving me a work out.
A loud honk from a car behind me broke my mood violently. The next moment, I saw a young white boy with a boorish face sticking out of the front window of his car up to his waist glaringly showing me the finger. Before I could respond the car was out of sight over the hill leaving me to wonder what this unprovoked action was all about.
In the early 90's I had experienced my fair share of racism as a foreign graduate student at Bowling Green, Ohio. So my only conclusion, here I was again in the mid-west and here was another one to add to my list.
While this incident could have been a random biased prank by an ignorant teenager or a frat boy, being on the receiving end, I could not take it any other way. And there in lies the problem.
Racism is like pornography. You know it when you see it.
Racism in all its forms is a global phenomenon, a product of man's tribal nature. In America we have been trying to move beyond it since the civil rights movement brought about desegregation. The laws have brought us a long way forward, but as a people we still have miles to go.
Most people I passed by in Minneapolis smiled or said hello and were generally courteous. But this one incident left a deep scar. While many in this country put up a front of not being racist as that is what is expected of a law abiding civil society, what lies beneath and how it manifests itself is any ones guess.
Every now and then racism and ignorance surface in the form of patronizing behavior or as in this case just plain insensitive stupidity.
In this stolen nation of ours there is no singular creed or breed that owns anything. If power is to be measured by strength in numbers and economic prowess, so be it.
But what defines America's true nature is that anyone can lay claim to this land as long as you abide by the laws and respect your neighbor. That's what makes this place special and like no other on the planet. And so to feel superior by the color of ones skin or creed and have disdain for another, is nothing but folly.
With Obama's election there is at least a sense that we are living in a post racial America. And that is true for people who want to derive strength from it and celebrate the true essence of this land and its people. And for those who want to live in the past, there is no shortage of Limbaughs, Savages, O'Rileys and Hannity's to rally around.
When Obama used the word "stupid" in response to the policeman's action in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he found himself in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. The White House beer fest was effective damage control to calm the nerves of a nation that had been incessantly buzzing with debate over the incident.
But the true "teachable moment" coming out of all this I would hope would be that since the president had weighed in, the policemen around the country would respond in a more responsible way when dealing with people of "color" and hopefully the people on the receiving end would "cut the policemen some slack".
Given the way of the world and the people at the receiving end the latter would be harder to come by.
As for me, I am willing to accept ignorance but there is no place for intolerance, not here not anywhere.
It is what it is.
A loud honk from a car behind me broke my mood violently. The next moment, I saw a young white boy with a boorish face sticking out of the front window of his car up to his waist glaringly showing me the finger. Before I could respond the car was out of sight over the hill leaving me to wonder what this unprovoked action was all about.
In the early 90's I had experienced my fair share of racism as a foreign graduate student at Bowling Green, Ohio. So my only conclusion, here I was again in the mid-west and here was another one to add to my list.
While this incident could have been a random biased prank by an ignorant teenager or a frat boy, being on the receiving end, I could not take it any other way. And there in lies the problem.
Racism is like pornography. You know it when you see it.
Racism in all its forms is a global phenomenon, a product of man's tribal nature. In America we have been trying to move beyond it since the civil rights movement brought about desegregation. The laws have brought us a long way forward, but as a people we still have miles to go.
Most people I passed by in Minneapolis smiled or said hello and were generally courteous. But this one incident left a deep scar. While many in this country put up a front of not being racist as that is what is expected of a law abiding civil society, what lies beneath and how it manifests itself is any ones guess.
Every now and then racism and ignorance surface in the form of patronizing behavior or as in this case just plain insensitive stupidity.
In this stolen nation of ours there is no singular creed or breed that owns anything. If power is to be measured by strength in numbers and economic prowess, so be it.
But what defines America's true nature is that anyone can lay claim to this land as long as you abide by the laws and respect your neighbor. That's what makes this place special and like no other on the planet. And so to feel superior by the color of ones skin or creed and have disdain for another, is nothing but folly.
With Obama's election there is at least a sense that we are living in a post racial America. And that is true for people who want to derive strength from it and celebrate the true essence of this land and its people. And for those who want to live in the past, there is no shortage of Limbaughs, Savages, O'Rileys and Hannity's to rally around.
When Obama used the word "stupid" in response to the policeman's action in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he found himself in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. The White House beer fest was effective damage control to calm the nerves of a nation that had been incessantly buzzing with debate over the incident.
But the true "teachable moment" coming out of all this I would hope would be that since the president had weighed in, the policemen around the country would respond in a more responsible way when dealing with people of "color" and hopefully the people on the receiving end would "cut the policemen some slack".
Given the way of the world and the people at the receiving end the latter would be harder to come by.
As for me, I am willing to accept ignorance but there is no place for intolerance, not here not anywhere.
It is what it is.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
RACE/DISGRACE
In 2002 the much celebrated Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. presented a mini-series on PBS titled America Beyond the Color Line. The series explored the status of prominent and not so prominent African-Americans in America today. From the projects of south side Chicago to the upscale golf courses of New Jersey, Professor Gates gave the viewer a fascinating account of the African American experience.
On July 16, 2009 professor Gates, a black man, found himself on the wrong side of the color line when a white police officer arrested him for breaking into his own home. Professor Gates, who has taught at Harvard for nearly two decades, arrived home from a trip to China to find his front door jammed. With the help of his taxi driver he managed to pry it open and entered his house. Minutes later a policeman came knocking at his door asking suspecting questions. A white female neighbor had called in the police thinking her neighbor's house was being burglarized. What transpired between Professor Gates and the policeman materialized into the arrest and disgrace of a scholar and the Boston police department.
Whether this was a case of "racial profiling" is a question that has been debated to death in the frenzy of the relentless media. Even President Obama, who in the past has stealthily walked on water when responding to questions on race, could not escape the onslaught. His answer in defense of a personal friend came across as less than presidential, but understandable. But what we all can agree, is that there was no reason for this to be played out the way it did. While the police by their action disgraced an eminent scholar, the media did its fare share by plastering the professor's mug shot across the screen over and over again. Another photograph that was relentlessly zoomed and panned across was that of the professor being lead away in handcuffs. The indignity Professor Gates suffered has been sobering in every sense of the word.
Then came the explanations from the very characters who were involved in this circus, in the same media that had earlier maligned them. Even the president had to clarify his position in the most overt sense, so as not to come across as biased. That goes to show how sensitive an issue "race" is, more so because Obama is president.
Despite the truth behind the details of what happened that night, one cannot resist wondering how this would have played out if the person breaking in was a white person dressed in a mint suit. Would the neighbor still have felt unsafe? Would the police at the scene have behaved differently? And if it was not a celebrated Harvard Professor and a friend of the president, would the media have paid any attention at all? What makes the situation complicated is not what happened that night, but what may have happened if the parameters were different.
The color line in America is always charged by the nature of this nation's past. Obama's presidency in many ways may have softened that line, but in other instances has also hardened it. The overt polarization in the views expressed on television and in politics these days, is a telling sign of the times. The color line always remains present. It is its manifestation that is hidden. It is what it is.
On July 16, 2009 professor Gates, a black man, found himself on the wrong side of the color line when a white police officer arrested him for breaking into his own home. Professor Gates, who has taught at Harvard for nearly two decades, arrived home from a trip to China to find his front door jammed. With the help of his taxi driver he managed to pry it open and entered his house. Minutes later a policeman came knocking at his door asking suspecting questions. A white female neighbor had called in the police thinking her neighbor's house was being burglarized. What transpired between Professor Gates and the policeman materialized into the arrest and disgrace of a scholar and the Boston police department.
Whether this was a case of "racial profiling" is a question that has been debated to death in the frenzy of the relentless media. Even President Obama, who in the past has stealthily walked on water when responding to questions on race, could not escape the onslaught. His answer in defense of a personal friend came across as less than presidential, but understandable. But what we all can agree, is that there was no reason for this to be played out the way it did. While the police by their action disgraced an eminent scholar, the media did its fare share by plastering the professor's mug shot across the screen over and over again. Another photograph that was relentlessly zoomed and panned across was that of the professor being lead away in handcuffs. The indignity Professor Gates suffered has been sobering in every sense of the word.
Then came the explanations from the very characters who were involved in this circus, in the same media that had earlier maligned them. Even the president had to clarify his position in the most overt sense, so as not to come across as biased. That goes to show how sensitive an issue "race" is, more so because Obama is president.
Despite the truth behind the details of what happened that night, one cannot resist wondering how this would have played out if the person breaking in was a white person dressed in a mint suit. Would the neighbor still have felt unsafe? Would the police at the scene have behaved differently? And if it was not a celebrated Harvard Professor and a friend of the president, would the media have paid any attention at all? What makes the situation complicated is not what happened that night, but what may have happened if the parameters were different.
The color line in America is always charged by the nature of this nation's past. Obama's presidency in many ways may have softened that line, but in other instances has also hardened it. The overt polarization in the views expressed on television and in politics these days, is a telling sign of the times. The color line always remains present. It is its manifestation that is hidden. It is what it is.
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