This was the first article written under the title of The View From The Third Edge. A sage once said, "Understanding is a three-edged sword. The three edges are your side, my side, and the truth in between." Sides are everywhere today. It is all about the Republicans vs. the Democrats, Britney vs. Christina, the Atkins diet vs. the Zone, CNN vs. FoxNews, Hindus vs. Muslims vs. Christians vs. Jews vs. blacks vs. the KKK vs. everybody else. All of this while the truth resides completely outside the camps, and what needs to be done is neglected. Aye, I recognize that humans are more prone to prejudice than to reason and that I will never be a fully independent observer of my world. Yet, it is the sheer inability to see a matter from all sides that governs the chaos of our planet. I've got no room or time for that - I evoke reason over faith and force, and offer different perspectives. Hence, the view from the third edge.
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A response I wrote in early 2003 to the Hindu-American clamor over American Eagle Outfitters' sale of flip-flop sandals with an outline of the elephant-headed god, Ganesha, printed on the soles. As J-Lo gear, Ten Commandments granite blocks, DeBeers diamond engagement rings, threats of nuclear war, and general identity crises abound, I find these words more apt than ever:
Ganesha's silhouette on a flip-flop. This got me thinking about the growing importance of simulacra within almost all modern cultures. Icons, idols, flags, and other emblems of identity reign supreme, while the concept or value of what they stand for falls noiselessly to the wayside. While we are horrified that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) sells flip-flops with the image of Ganesha imprinted directly on the soles, we must stop to remember that this is a country where people wear American-flag thong bikinis and shout their patriotism from lapel pins. And that India, too, is a country where a mad appropriation of the form has superceded understanding and reverence for the meaning behind the representation. Is that not trampling on our deity? Where is the outrage for that great loss?
I, too, and repulsed by the underfoot Ganesha. Never do I hinder myself from asking people not to step on books or other media. However, the reason for my request is the book is a source of knowledge, which I respect deeply, and not because it is the goddess Saraswati who must not be treaded on. Saraswati is merely a manifestation of the value that is to be held sacred. Similarly, while we bomb AEO with protest emails, let us remember that what we ought to be supporting is not the self-righteousness and the power of the symbol that come with modern Hindu identity, but the fact that there is an important and beautiful meaning behind the symbol - something which popular consumer culture has not picked up on in its mass feeding frenzy. And sadly, a value which is also fading in modern Hindu reality. It's not what we are doing that I question, but the why.
Americans protest the burning of the American flag, while it is worn as underwear and hood ornaments, and global atrocities are committed in its name. (Reminds me of a line in a recent Non Sequitur by Wiley: "It's quite simple, really. You just wrap yourself in a flag and say everything with bombastic piety. If people dare to criticize you, their patriotism will be questioned, thus nullifying their scrutiny!") Akin to that hypocrisy, our protest of the underfoot Ganesha is sanctimonious drumbeating unless we value the gods of the Hindu pantheon for their meaning and their meaning alone, and not the icons and rituals of identity that they provide.
Why single out AEO? Here in New Orleans, there are at least three Govindas and Ramaswamis in the French Quarter who wear kumkum on their foreheads and will happily sell you Lakshmi-print sarongs, Siva lunchboxes, liquor, prophylactics, drug paraphernalia, and t-shirts with profanity on them - to make money. Do we see picket signs outside their shops? Diamonds adorn the fingers of women seeking a status symbol, while the arms of the frightened peasants that tilled these baubles out of the ground are lopped off and lie to rot in the hot Angolan sun. These hands will never see jewelry, they will never enjoy status. Does Hindu dharma not apply to these people?
Self-righteousness and swift offense-taking against obvious targets are the first steps to conservatism. While I laud the effort of AHAD in launching a campaign against AEO, I propose that it is done with calm minds and meditated actions, rather than with irrational and moralistic piety. The Hindu community does not require an apology; that is mere show and accomplishes nothing of lasting value. What AEO can give the Hindu community is an effort to understand and respect world culture enough not to paste meaningful icons onto objects of popular fashion.
And as long as you are taking the trouble and if you are interested, be good Hindus and Americans by dropping your congressperson a note that you do not appreciate your flag being taken in vain either. Happy protesting.
Copyright © 2003 Maitri V-R All Rights Reserved for a rainy day
Posted by maitri at August 29, 2003 08:24 AM