Seriously.
I've read that they've fired people, pulled advertisment over 'anti-war' keffiyehs. I can't believe it. It's a fucking scarf , really. The ironic reaction by the general public has been astounding. Even here in Australia, I've seen so many people wearing them out of seeming complete ignorance to what they actually represent.
People are too much invested in the notion that these are some evil, terrorist scarf that threatens white America. Anti-Americanism. You people have simple notions. Any apparent similarity between that scarf and hatred of deeper levels toward what is American are seperate. I see Kanye, Chris Brown, Lupe and a bunch of other rappers sporting them out. Here in Aus people too are wearing them.
In the 1960's the Keffiyeh came to symbolise Palestinian Nationalism. I'm willing to bet 5 dead prime ministers (fives of course) that if you ask anyone wearing a keffiyeh, they wouldn't know anything about the PLO. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
Yaser Arafat commonly wore one. In reality, their existence in America, as a fashion item has nothing to do with "terrorism". Less to do with political leaders than to chic fashionistas. Little to do with Palestinians. It does not support nor deny an ideology, it is a mass produced product that some people are willing to pay $20 or $30 for.
A mass produced fashion item:
Is it wrong for someone to wear the scarf as a fashion accessory if they don’t know the political implications of the kaffiyeh?
I believe that — at worst — one could be accused of being culturally insensitive for being ignorant of the keffiyeh’s implications as a symbol of resistance for one community, and as a symbol of hatred for another.
On one end of the spectrum, the sale of keffiyehs as fashion items can be seen as part of the process of recuperation by which the establishment seeks to substitute the desire for revolutionary change with the consumption of products that seemingly satiate this urge. Rather than engaging in a truly revolutionary act, we collect and adorn ourselves with objects and symbols that merely infer revolution. Corporations repackage our desire for change and sell it back to us, and we buy it thinking that we’re changing something, but we’re not changing anything–we’re just opening up a new market for “revolutionary” wares. This slight of hand — this illusion — drains needed human energy from resistance movements.
Furthermore, in terms of cultural commodification, these fashion labels are taking the artifacts of an indigenous culture and mass-producing them for a consumer public. In that, they are profiting from the cultural contribution of a people with whom they have no ties and to whom they bear no responsibility. Essentially, they are stealing a cultural community’s authentic, organic product, and selling it at extravagant prices without returning anything to the public from which it stole. It is exploitative and, as such, counterrevolutionary. Ie., by buying a keffiyeh from French Connection UK, you are actually contributing to the exploitation of Palestinian culture. These corporations are not in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, they are in solidarity with their shareholders.
I do not hate people who wear these things out of ignorance, especially because most of them are now made in China. With the last factory closing "Two years ago I had to close down my factory because I couldn't compete with Chinese-made Hattas (keffiyehs) that sell for 40 percent less." As a report by Reuters indicated. So really? What is all this about?
Things come and go, maybe we all have glorified images in our minds of Laurence of Arabia. But please, don't tell me that's a terrorist symbol. It's merely a fad. I'm sure if you asked any Emo or Wigga about what they're wearing symbolises and they'd have no clue. I just find it funny that fashionistas have almost ignorantly chosen something to do with Palestinian nationalism
Anyway, here's an Aussie track with some funny parody and better beats.
Do you own a keffiyeh? Hate them? Let me know!
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