Cohen’s movies clearly propagate stereotypes against Arabs and Muslims that increase western ignorance and subsequently animosity, specifically benefiting Israel. The marketing of his movies often target a segment of society with low IQ (which may have racist proclivities of their own) with this type of overgrown juvenile humor.
I have yet to see one Baron Cohen movie that picks on someone other than Arabs and Muslims. Sure he did a decent acting job in both Hugo and Sweeney Todd (good movie by the way), but it seems that any movie in which he stars, writes, and produces will do nothing more than advance stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. He wins when his movies make a killing, but also when he sees his political agenda creep into the mainstream American discussion.
At first I was going to go with ‘I don’t feel safe here’ but that is bullshit. Tea Party people don’t feel safe; when they can openly show they have guns on their person, have drawings of the president lynched and speak openly and forcefully about their ‘belief system’. No harm has ever, ever, come to them. But they don’t feel safe. Prezident’ gonna take der guns, and what not. But overall, in comparison to POC they are safe. They are super safe.
We are not safe. Safe is not a ‘feeling’ POC in America can ever really have. In the house, what is going to fly through your window? Who is going to knock down your door? Outside? Everything and anything can happen outside. If you live in a bad neighborhood, everything bad can happen. If you live in a good neighborhood, everything bad can happen. Safety is the moment that passed already where that awful terrible thing didn’t occur and your still breathing.
The result is not just a failure of hate crime laws and our criminal justice system — it is a failure of our immigration system to afford leniency. We aren’t just punishing Dharun for being a gay-hating douche-bag; we are also punishing him for being an immigrant.
The racial cards at play that I hadn’t thought about. Click on the link to read more.
While I am, in no way, going to give value for or against the issues, I do find it interesting that this law has been applied to this group of men - who were calling for a change in law and not vigilantism - versus the English Defense League (EDL). Not only is the EDL filled with white-supremacists, but it seems that it is allowed to continue its racist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic diatribes publicly, but it looks as though the UK government is paying an estimate £800,000 out of its pocket to protect their planned March (along with the group Unite Against Fascism) in Leicestershire next week.
At the sentencing, the judge said to the men
“You have been convicted of intending to stir up hatred. It follows that your intention was to do great harm in a peaceful community.”
These words would have carried more weight were they applied equally, and to everyone who “intends to stir up hatred.” From these (in)actions, I guess it’s not hatred when it’s directed towards ‘brown-immigrants’, huh? Only when it’s directed towards (presumably white) gays…
We are queer educators and activists who are committed to meeting people where they are at and working together towards a future for everyone. We never want to throw anyone away. We do not mean to attack Dan Savage on a personal level, to deem him evil or entirely oppressive. But while he has said that he has “had a journey on trans issues,” he mocks those who criticize his words and actions instead of being open to growth. We hope that he will begin to work towards recognizing his privilege as a way to better fight oppression.
We demand the very best for our communities. So while we hold patience for Dan Savage as an individual trying to sort through the complexities of oppression, as a representational figure, our sympathy for his process is limited. Frankly, we already hear enough of that bullshit every day, and we don’t need to hear it from another white, monied, able-bodied adult cisgendered man with a microphone.
At this point, Dan Savage cannot function solely as an individual. His work is far-reaching and for many, he’s the only conduit into the queer world, the only example of what a queer person might look like. As an hyper visible queer figure, his actions and words often perpetuate violence against the very people he is representing. We need to move the spotlight to the many queer leaders who already discuss oppression in all of the varied ways it affects queer people. Universities looking to address queer issues often pay Dan Savage’s minimum speaker’s fee of $10,000 while other more marginalized voices are told there is no money. Why are these resources not instead supporting transformative efforts led by youth and people of color? And why has Dan Savage not reached out to support youth-led projects in the community, publicly cutting them down instead?
In the end, this isn’t really about Dan Savage. This is about what is direly missing from the mainstream gay rights movement: a critical and comprehensive analysis of interlocking oppressions. Sure, it would be great if Dan Savage decided to think more critically about his ‘activism’, but we’re not holding our breath. Our goal here is not to change him.
We do hope that the flaws in his work can lead toward a dialogue about larger systemic issues that shifts the spotlight to leaders who can think beyond their own positionality. Dan Savage, you do not speak for us.
Dear Gays and Queers,
Come here and party and spend your money. We love and welcome you with open arms*.
Love, Israel
*Disclaimer: As long as you aren’t Palestinian or a sympathiser of Palestine, Arab, or Muslim, or even if you were a Palestinian living in “the territories” and wanted to move in with your same-sex partner in “Israel” proper. In fact, the only gays we want are those who promote our racist zionist ideals, but that’s how we like our straights, too.
“The Florida Family Association, a Tampa Bay group, has led a campaign urging companies to pull ads on “All-American Muslim.” The FFA contends that 65 of 67 companies it has targeted have pulled their ads, including Bank of America, the Campbell Soup Co., Dell, Estee Lauder, General Motors, Goodyear, Green Mountain Coffee, McDonalds, Sears, and Wal-Mart.”
Read the rest of the Washington Post article here.
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Of course we cannot forget Lowe’s
As one of my friends says: “Welcome to the land of the free and the home of the new slave.” I guess I will know where and what I won’t be buying from…
FYI: I don’t watch the show. I have my own issues with it.
_________
Edit, a full list here. Thanks to Zikrayat and all the rebloggers!
3M (Command, Scotchbrand tape), Airborne Vitamin, Amway, (says it has been misrepresented) Anheuser Busch Inbev (Select55), Art Instruction Schools, Bamboozles, Bank of America (Cash Rewards), Bare Escentuals, Brother…
Queerty, the LGBT blog based in the US has published an article dedicated to the reaction of African countries to Clinton’s neo-Colonial hypocrisy LGBT “Human Rights” Speech. Regardless of the content of the article (especially since I have already briefly addressed the issues prior), I just want to illustrate the kind of transparent civilizing-the-savage discourse that this move is evoking within a N Atlantic mindset.
We need not venture further than the reader comments to see how Queerty’s (presumably) US based LGBT readers feel. Please note how most of the quotes lump Africa into one singular experience with one type of people who all think and feel and experience life the exact same way…
Note that #2’s response the word Africans is in quotation marks… wtf? And note that both readers agree that all aid to Africa must be cut off. Implying that the value of human life is not equal. Certain people are worth more, otherwise, they can all suffer.
#5’s response echoes some of the previous ideas around Africa’s backwardness, but goes further to say that it’s a “failed continent” (What does that even mean?), with the glaring exception of the civilized S Africa. What makes it so civilized? I won’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.
Again, they are backwards - implying the readers and the US is forwards. However, this person is overtly racist in their description. Then they affirm to us that despite the potential for flagging their racial comment, it’s something “you all” agree with.
#8 informs us of the social ills affecting all of Africa. *Assuming* one were to agree with this a$$, where do child slaves end up going to? Who supplies these armies with weapons?
I could go on, but for the sake of brevity I won’t. I am sure the longer we wait, the more posts we will have. I just wanted to show to that despite the “good intentions” people feel might have been behind these actions, what these comments show is the underlying implication of things like Clinton’s speech. It should not surprise anyone that certain nations are unhappy with these order - especially ones that have a long, painful and ongoing colonial history! There is a reason they are targeted for aid in the first place. Overly simplifying and flattening out the violence that US and other colonial powers have done without seeing how it all ties into the violence that is ongoing towards specific parts of the rest of the world erases the full picture. It’s in the nuances of power and those complex power dynamics under which a more complete picture of the situation unfolds.
پيس salaam
وأبقى بلا اتجاه أو هوية
I will try not to privilege the Roman script. We need to use it to access the internet. Posts won't be translated or transliterated.
