Friday June 15, 2007 Vol 35 Issue 24 |
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Tuesday, Sep 30, 2008
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Why I'm going nude at the Solstice Parade |
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| Why I'm going nude at the Solstice Parade | |
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by Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid -
SGN Staff Writer Okay, I'm with late night talk show host/comic Craig Ferguson, in that I'm over the mainstream media spending so much time on the whole 'Paris Hilton goes to jail' story. In fact, I'm incensed that this little bimbo is getting so much coverage and while young men and women (like the person I love), are still getting killed in a needless and far too expensive war overseas. Ah, but in a society where it seems instant fame is everything, am I really surprised that most Americans aren't questioning whether or not this is even a story (instead of complaining about her early release last week)? Not surprised, but saddened. So, letting those thoughts mull around my noggin the other night in my Capitol Hill apartment, I came up with an idea to, in my own way, make a statement about this war. I decided that at the Solstice parade, my celebration of the Solstice will also include me doffing my garb (for a few short moments), and holding up a sign that'll read: 'nudity isn't obscene/over 3,000 dead U.S. troops and over 5,000 dead Iraqi civilians is'. Sure, sure, I know that in the mayhem of nude bicyclists and wild floats, my 'statement' might be missed, or seen as 'just part of the show', but it's something I feel I have to do. For many reasons, not the least of which is that I have a soldier over there, who I'm constantly worried about and the longer this war continues, the more of a chance there is of me never seeing him again, in this lifetime. And knowing there are thousands of other girlfriends, boyfriends, lovers, family members who feel just like I do, but maybe don't have the courage or chutzpah to go nude, makes my resolve that much stronger. Not that I'm 'Lady Godiva', who protested rising taxes by her nobleman husband way back when, but I'm a person, an activist and I think the most powerful thing we all have to speak with is our bodies. And as a woman of color, who is subjugated by others who use our bodies to sell products. I see this as an act of rebellion; a statement that the media can't define who is beautiful or who gets to be seen naked, when and how. I can take back this power, and I can use that moment to protest for my beloved and so many other soldiers who are in a position of giving their bodies over to a horribly corrupt and immoral government. They don't have the luxury of protesting at a Solstice parade (where I hope SPD will be understanding and not arrest me), or of standing up against this government's use of their bodies for cannon fodder to amass more profit in already overflowing coffers out of the public's eye. But I do have that luxury, and I have an obligation to do something, to say something about what I feel is the ultimate government sponsored criminal activity: the Iraq war. Hope some of you reading this will join me too, but I hope no one is thinking of using this for a personal agenda of any kind. See you there, in the flesh, on Saturday. |
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