Have you met my friend Lamp?
Srs bzns warning, guys! I'm so sorry!
I am not big on conflict, and I'm usually all about laughing at life, both in RL and online. Unfortunately, a lot of the LJ communities in which I participate or lurk have been overrun with a bunch of bigots being bigots, and everyone seems to think it's okay. It's not okay. And I'm tired of removing myself from online spaces that I otherwise enjoy because people have the freedom to be bigots as long as they're being bigoted toward Muslims. So, anyway, I wrote this ranty thing, and then I felt better and decided not to post it, and then the whole issue came up again and I got all *raaaaawr!* again, and then I tried to re-write it without any profanity (hahaha!) but I just couldn't.
So! Because apparently this needs clarification:
If you think that because you are white, male, and/or "Western" it is remotely okay for you to even consider the question of what I or other Muslim women choose to put on our bodies or what we choose to do with our bodies... Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200. Instead, go stand in the corner and fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you are a feminist or a liberal who feels that you are more enlightened than those stupid brown women who are being forced to keep their hair hidden against their will, or if you think that Muslim women need your help to be free... Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200. Instead, go stand in the corner and fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you recognize that it is Not Cool to tell other marginalized groups (based on race, sexual orientation, whatever) what is best for them, but think that it is A-okay to tell Muslim women what is best for them because the culture in which they were raised means that it's not really their choice... that's right, you guessed it.
If I sound angry and you don't understand why, well. I'm sorry you're so dense. My point is not negated by the fact that I am not appropriately submissive toward and respectful of a society in which you have all the power and I have none. This conversation is not about how awesome the West is, and the fact that you think that disclaimer needs to be added to every critique of how Muslim women are treated in Western nations only highlights your own ignorance and arrogance.
If you think I should shut up and be grateful that I don't live in Afghanistan while you judge me and find me lacking, as if the mere fact that you are better than people who treat women like absolute shit somehow should ensure my compliance with whatever you want, I would like you to know that I'm sitting here in my house (I can't go out without my husband threatening to beat me) and judging you. And I find that you are an uninformed, backward, close-minded hick. While you're sitting there and patting yourself on the back for being better than some of the worst people on earth, I hope you find some time to go fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you're going to comment on this post telling me that my religion is oppressive in Afghanistan/Kazakhstan/Bumfuckistan, and therefore it is oppressive everywhere, or if you are going to comment on this post without having an understanding of the difference between cultural practices and mandated religious practices and/or why someone might choose to present themselves in a manner that differs from the reigning cultural paradigm... I don't want you to go fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp, but I would like you to go fuck yourself with your cultural hegemony.
If you think that, as a white person, it is your duty to save Muslim women in the Western world from their evil husbands/fathers/brothers because they'd be carefree and living in miniskirts and tanks if only they could get away from brown men, you are a stupid human being.
If you think that, as a white person, it is your duty to save Muslim women in the rest of the world from their evil husbands/fathers/brothers, I would like to point out to you that many of the problems women face in the Middle East today have to do with the rise of Wahhabism, which was encouraged solely by the British and American occupiers in the Middle East. It may be hard to believe -- because we all know that colonial and imperial powers are really awesome and only bring good things to the places visit! -- but if the Great White People would deign to leave us alone, the Dirty Brown People would find a way to work their own shit out.
If you fall into any of the categories above and -- after having had it pointed out to you that it is incredibly offensive that you think Muslim women have no agency, ever, because they do not conform to you Western standards of dress and behavior -- if you still persist in thinking you are better than those dirty brown people (even if that's not what you really call them in your head)... Go fuck yourself, my friend, because you are a horrible human being and an all-around piece of shit and your misogyny and Islamophobia are absolutely disgusting. Kind of like you, actually.
I am not big on conflict, and I'm usually all about laughing at life, both in RL and online. Unfortunately, a lot of the LJ communities in which I participate or lurk have been overrun with a bunch of bigots being bigots, and everyone seems to think it's okay. It's not okay. And I'm tired of removing myself from online spaces that I otherwise enjoy because people have the freedom to be bigots as long as they're being bigoted toward Muslims. So, anyway, I wrote this ranty thing, and then I felt better and decided not to post it, and then the whole issue came up again and I got all *raaaaawr!* again, and then I tried to re-write it without any profanity (hahaha!) but I just couldn't.
So! Because apparently this needs clarification:
If you think that because you are white, male, and/or "Western" it is remotely okay for you to even consider the question of what I or other Muslim women choose to put on our bodies or what we choose to do with our bodies... Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200. Instead, go stand in the corner and fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you are a feminist or a liberal who feels that you are more enlightened than those stupid brown women who are being forced to keep their hair hidden against their will, or if you think that Muslim women need your help to be free... Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200. Instead, go stand in the corner and fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you recognize that it is Not Cool to tell other marginalized groups (based on race, sexual orientation, whatever) what is best for them, but think that it is A-okay to tell Muslim women what is best for them because the culture in which they were raised means that it's not really their choice... that's right, you guessed it.
If I sound angry and you don't understand why, well. I'm sorry you're so dense. My point is not negated by the fact that I am not appropriately submissive toward and respectful of a society in which you have all the power and I have none. This conversation is not about how awesome the West is, and the fact that you think that disclaimer needs to be added to every critique of how Muslim women are treated in Western nations only highlights your own ignorance and arrogance.
If you think I should shut up and be grateful that I don't live in Afghanistan while you judge me and find me lacking, as if the mere fact that you are better than people who treat women like absolute shit somehow should ensure my compliance with whatever you want, I would like you to know that I'm sitting here in my house (I can't go out without my husband threatening to beat me) and judging you. And I find that you are an uninformed, backward, close-minded hick. While you're sitting there and patting yourself on the back for being better than some of the worst people on earth, I hope you find some time to go fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp.
If you're going to comment on this post telling me that my religion is oppressive in Afghanistan/Kazakhstan/Bumfuckistan, and therefore it is oppressive everywhere, or if you are going to comment on this post without having an understanding of the difference between cultural practices and mandated religious practices and/or why someone might choose to present themselves in a manner that differs from the reigning cultural paradigm... I don't want you to go fuck yourself up the ass with a lava lamp, but I would like you to go fuck yourself with your cultural hegemony.
If you think that, as a white person, it is your duty to save Muslim women in the Western world from their evil husbands/fathers/brothers because they'd be carefree and living in miniskirts and tanks if only they could get away from brown men, you are a stupid human being.
If you think that, as a white person, it is your duty to save Muslim women in the rest of the world from their evil husbands/fathers/brothers, I would like to point out to you that many of the problems women face in the Middle East today have to do with the rise of Wahhabism, which was encouraged solely by the British and American occupiers in the Middle East. It may be hard to believe -- because we all know that colonial and imperial powers are really awesome and only bring good things to the places visit! -- but if the Great White People would deign to leave us alone, the Dirty Brown People would find a way to work their own shit out.
If you fall into any of the categories above and -- after having had it pointed out to you that it is incredibly offensive that you think Muslim women have no agency, ever, because they do not conform to you Western standards of dress and behavior -- if you still persist in thinking you are better than those dirty brown people (even if that's not what you really call them in your head)... Go fuck yourself, my friend, because you are a horrible human being and an all-around piece of shit and your misogyny and Islamophobia are absolutely disgusting. Kind of like you, actually.