Britney, News, Sex, Repression

Wow wow wow wow wow!! Britney, Britney, Britney. I don't really need to say much, as everyone has said it already, but I can't help but indulge myself... WTF?!! It was only a few years ago you were making out with Madonna on stage, in anticipation of the release of your new album. You were on top of the world, in a really hot, slutty getup. And now what? You still have the slutty getup, but an extra 50 lbs. and a really lacklustre comeback performance to boot. OK, you had two kids, and you' ve been through a lot lately. You still look damn fine. But honey, you need to get into the music. Where was all that hip shaking I was used to seeing you do a la "I'm A Slave For You"? This was your moment, and I hate to say that you probably could have shit on stage and had a better performance.

Alas, thus is the life of a former teen star who has more money than can wrap her pretty little mind around. OK. There, I said it. I got it out of me, enough said. What was even more entertaining to me was Sarah Silverman's monologue post performance, where she really ripped Brit apart-- she did a great impression of her kids, which, as anyone who watched it can attest, was dead on. While in questionable taste, I found it quite amusing. Many were pissed off about some racially sensitive comments, but come on... lighten up. It's for the sake of comedy, and all everyone needed after "you know what" (BRITNEY's laughable performance) was a good chuckle. Well done Ms. Silverman, well done. Jewish humor is always a delight.

When I hear about Britney or Lindsay or Paris or Nicole I always get a little pissed off, and a little secret pleasure. Especially when it's bad news for them. First of all, why the is this shit on CNN, when people are being killed and repressed the world over? How can we devote hours upon hours to all of this nonsense which has no value to society in anyway, shape, or form, aside from the mere entertainment value.

Nonetheless, I must admit that I enjoy hearing about their misfortunes. Mainly because I don't think they deserve anything they have-- they are spoiled brats, whose biggest concerns are the color of their next coiffe, or what party they are can make big. I would love to see nothing more than them to wind up poor and alone, with no attention and no pride. That's maybe a bit much. And, I must say that I do not wish such a fate on Britney, because I really want to see her ass shaking like it used to onstage. But FUCK!!! How much cocaine can these little bitches get up their noses before they die?? They are snorting machines.

Anyway, I take back that mean mean comment about them dying from poverty, and replace it with the following: Attention to news that is pertinent to the human condition would be nice from all the news outlets, instead of worthless news produced to sell that we are subjected to (We can thank Fox News for selling news that their demographic (backwards rural hoodlums)agree with, instead of what's actually going on.) I guess until we enforce a more rigid definition of what is valuable news, we will have to continue hearing about the woes of these drama queens. In the meantime, I suggest to those who care to switch to BBC, because it is subject to harsh British standards of journalism, or indy news (CurrentTV is amazing!)

While we are bombarded by popular media that commercializes sexuality, internal cultural forces, such as religion, make us ashamed of our sexuality. So says director John Cameron Mitchell (most famously for Shortbus, an amazaing film featuring live sex scenes that is known to many as "that movie.") He observes that repression of sexuality can lead to many undesirable effects for society, and advocates a more mature and sophisticated understanding of sexuality, in all of its complicated animalistic glory. I applaud this view, and much enjoyed the scene from the film where a hot guy shoots a load into his own mouth. ;)

While Americans have a hard time dealing with sexuality, perhaps nowhere is there more sexual repression than the Muslim world, where it is enforced by Sharia. The Afghan burka, a head-to-toe covering women were mandated to wear during the Taliban's regime, is the symbol to the Western world of this repression. I just watched CNN's Lifting the Veil with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a superb Pakistani journalist. It studies the progress that women are acheiving in a place where they were virtual property. It was extremely frustrating to watch, as men walked past women, taunting them as if they were beasts. This goes on to this day.

Conditions have only slightly improved for women there. Cultural forces prevent most women from removing the burka, or even attending school, both of which are gaurunteed under Afghanistan's constitution. Thus, when widowed, with no right to property or work, the women have no choice but to beg on the streets for food.

Life with a husband seems not much better in many circumstances. An epidemic of burning oneself has spread across the country's women like fire itself, as kerosene fuel is cheap and abundant in this impoverished country. The women drench themselves in the liquid, and set themselves in flames, with the intention of killing themselves. A poor choice, because they often survive the initial trauma with horrific third degree burns, then die days or weeks later from infection, which can be even more painful.

Why do they do it?? Obaid asked many of them this very question, as they lie on there death bed. The answer: they had to escape from the pain of being systematically treated like shit by society and their husbands and mother in laws (these two are the ones who make the major decisions regarding her life.) And, to protest such awful treatment, they burn themselves. It sends a message. Imagine the horrible pain they endure from the burns that cover their body... well, their life is infinitely more painful. And, the incidence of these cases has risen since the independence of Afghanistan from the Taliban.

The US and coalition forces heralded the liberation as a victory for women, and President Bush, being the wonderful humanitarian he is, spoke of the end of their repression thanks to the American cunning. Alas, conditions are no better for these women now. What's sick about the whole thing is, the women wear the burkas so that the men don't get excited and lose control. Society deals with the inability of men to control themselves by stripping women of all dignity and rights. Women are beginning to enter schools, without the restrictive burka, but that is as much progress that can be accounted for on a wide scale. As Obaid points out, the only thing these women have now is hope. For more, check out the program.

Some Muslim women say that a veil (a burka is a little more extreme than a simple veil) to cover themselves is in a way liberating, despite what Westerners say. It releases one from the obligation to pretty up. Society can't judge you for not being drop dead gorgeous, because they can't see your hair beneath the veil. While these women are entitled to this opinion, and I agree that we might be too harsh on women in terms of beauty and presentation, I would shoot myself if I had to wear such a thing. I like taking the time to get ready every morning, and make myself damn hot to go take over the world. And on that note, I am off to go get some beauty sleep so I can be sexy for tomorrow.