Search This Blog
Saturday, April 24, 2010
love me love love I'm a liberal (reposted)
darlings, I am at a serious writer's blog. So I am reposting. This post is kind of sophomoric. But not without cause. I am in the midst of following the worlds' longest email clash between liberals and lefties. Ever since college days, to be called a "liberal" has been an insult of the highest order. Infinitely worse than being called a sibling lover. So who are these liberals and why do we hate them so? Liberals are reformists who prefer individual rights over systemic change. Who do not challenge the divides of class, as long as slums are painted from the outside. Who do not mind that our military maims babies as long as they do so in the confines of their barracks. Who do not think challenging the system is an imperative because they are protected by industry or land or because they are part of the highly paid professional class serving banks and firms.
so here it is.
Inspired by Phil Ochs's I am a Liberal
I went for the judiciary rallies
And I cried for the dead in Gojra
I long marched to the capital
I murmured ameen to the tarana
But any talk of changing the status quo
Well that’s just not practical
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I protested against the Hudood
I got hit with a baton on my shin
Now I give all my money to the TCF
Cause change, they say, is in the citizen
But don’t tell me to question democracy
Dynasty is still better than the boot
So love me, love me, love me I’m a liberal
The military and Musharaff I abhor
I fought in the mountains of Baluchistan
But I tell you, they finally got it right
So don’t ask me to join in your protests
Don’t show me dead babies in Bajour
They hosted the militants alright
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I embrace the ancient civilizations
I celebrate Diwali, Navroze, Eid, and Christmas
I rant wild on our sufi traditions
I burned with the statues of Bamiyan
But workers and people and women
Have to know that privatization ain’t ALL bad
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I go nuts for the people in jail
I love the Hindus and the Dalits of Thar
I revere home based workers and queers
But I believe that hanging is humane
Cleaning latrines a chore, but a job
And I wrote a report on rights just last year
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
I buy tickets to Kara, I play jazz
I own an original Sadequain
I treasure the artwork on trucks
I have a picture with Malik el Shabaz
And its gotten me a few dozen fucks
‘Cause it’s really ALL about me
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal
The flogging Swat video made me cry
Mukhtaran and Hillary give me a high
The Taj of Mumbai is a banner of hope
But with these filthy TeT I just cannot cope
Don't tell me there are women in Waziristan
or children, or poor, like in the rest of Pakistan
My NGO's grant just got through, uff jaan!
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
last stanza by Huma Dar
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Democracy is my religion, and Zardari is its prophet,
Drone on, drone on, for justice is naked,
I am a CMKP member, and always in demand,
In KPC rallies, and revolutionary lecture circuit,
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Bhagat is my hero, Che is my romance,
But you should give PPP one more chance,
Fauji operation is must, for Taliban are barbaric,
Hail Altaf and Asfandyar for their brave stance,
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
good one, redkazim.
Awesome. Brilliant.
I just came across this. And while I can understand why many would like it, and I agree that it does a great job of describing the hypocrisy of far too many, I disliked it.
For the rampant assumptions and generalizations, for othering 'liberals' as effectively as any stereotype ever has, for the smug attitude and self-congratulatory air of supposedly exposing the hypocrisy of others (or i should say 'the other'), for having as narrow minded a view as any neoliberal on what constitutes 'democracy' or 'challenging the status quo'.
Perhaps I am still naive and ignorant,but it is entirely possible, for example, to support democracy and also challenge the status quo. but of course, i'd have to explain what i mean and understand with 'democracy' and 'status quo' before my stance makes any sense whatsoever.
regardless, if we can agree that stereotypes and 'othering' is bad when applied by imperialists to our nation, we should also refrain from engaging in it ourselves.
Post a Comment