Papier Mache

By Layla Anwar
An Arab Woman Blues
Oct. 29, 2007

An acquaintance approached me the other day and suggested I join the world of media/journalism. Utilize my writing skills and whatever intelligence I have left, to good use...

Good use? Because the media is good news? And am not only talking about mainstream media here...

Besides, becoming part of some media - and that includes some of the 'alternative media' also known for its share of blatant lies - means I will no longer be allowed to tell you some basic truths.

And I don't want to miss out on the fun by being clustered and cooped in some box writing news reports when I can sit here and spill it all out, without having to be so " objective, impartial and fair"ť about it.

I know, some may think it is very important to get the Truth out. Big deal.

The Truth is out and knowing the Truth out there is not ENOUGH . ACTING on that truth is what brings results.

And acting on that truth does not consist of signing petitions and joining a protest once a year either.

And acting on that truth does not consist of reading articles and passing them on and filing them in your inbox under the "truth."

All of this remains words on paper...

Daily, you read words and papers. A bulimia of words and papers...So ?
Daily, I read thousands of words and write them too...So?

Has it changed anything? Has it improved anything ? Has it given me and millions of other Iraqis any hope...?

Sadly, the answer is NO.

Why is that?

History shows that words followed by actions moved masses and produced change.

How come you are still asleep when a Genocide is happening in your name?

And repeat that word GENOCIDE, until it sinks in deep, into your thick skulls.

How come you are still asleep when you are regurgitating words daily ?

How come you are so sunk deep into some lethargy unable to move yet you go on babbling away about the intricacies of politically correct definitions ?

So in reply to this acquaintance and his suggestion, my answer is NO. I will not join any media.

I know you will say because the media manipulates, etc...We are not being told the truth, we are fed lies, we have been robbed of what this country - yours - stands for and what our founding fathers - yours - fought for and after all we are suffering too, we are overstressed, overworked, underpaid, riddled with hormones, numbed, etc...etc...etc...

More words again...Delusional words and delusional beliefs.

I have news for you here and they are not good.

You are not only being fed lies, you entertain those lies by constantly lying to yourselves as well.

The ILLEGAL invasion and occupation of Iraq. Its massive, irremediable DESTRUCTION. Its untold suffering. Its deaths in the millions. Its refugees in the millions. Its plundering in the billions of $. Its rape and torture; physical, geographical, psychological, social, spiritual...right down to the individual body. Its contamination with the most lethal chemical weapons in history; DU, phosphorus bombs, Neutron bombs, cluster bombs, Napalm...
Its stripping it away from any identity, from its history, from its roots, from its people...and I can go on and on and on...

ALL of that has failed to MOVE YOU TO ACT.

And that despite your knowing "alternative medias" and reading hundreds of articles, and joining hands in prayers, and participating in conferences and giving speeches and showing up on you tube, and blogging and interviews... and, and, and...

And you want me to believe your lies of how you have been robbed of the ideals of what your nation stood for ? Who are you kidding here ?

You are kidding none but yourselves.

Iraq was the golden opportunity that you have deliberately or stupidly failed to seize. And I call that BAD FAITH.

Iraq was the golden historical opportunity for you to finally put into practice those â€ťideals of your founding fathers'ť that you o' so preach about all the time...

But you did NOT. And that is a FACT!

And I will tell you why you did not. Simple. Because you have no such ideals. You are deluding yourselves.

You have forgotten that your so called "democracy" has been nothing but a SHAM, a travesty from the very beginning.

And you have also conveniently forgotten that your so called "democracy" only gave rights to "african americans" in the late 60's. And that is just 40 years ago.
Until then, you were living segregated lives...preaching â€śdemocracy.â€ť

So what ideals are you exactly talking about?

And I can go on and on about your own history but your history does not interest me...anymore. You do not interest me either. Nor you, nor your collective or individual stories...

Words and more words...and more words.

Files of papers filled with words, riddled with words like bullets. And this is exactly what your words ended up as, they ended as...BULLETS.

Bullets that ripped through us, through our being, our psyche, our identity, our culture, our very existence...

So spare me your words, articles, news, analysis, research, theories...papers.

And remember you are not to preach to me, someone whose ancestral fathers invented the letter and the word and taught you how to write.

You are nothing but words on paper. And we have become nothing but a target people riddled with your bullets.

Take your words and your papers and make some papier mache

And here is a definiton of what papier mache means

"...shreds of paper mixed with glue or paste, that can be molded into various shapes when wet and becomes hard...when dry."

They make boxes out of papier mache. So make boxes out your words and papers...and store more words and paper in them.

Or if you feel terribly charitable and want to give yourselves a good conscience, ship your papier mache boxes over to Iraq as...coffins.

Only then can you truly pride yourselves by remembering your "founding fathers."
And let it go down the annals of your glorious "history" as - and don't forget to quote me...

"We killed them with bullets, covered them in words and buried them in paper boxes."

Congratulations to you and your founding fathers.

Layla Anwar, Who am I ? The eternal Question . Have not figured it out fully yet . All you need to know about me is that I am a Middle Easterner, an Arab Woman - into my 40's and old enough to know better. I have no homeland per se. I live in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Egypt simultaneously ... All the rest is icing on the cake. An Arab Woman Blues Blog /Copyrights reserved, 2006-2007