Monday, July 25, 2005
Who knew
Ricky Martin (of "Livin' la Vida Loca" fame infamy) is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and has done lots of great work for children all over the world. He recently pledged to work to end stereotypes against Arab youth. More information about Martin's work is available at the Ricky Martin Foundation website.
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2 comments:
It doesn't say how he selected the headscarf, so anything we come up with is just speculation. There might have been a pile. He might have grabbed it in an ignorant bid to fit in.
It is an interesting slogan for him to wind up wearing, though...
Well, the article says Martin, whose hits include "She Bangs,""Shake Your Bon-Bon" and "Livin' La Vida Loca," posed for photos with fans, at one point draping over his shoulders a traditional Arab kaffiyeh headscarf with the slogan "Jerusalem Is Ours" written in Arabic on it. Assuming that the grammar isn't incorrect, that means he put the scarf on himself. A rewrite of the article states Martin posed for photos with fans at the youth conference, at one point draping over his shoulders a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf with the slogan "Jerusalem is ours" written in Arabic on it, making it further clear that he was the one to put on the scarf.
I haven't seen any pictures of the scarves other than the one in the first article, so I can't speak to the claim that they are all the same.
I see what you're saying, but I think it's dangerous to be so dismissive and judgmental towards the Arab youth. I think this situation is the same as if an Arab came to a Christian youth group meeting and put on a button that said "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" on it, or something. It's just what they believe. I'm leery of the claim that they did it on purpose to force a celebrity to take a stand on this divisive issue.
I don't have any facts or figures or historical data to back me up on anything, but I would like to think that despite our differences, we are all people, and we can learn to respect each other's beliefs and to cooperate with one another without resorting to name calling or suspicion. I do not condone terror by any means, but I also can't agree with prejudice. Somebody has to show some trust, or nothing will ever be resolved.
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