Sunday, April 15, 2007

मेरी हिंदी में पहेली पोस्ट!

नमस्ते भाईयों और बहिनों, यह कितना कूल है! ब्लॉगर ने हिंदी ट्रांस्लिटरेशन टूल बनाया है. मेरी हिंदी १३ बरस के बच्चे के समन है, अखिर में एक 'ए बी सी डी' हूँ।

अच्छा, मैं शमा चाहती हूँ, मुझे नहीं मालूम में और क्या लिखूं, यह मेरा पहला प्रयथ्ना है हिंदी में पोस्ट लिखने का। इस ख़ुशी के मौके पे में अपको मेरी सबसे पसंद के हिंदी के गाने सुनाऊंगी। चिन्ता ना करिये में खुद नहीं गाऊँगी - में यूटूब के विडेओस दिखाऊंगी। दोनो काफी पुराने गाने हैं - पर अभिभी उपयुक्त हैं।

पहले यह दर्द भरा गीत सुनिये, गुरू दत्त के विशेष फिलिम, प्यासा से।



इस दुसरे गाने कि 'embedded function' नहीं काम कर रही है, इसलिये आपको 'क्लिक' करना पड़ेगा, यहाँ। आप इस वीडीयो को जरूर देखीये - इसमें एक काफी जवान और खूबसूरत शशि कपूर है! हाय हाय!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Universalized White Male Culture: A Reminder...

(Trigger alert)

"The power of whiteness lies in a set of discursive techniques, including exomination, that is the power not be named; naturalization, through which whiteness establishes itself as the norm by defining 'others' and not itself; and universalization, where whiteness alone can make sense of a problem and its understanding becomes THE understanding." (John Gabriel, Whitewash)

Seems like there's a lot of blaming lately. A lot of pointing fingers and a lot of selective memory. I don't listen to hip hop/rap/r n b ... I never have. I was certain that I was a little white-boy until I hit puberty - so as a result I still listen to a lot of angry white male alt-rock (which I've been trying to change slowly). Also growing up in small white towns most of my life - it was standard to listen to hard rock vs. 'black music'.

So when all these politicians, these media people talk about evil misogyny in 'black music' they seemingly forget the sadistic, cruel, violent misogyny in white boy music - so here's just a sample of what white male supremacist culture comes up with on the top 40 charts, again and again and again. Feel free to add your own obvious examples in the comments.

Also - Make sure to check out Sour Duck's blog and especially her archives, she genders a lot of albums, album art work and lyrics! Yay for Sour Duck!

System of a Down - Sugar:
My girl, you know, she lashes out at me sometimes,
And I just kick her, and then she's O.K. ,she's O.K.(sugar)

Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing:
I am, I am, I am
I said I wanna get next to you
I said I gonna get close to you
....I said ya shouldn't have worn that dress.....
You wouldn't want me have to hurt you too, hurt you too?
I know you want what's on my mind
I know you like what's on my mind
I know it eats you up inside

Jet - Cold Hard Bitch:
Gonna take her home cause she's over romancing
Don't wanna hold hands and talk about our little plans alright!
Cold hard bitch
[right, cause talking is all that bad right, she isn't a bitch once she puts out! if she doesn't she's a cold hard bitch. Bitches n hoes?]

Nine Inch Nails - Closer
you let me violate you
you let me desecrate you
you let me penetrate you
you let me complicate you
[Yo byatch it's all your FAULT]
i want to fuck you like an animal
i want to feel you from the inside

Disturbed - Sickness
I dont need this shit you stupid sadistic abusive fucking whore
would you like to see how it feels mommy here it comes get ready to DIE

[the song is about abuse, but if this was Alanis singing this how many white men would be up in arms about an angry violent young woman?]

Nickelback - Figured You Out
I like your pants around your feet
And I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you still say please

While you're looking up at me
[bitches n hoes culture? No?]
And I love the way you pass the check
And I love the good times that you wreck
And I love your lack of self-respect
While you passed out on the deck
I love my hands around your neck
[he takes a turn in this song where it's all sweet and then gets all emotionally violent later]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Suck My Kiss :
Give to me sweet sacred bliss
Your mouth was made to suck my kiss [what's your kiss???]

Added - the worst ever lyrics IMO (I shudder whenever I hear this song):
She Wants Revenge - Tear You ApartI want to hold you close
Soft breasts, beating heart
As I whisper in your ear
I want to f*cking tear you apart

Custom - Hey Mister (Banned in the US - but a HUGE hit in Canada):
I can't lie I have to tell the truth
Man to man mister it's a total spoof
Your daughter's a freak
Your daughter's a pro
When I'm done with her
She'll do one of your bros
I hope I'll never have a daughter


Oh and lets not forget the grand old daddies of misogyny:

Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar
Ah brown sugar how come you taste so good
(a-ha) brown sugar, just like a black girl should
A-huh. [a-huh indeed, did you mean sexually available for your pleasure?]

Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
Its down to me, yes it is
The way she does just what shes told

Down to me, the change has come
Shes under my thumb
Ah, ah, say its alright
Under my thumb
Shes the sweetest, hmmm, pet in the world

Or the 'genre-crossing' white male rapper Eminem (loved equally by rockers and rappers! Oooh yay):
Cleanin out my closet
maybe I was just a couple of months, my faggot father
must have had his pantie's up in a bunch, cause he split,
..........
shit I did was take them bullets out of that gun, cause id'a killed 'em, shit I would have shot
Kim and him both,
it's my life, i'd like to welcome y'all to the Eminem show...

And before Eminem there was of course the 'genre-crossers' the Beastie Boys, Girls:
Girls - to do the dishes
Girls - to clean up my room
Girls - to do the laundry
Girls - and in the bathroom
Girls - that's all I really want is girls


Then there is the seemingly 'fair-and-balanced' sexist song, i.e. men and women are both derided but of course women are always given the 'worse' situation and subject to 'worse' stereotypes/harsher language - 'gold diggin hoes':

Good Charlotte - Girls and Boys:
She'll get what she wants
If she's willing to please
His type of girl
Always comes with a fee

Hey, now, there's nothing for free
Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny
And these girls like these boys like these boys like these girls
The girls with the bodies like boys with Ferraris
Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money

Offspring - Get a Job:
My friend's got a girlfriend
Man he hates that bitch
He tells me every day
He says "man I really gotta lose my chick
In the worst kind of way"
She sits on her ass
He works his hands to the bone
To give her money every payday

But she wants more dinero just to stay at home
I guess all his money, well it isn't enough
To keep her bill collectors at bay
I guess all his money, well it isn't enough
Cause that girl's got expensive taste

[this continues for a few more verses and then they have ONE measily paragraph devoted to a male]
My friend's got a boyfriend, man she hates that dick [and that's just as offensive as 'bitch']
She tells me every day
He wants more dinero just to stay at home

............................................

I don't care to listen to 'justifications' about or the freedom of 'lyrical interpretations' so don't waste your breath telling me I'm wrong in my 'interpretation', I won't be bothering with such comments, just so you know in advance. We all know who the universal intellegentsia is and who defines 'creativity'...so spare me.

On a related note, typing in misogyny in music - I only came across one article with a similar viewpoint. Everything else was about misogyny in rap... seems like academics should be doing a better job, tsk tsk tsk. Violence is structural - and there's plenty of that violence embedded in music by white rockers too.

ETA: This violence is not just embedded in the lyrics but in rock "culture" too. The obvious being the 'sexual exploits' of rock 'gods'.

A post by Lonergrl, re 'rock culture'.
A really, old post by Twisty. (the only two other things I could find when I typed "rock and misogyny in google).

[Lyrics used for educational purposes only]

Friday, April 13, 2007

I hate the way the word 'culture' is used...

...well by most people anyways.

Anyways, here's Tony Blair on 'black youth culture':

In a speech yesterday, Blair said the violence was not a symptom of a broader social malaise and should not be treated as part of a general crime wave, but as specific to black youth, The Guardian reported.

He said people had to drop their political correctness and recognise that the violence would not be stopped "by pretending it is not young black kids doing it".

"What we are dealing with is not a general social disorder, but specific groups or people who for one reason or another are deciding not to abide" by society's codes of conduct, Blair said.
Continue reading here

Hey, but if that's not enough - why not moralize around the issue and essentially blame WMS's favorite lynch-pin, black women, for the problem?

Mr Blair is known to believe the tendency for many black boys to be raised in families without a father leads to a lack of appropriate role models.

He said: "We need to stop thinking of this as a society that has gone wrong - it has not - but of specific groups that for specific reasons have gone outside of the proper lines of respect and good conduct towards others and need by specific measures to be brought back into the fold."
Continue reading here
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In other news:

One more reason to girlcott Chapters, that is if you hadn't already!

I've decided to shift my blogging efforts to be more local, as I just haven been doing that at all - oddly enough most feminist bloggers have me listed as an AMERICAN! now, now...

Lake Oswego, Oregon - make yourself known!!! I see you in my site-meter and I'm wondering if we've ever been formally introduced ;)

Monday, April 02, 2007

You might not want to visit this blog for a while...

It's been a mere 4.5 months... and wow what a ride. I just don't think I can do this anymore - and I'd be lying if this shit isn't just bringing me down big time.

So anyways, let's keep our parting brief - I'm outta here for some time. I'm not closing my lunchbox - I just don't think I have the head space for this ATM and there are too many projects that I'm involved with anyways (so yay for real-life activism! hurrah!).

Take care! Have fun! It's been swell! See you in ... May? maybe...Expect a meaner more vicious LLL from now on... he he he, just kiddin ;)

My co-blogger (who knows really? Dorkess where are you?) may take over, but I doubt it!

No comments, thanks!