Fighting Media Epidemic

There are a lot of messages that are being fed to us via media whether on TV, Radio, Movies, Ads...
These messages encourage stereotyping... prejudices and can cause much more harm... when they become rooted in our culture...
The other day I wrote about the usage of the word "Niswan" in one pop Arabic song and how it objectifies women...
And then in one of my classes I was discussing with my students issues related to gender identity and especially in our societies... and it made me think more about how many of our values and practices are actually encouraged by common Media...
So a thought came to my mind... I'll start a new series of posts on my blog under the label of "fighting Media epidemic" aimed to address specific cases in Media especially Arab Media where a certain stereotype is being raised...
I want to see what hidden messages some of the things we see and hear and pay no heed to can create patterns in our culture and affect us negatively...
These messages can be related to anything from women, Arabs, Islam, children, racism, weight, glamour...
I want this to be more of a collaborative work... So if you have anything in mind that you want to hear about or want to tell people about... you can email me and I can post it for you... under your name...

My first post will be coming soon...

Niswan

Yesterday I was traveling by bus back to Amman... and as usual the bus driver picked some mediocre songs to play for us...
The singer name was "Faris Karm" who was singing a song about him being a womanizer and he was boasting about it... and he used "Niswan" to refer to women...
These words that caught my hearing
[آنا نسونجي
عم بطلع بالنسوان شو بدك مني قلي لك والله اللي ما يحب النسوان الله يبعتله عله
ّI'm a womanizer
I look at women! what do you want from me? Those who don't love women may God curse them]

For one reason or another I hate the usage of this word to refer to women... I find it containing some degradation to women...
Just another song of the long list of songs by men and women that concentrate on loving and looking at women and so on... more and more objectifying women and making their value only on their looks...
I believe that in our societies which despite all the claimed modernization we still look at women as being inferior... as [things] that are created for the pleasure of men... that a man has the right to fall in love with any woman he sees... that women brings happiness [satisfaction] to men...

In Arab societies we do have this problem and I think it is causing more serious problems when men or women consider marriage... where a girl looks for a guy based on more intellectual reasons... guys still look for girls who look more or less like a Barbie... and who are inexperienced and will listen to them and treat them as [ Si elsaeed ]...

I and many of my fellow women have the right to be treated for who we are... and not be treated as niswan where woman x will be enough for a man like woman y if they both look and cook the same...

When will these low values be vanished from our media?
When will we stop feeding men and women with this nonesense?

When will women be free of men's self-acclaimed-supriority?

The Sea...The Sea...

There is something so bewitching about the sea...
I just came back from the sea... after a nice afternoon on red Aqaba's beach...
When visiting the sea... I always feel like I'm meeting with an old friend... we embrace... we chat... we listen... we enjoy each other's company... and I feel much better afterwards...

I feel the traces of the Graceful hand that touched us...

emm... There is nothing like the sea.... =)

waking up to the sea...

I went out to the balcony... and there it is... in front of me... wide... blue... and fresh...
The sea...
I thought at how many little things are so beautiful in my life...
I felt happy just to see the blue [red] sea...
Of knowing how small I am compared to this world... the world which despite all the errs of humans still strives happily... of all the places that I know I belong to though I never visited...

There lies my hope... I know... I can hear it in the whispears around me...

The moon... The sea... The sunlight... The endless trees I walk by... The mountians... they all say it to me... and they I believe...

For You...

[Tonight... Look up and you'll see him...
Tonight... he is full... one... white...]

He knows about them...
One silvery invisible thread between them...
Against all reasons...

He is a reflection of a light...
They want to be reflections of the Light...

[Tonight... he is purely white...
He is smiling at you...]

Chanting their tale...
Praying for mercy... for love and for peace...

[Tonight... he is for you...]

Palestine... I love you!

Words have failed me once again...
I don't even know how am I supposed to feel?
Should I be sad? for the land where 60 years ago my dad was born is now in the hands of Israelites?
Should I be angry? for some people are celebrating one of history's biggest crime of invading a land of other people and claim it their own?
Should I be hopeful? that even 60 years from then... Palestinians are still standing... fighting... never loosing faith in their freedom... that even if they live in the other part of the world when asked answered they are from Palestine...?
Should I be pessimist? that even 60 years from then... the land is still occupied... that Israel is a legitimate country and that the leaders of the world are congratulating it for its independence... that all the Arabs and Muslims have done nothing to aid their brothers and sisters....?
Should I be sorry? for all the million obvious reasons... for living my life normally as always... for forgetting and moving on...?
Should I be ashamed? because not only the land is not free... but us... here and there...?

Palestine... I don't know which of these feelings should prevail... but I can't help but say I love you...
I love you Land of the Greats...

George Galloway in Amman

Yesterday I went to a talk given by George Galloway organized by the Union of Professional Associations in Amman.
The talk is part of a series of events held over the week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of The Catastrophe "Al-Nakbeh".
Mr. Galloway has a vast popularity amongst Arabs and Muslims for his speeches and stands with their cause. He seems to say what they all know but know as well that no one dares to say.
His talk yesterday was good and he said some things that made me think that maybe after all... justice should prevail... that even if the so-called-leaders-of-the-free-world are celebrating our catastrophe... that even if and I quote Mr. Galloway [ victims of terrorism is called terrorists and terrorists are called victim of terrorism] ... that there are people who refused to allow sand be thrown in their eyes... people who know... and believe and support the Palestinians who were and still are terrorized in their own lands and everywhere else...
He said... that 60 years ago Palestinians had a choice to either go in museums of history along side Red Indians as ex-nations of the world or to stand and fight for their freedom... and Palestinians have made their brave choice and still makes it... even 60 years after...

:: Click to see the videos...
:: 1.Galloway on Blair
:: 2.Galloway on Britain and God
:: 3.Galloway on camps and children
:: 4.Galloway on Sabra and Shatilla
:: 5.Galloway on the Arab league and Al Aqsa
:: 6.Galloway on Assaniora
:: 7.Galloway on the Palestinian choice
:: 8.Galloway on Arabism
:: 9.Galloway on Arabs and Oil

Music is everywhere...

[[ Listen... can you hear it?... The Music... I can hear it everywhere... in the wind... in the air... in the light... it is all around us... all you have to do is open yourself up... all you have to do is listen... ]] from the movie August Rush...



I would recommend the movie... though the plot is weak for my taste... but everything else related to music is just amazing...

:: August Rush's Trailer

women and politics

Will we [women] be ever taken seriously for who we are not how we look?

[[The glamorous new Minister for Equal Opportunities, 32-year-old Mara Carfagna, is a former showgirl from one of Mr Berlusconi's television networks.]]
[[ He once said that, if he were single, he would marry Ms Carfagna.]] More on BBC

She is a pretty thing no doubt... I hope she have enough brains and well to change to match her beauty...

Still my question remains unanswered!

Palestine....

How can this happen and be universally ok is something beyond my ability to understand...
How can all common sense justice be ignored...
How can someone celebrate another's atrocity?

I will save my say for Palestine's Day on 15th/ May...




more about the initiative from Za3tar

Ban banning!

I must say I'm still under shock from yesterday's newly imposed filter on JU's net.
I can't understand the concept behind it...
This morning even as I'm reading BBC some links are blocked! WHAT????

And after a couple of emails and phone calls... all they promised to do... is bit by bit bring back some of what is filtered and banned!!

I don't know if I'm saying anything of significance...
but I can't believe what the world is going towards...

Ban what?

So you ban a student from listening to Music while working?! uhhh Major SIN!!!!
or you ban him/her from seeing photos and images on line? UUHH... SAVE US!!!

And yeah... wait... someone said to avoid 'inappropriate immoral' sites! I guess she meant porno...?
But what is the use? I ban him/her inside the university does it solve the problem? is it really the biggest problem in the world that to solve it, is ok to compromise all the good sites and the good information [whether text, image, sound or video] from the rest of students?
Would that stop him/her else where? as an educational institution what is our biggest aim?

What are they aiming to ban? what exactly they want from us?

Instead of putting this smartfilter why not invest the money in a better bandwidth connection? instead of worrying over a chance of some guy/girl going in an open public computer lab into an 'inappropriate immoral' sites...
instead of condemning the whole... why not think of how to raise their attentions... of things to engage them in a more constructive way...
ban them and you'll doom them... and they'll get worse and worse by the day...


I'm sure soon enough I'll be banned to use google search... what's the use already if half the results are banned....

so... my surfing the net will be only to enter JU website and check my gmail... but guess what... no chat bar on the left...

I'm frustrated beyond comprehension...

I say... BAN banning...

what say you?

Seriously?!!!!

This is crazy... utterly and completely nonsense and crazy!

I'm speechless....





previously...

The Narratives* | 13

13

... is it even possible to get [it] white again?
he wondered while holding [it]...
scrubbing...
cleaning...
believing...
washing...
caressing...

with hard labor... time... passion... and faith...

maybe [it] will be white again...

* The Narratives: stories, events, and scenes that happen[ed] inside and around my head…

Microsoft : Yahoo no more!

So... The Great Microsoft didn't manage to seduce Yahoo! into acquiring it... and thus... their attempts to overcome Google has failed!
more on bbc...

[I can't help but grin]....