Category Archive

I thought I would start up on posting links here - I don’t remember why I stopped - maybe because it seems like a cop-out-post. Still, with the primary elections in the air and my increased commitment to educating myself about politics and that ever-so-talked-about-real-world, I thought I would share some articles that I find worth reading. The titles speak for themselves today:

“After College Ends, So Does Activism” by Adam Doster

“Why Clinton Trumps Obama and Will Continue to Trump Him” by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

“Interview with Chris Rabb: Founder of Afro-Netizen.com” from Mother Jones

A note - I still haven’t developed a full opinion on who I am supporting from the Democratic candidates, though I’m pretty sure my heart is with Obama. When I figure it out for sure, I’ll do one of two things: write about it, or tell everyone to mind their own business.

need to read something like the following:

as soon as we thought of marrying, our first few conversations included gender politics. included domestic violence. included cheating in marriages, and our views on divorce. we have both resolved to test for hiv before getting married. “romantic”? no. but sure as hell reassuring, and realistic.

we’ve worked our way through several issues to keep our wedding as in line with our politics as possible. we’ve had long talks about what rituals we’ll have, how we’ll organise our house, our personal comfort levels in conforming to gender dictates - and those talks haven’t just been between us, we’ve obviously had to talk to everyone else involved. a lot of hard work, but well worth the investment

The whole post can be found here at Scribble Pad.

I’ve waited a while to read something like this, and in the midst of dealing with many appearance/future related demons in the last month (which I am just beginning to write about - and blog about), this was what I needed to put a tear in my eye and reignite my faith in what m. so rightly describes as the “happily and political ever after”.

That said, I will be writing. My academic writing is my first priority these days and I don’t have to time to write papers and keep a blog consistently. I used to be able to before. But it seems I only have the capacity these days for one or the other.

I have however continue to read blogs daily and there are so many posts I always want to link to. Here are a few - not all are very recent, but they are all worth reading.

1. Bollywood and the Oscars. Ok there are two reasons why I love this post. One, I completely agree. India can never be allowed to submit “universal” films. It always has to be specific to Indianness or Indian culture (whatever that means). Two, I found out the author is a friend of one of my professors whom I respect a lot.

2. Tyra Tyra Tyra… Racialicious continues to be the blog I read most frequently (can you blame me? how can one resist the daily stories that appear about race in the media), and this post on Tyra Banks and her talk about body image are… I don’t know if I can find the words. Her sports illustrated cover makes her look even more stretched out than she does on the show. How many women of color do I know have the curves (or lack thereof) that she does? Yeah. Thought so.

3. Male privilege! Ah, Andrea, I’m so glad you continue to write for shrub.com - it makes me so happy. This is a great overview of how male privilege is seen in discussions about sexism, that comes down to the reality that being a pro-feminist man means stepping up.

4. ” Is it okay to work this damn much for the desire of trying to create change?” I’ve read this post so many times because I realized in the last week that I am probably going to go into academia and pursue a career as a professor. And there are too many questions and fears related to this question of work, and whether or not it is great work, and whether or not it is worth it, especially in thinking about “future things” such as children, and family (in fact so many questions, that this is what my next blog post is about). I really love the blog in general too, particularly the new look - it’s one of the few blogs that keeps me inspired to write!

Until next time.

Everyone should read this post. It’s a rant about a quote. It’s an awful quote. But it is a lovely rant.

This is a pretty awesome site. Rachel’s Tavern lists racist incidents that have been happening on college campuses in the last couple of months. I have to say I nearly fell off my chair in reading the story about college republicans at BU who “feel the need to have a ‘Caucasian scholarship’”.

Yup. We all know that if I’ve started my day thinking I have time to post on a topic entitled “Diwali Barbie”, it’s not going to be good.
Sk sent me this, and I can’t decide whether the actual doll or the blurb alongside it is more disgusting.
I think, being a full believer that it isn’t what you say (or in this case, sell) but how you do it, the text is what put my heart into figurative cardiac arrest.

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

The most important and magical festival celebrated in India is Diwali. Homes are decorated with marigolds and mango leaves, thousands of oil diyas or lamps are lit as auspicious symbols of good luck, and everyone enjoys sweets to the sound of firecrackers and revelers. Diwali Barbie doll wears a traditional teal sari with golden detailing, a lovely pink shawl wrap, and exotic jewelry. The final detail is a bindi on the forehead - a jewel or a mark worn by Hindu women to indicate that they are married. Doll cannot stand alone.

I know, I know. “But this is to diversify for all the brown children who need a Barbie to look up to!”. Actually, if we wanted little Indian children running around and worshipping a disproportionatly tall woman whose skin is unnaturally white and lives up to the standards of exotic in the West, we would point them all to Aishwarya Rai. At least she does something. Where is the President of the US Indian Barbie? Where the hell is Prime Minister Barbie?
I think the thing that kills me is how white looking she is. Her skin is white and Lord knows she’s letting her buyers feel like they can never live up to true Indian beauty standards.

What’s most ironic to me is the line “Doll cannot stand alone”. Thank you Barbie for reminding us that at the end of the day, no woman should really be able to stand alone. Especially not the exotic ones.

Happy Wednesday.

This is a post that I’m actually working up to. I’ve been busy with midterms and whatnot so the opportunity to write a post that is going to do justice to this topic will simply have to wait until the weekend.

But I found this post today during my moments of procrastination and I have to say, it is both thought provoking and articulate. But it poses an interesting question between the idea of real choice and choice that stems from conformity.

Much to say, no time. Soon blogosphere, soon!

Thank you Dora, for this post - (courtesy of Shrub.com) I too, never wanted to be a white girl. I just wanted to be exactly like a white girl.
And yes. We need to keep talking about this…

I have more to say but it will have to wait.

Actually the most frustrating thing ever - Orientalism meets globalization - the only comfort to me is that at least they are women of color. I saw this and laughed to save from crying or breaking something.

Oh and just by the way, the thing that angers me about this isn’t even the attempt-at-fusion dance itself. It is the fact that a company like Nike is benefitting from it - it is the colonizer using the other, the colonized, to gain economic strength and respectability…

From knowmore.org - it’s about American Apparel and whether they are really better than other clothing companies. The CEO sounds…there are no words. I told myself that the site is probably not a legitimate site…but…really? It’s just..scary to think that there are no really good corporations..

So, this is a great podcast which I highly suggest subscribing too - the link here is an episode that covers a lot of ground, including the media continuing to exoticize women of color when they are finally represented (if you haven’t seen the Aishwarya video I posted earlier, well then you need to, particularly if you are skeptical of this belief. Of course if you are…you probably aren’t reading this site ever.)
Listen to it while having breakfast or during your lunchbreak.

This is about language people! Language!

Aishwarya Rai is one of those women that I give a lot of credit to for paving some way for Indian women to be maintstreamed somehow but Lord Knows she could easily pass for exotic white and isn’t really helping by remaining passive about the language used about her. Then again, my victim-to-system blame lens reminds me that this is really about the public being eager to pounce upon any chance to objectify the other…

I’m back!
with a computer that has a new harddrive
…with my old hd went the last 2 years of my writing/music/papers/photos/letters/etc.

I have come out of the week feeling recharged..
With an article about something beautiful - the only soccer player of Indian decent in the world cup is actively speaking out against homophobia
And we love him for it.

Then watch “real Brawny men“. I know what you’re thinking - how could she stoop to watching this. Well, after you’ve seen the commercial 10 million times you do become a bit curious. And I have to say…it’s….well…its not riveting but definitely interesting. And pretty diverse I might add.
Oh yea and the Brawny guy is HYSTERICAL. Apparently he’s supposed to be like, the ideal man or whatever - “good looking sensitive” straight white man who lives in the woods and is one hatchet away from being out of a grocery store romance novel.

“But why is it that India arrives only when the West says it does? Our movies have nourished half the world for a century, as every Russian cabdriver in Manhattan will tell you. And if the West is now waking up to our energy and confidence, will we be tempted to change? Will Oscar fever mean we temper our spice to suit Western palates? Will the few Indian actors and directors cherry-picked by Hollywood shove the khadi and brocade under the carpet and make chick flicks on Fifth Avenue?”– Mira Nair, Hooray for Bollywood

Read the entire article (especially if you’re a bollywood movie/future Namesake watcher) here

“Mom, Dad, Let me find my own husband”

read it.

I feel compelled not to write daily and I think that is because I worry that I will begin to write out of habit instead of because I have something to say.

Today I realized that three people have commented on how it’s really great that I can post on a blog, something that is so public and open for people, unknown and known to me, to read.
This was very interesting because, to be honest, I had never thought about it. I mean, I knew that I would be posting onto a public space and that my link is on my facebook and AIM profile so it’s very accessible to people I know, but I never realized that there might be a difficulty in posting one’s process in a public space.

I’ve always regarded myself as a very open person - but the reality is, I’m a selectively open person that appears to be very open to many people. That’s because things that so many people keep kind of to themselves, I’m very willing to talk about and share. It’s not a problem for me to be like “here’s my life story”. I think maybe it’s one of the reasons why my ex’s have been intimidated by me - they feel a certain pressure to return that openness. And although communication is important, I rarely expect someone to be as open as me.

But here’s where the selective comes in. I’ve only realized, in coming to college actually, that I share a lot of things, yes. But there is a decent amount of stuff that I’m very secretive about. I don’t know what those things are specifically. I think people that know me well probably know what I’m talking about. There’s a sense that if I control what I want to share, and share things that seem like a big deal to the other person, then I won’t ever get probed or questioned because people will think I’ve laid it all out for them.

And in saying that, I feel very ok with that. I don’t think it’s something I need to change - I don’t feel a desire to become less open nor do I feel like I should be sharing my actual life story with everyone around me.
I’m very introverted I realize.
And I don’t write well when I’ve had the hiccups for a half hour.

I’m working on the painting that I posted about weeks ago. I had taken a hiatus from it because I was tired of being consumed.
Well the consumption ended up shifting. To Korean dramas.
Yeah. I watched this 16 hour Korean drama in less than 5 days.
I remember when H.M. would get really addicted to watching anime and how she said she’d get really absorbed in it because it allows her to get lost in another reality.
Yeah. I get that now.
I’m determined not to start another one, and shift to other things - like reading so I can write that paper and working on AAMP things. And painting.

I’m trying to find my other copy (I have two. The first was given to a friend..jeez that feels like ages ago.) of A Hero of Our Time. I loved that book so much and haven’t read it and wonder if it hits me the way it used to. I doubt it…and that saddens me for some reason.
I hate that the way we are influenced by text changes as we change. It’s not the same as growing up because then childhood text falls into the category of nostalgia. It’s having this attachment - you know the kind where you read this book or article and suddenly every particle around you seems to match up to some word or literary sentiment - and then one day that fades and you look at that text and it’s..lost its luster. I don’t know why but it makes me very sad. The text that moves me now is so different - and I love it. But still….

Let me post something interesting so I don’t feel that this was a waste. The whole Diversity Inc website is good so it’s worth browsing through.

You know I suddenly realized that in my plans this summer - art and reading and writing a paper and planning training and general processing my life and whatnot - it completely slipped my mind to do any writing.
Sometimes I worry that I’ve stopped writing because I’m not as angry as I was in the beginning of the year. It isn’t that I want to be angry in the way I was, because it was exhausting and painful — I think maybe I just have this urge to channel anger differently in regards to creative output — that I want to do it with painting.
I get to go art supply shopping tomorrow! I didn’t go as planned on Thursday. I hope I can find materials so I can stretch my own canvas — I think that might get expensive though so I’ll have to see.
I’m really tired of women being called too sensitive or emotionally high maintenance simply because they have standards. I remember when Pete once, very matter of factly, told me I was emotionally high maintenance — I remember trying so hard to not be vocal about things I was annoyed by, times I felt disrespected. I kind of chuckle about that now. Because Lord knows if someone told me that..it would be the end.
On a completely different note, I found a site today that eases my worry that children of color won’t have dolls/toys that look like them.

Like this one!

It reminded me that the baby doll I had when I was little was brown.

I promised myself I would go to bed earlier but it isn’t happening. I’m halfway through the Crooked Line. I like it a lot so far, and some obvious things going on in it, in regards to symbolism and feminism and all the -isms. I’ll talk about it way more when I’m finished.