Ode to Punk Rock and (old) Hip Hop

Ode to Punk Rock & (old) Hip Hop

I remember delving into punk rock in the early 1980's when a co-worker at Magic Pan restaurant in New Orleans introduced me to "the Clash". Their music became mainstream later with songs like "Rock the Casbah". Like you, Punk rock for me also was an outlet of expression which helped me explore spaces and approaches outside the dominant culture. I really liked the political edge in the music, and the importance of the lyrics. For example in a speech class, I talked about another song by the Clash "Know your rights, all 3 of them". In some of the songs, the Clash (band from UK), mixed Spanish lyrics, like in the song "Spanish Bombs". This multi-cultural approach was very rare in those days.

Moving from New Orleans to Los Angeles in late 1980's, it seemed like gradually Punk Rock became more influential and moved into the mainstream. Mohawk type haircuts, hydrogen peroxide streaks in hair, sleeveless T-shirts and ear piercing became more common and then fashionable. Vietnam was fresh in the minds of Californians, so the mistrust in government and anti-war sentiments were still felt in the local culture. One demonstration of this was a bumper sticker a classmate displayed, "Question Authority". Those were the good old days. Especially after 9/11, the masses became increasingly docile, passive, apathetic and a-political. (Foucault talks about Disciplinarity and Docile bodies). In a complacent and obedient society, powerful, political and empowering music with balls, seems very rare now. And its impact is painfully missed.

In the early 1980's, on WTUL, an ad-free college radio of Tulane University in New Orleans, they started playing rap music with Run DMC's, "You Be illin'". It took 6 or 7 years for this genre to become mainstream. But the beginnings of rap music was passionate, heartfelt and powerful statements from the grassroots, on the status quo of America, including social issues, political impacts on daily life, racism, poverty, inequities, etc. It is a tragedy that rap and hip-hop mostly devolved into glorification of gangs, crime, narcissism, showing off, competition, violence, guns, drugs, pimps and "ho's".

In retrospect,  the Punk rock I was exposed to was political, leftist music predominantly from White musicians. Which later influenced the birth of a new genre of Music of the 1980's, called "New Wave". Today, Punk rock is no longer significantly popular. The other genre which started becoming popular also from the 1980's, rap / hip-hop, has been mostly music made by Black people. It has become mainstream and seems to be mostly serving the purpose of entertainment (and glamorizing the prison industrial complex). It rarely seems to make any meaningful statements, like it used to, 30 years ago. For example, Ice-T who used to sing about police brutality in 1992, now seems to be promoting thug life? Rap / Hip Hop misses countless opportunities to incorporate social and political content into the music. For example, among my frequent sources of inspirations are  amazing Black authors and researches  like Joy DeGruy, Cornell West, Alice Walker, and Black Panthers like professor Angela Davis of UC Santa Cruz. Resmaa Menakem's powerful line "Black bodies are not defective" can easily be incorporated in a good rap song.

But even popular musicians with million$ in resources, rarely employ, or get inspired by, or incorporate the work of famous Black (and other) researchers and authors. When uplifting and empowering ideas are incorporated in music, it ripples and has a moving effect which resonates and reverberates in the heart of society. For example the work of the rap artist "Immortal Technique" is a breath of fresh air. It can be said that a band like "Rage Against the Machine", draws from the elements of Punk Rock and Hip Hop. That amazing band is also painfully missed (since it broke up a few years ago). It was the voice of for example, social justice and the anti-war movement. Thank God for Music. In Urdu there's a saying: Music is Nourishment for the Soul. In addition, when music also packs a punch, it can not only move the body to dance, it can also empower a person with constructive energy, and  can light up a community to impact positive movements. In the meantime, music helps us relax and chill out

 

Ode to the Social Work Student / Intern

May you get a scholarship to a good university

May you learn in a school which uses Critical Race Theory

May you find professors who care about your well being

May you meet social work professionals who become your friends

May you get mentors who give you wings

May your training empower you to be of service where needed

May you be deemed worthy of the privileges of an intern's bill of rights

May you be protected from humiliation and oppression in your internship

May you receive fair labor wages for every hour you work as an intern

May you be assigned a supervisor who will value and honor you

May you not be made invisible because of the label "intern" applied to you

May your "superiors" not be in denial that interns are a marginalized community

May you survive the implicit and explicit biases against you

May you have realistic expectations about other social workers

May the disappointment by other social workers not cause you resentment

May you be an agent of change starting at your own university

May you get fired up and inspired in classes

May you engage in nourishing dialogue with professors and schoolmates

May you find a refuge from discrimination

May you enjoy a sanctuary free from White Supremacy

May your lived experiences be deemed as valid

May your voice be heard loud and clear

May your feelings be considered as legitimate

May your heart and soul be acknowledged

May you leave your positive mark on the lives you touch

May the hypocrisy in the field not leave you disillusioned

May the double-standards applied to you, not leave scars

May the lack of social justice in the field, not make you quit

May the travails and tribulations of the work not cause you to lose hope

May the pain not leave you drained

May the tears not blur your vision

May the burdens placed on your shoulders not get you burned out

May your sacrifices be never in vain

May you truly be an advocate for change

May you throw a monkey wrench in every system of White Supremacy

May you not become a tool of the systems of oppression

May the lack of ethics by others not extinguish your passion

May you never be made to feel like a nobody

May you be the somebody who advocates for the nobodies

May you never let the bastards get you down

May you find a circle of support where you are loved

May your reduce the gap between knowledge and implementation

May you remain steadfast and resilient in your commitments

May you advocate and educate

May you graduate and celebrate... with honors

May you be fulfilled and enriched by social work

May you serve a higher purpose through your job

May you always take the high road

May you make our world a safer place

It's All Uphill From Here - After Obama's Election

 

  

It's All Uphill from Here
By Fazeel Chauhan

as published in Pakistan Link 11-14-08

https://pakistanlink.org/Opinion/2008/Nov08/14/06.HTM 

 

On this historical moment of hope and change, congratulations! "It's all uphill from here," a colleague said this morning.

The right-wing will make attempts to create obstacles for the Obama administration. So please stay politically active. There is a chance that change will be minor, and in that case also, keep the pressure on your representatives to demand what you need.

Embodied Social Justice Summit: January 27, 2021

Embodied Social Justice - 5 day, free summit starts Wednesday January 27

On the link below, find the list of speakers, who are doing amazing work in the field of healing

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it

If only we're brave enough to be it 

– Amanda Gorman

Special Events

Nkem Ndefo kicks off the Summit  with her experiential presentation, Embodied Resilience for Sustainable Activism. This FREE online event has an amazing lineup of experts exploring questions such as:

How can we reimagine and embrace new forms of activism?

How do we take effective action in the world to respond to social justice issues?

How do we become the change we wish to see, and what does it look like from an embodied perspective?

How can we stay grounded and centered and increase our capacity for sustainable change?

Grab your spot for free here:
  https://learn.embodiedyoga.com/a/41539/joWbHcFQ

~~~

The following are other future programs at Lumos Transforms, Los Angeles

https://lumostransforms.com/about/

Calendar

Anchoring Resilience for Turbulent Times: Mondays at 12:00 PM, Thursdays at 7:00 PM, or Saturdays at 8:00 AM PST.

All About Certification with Nkem and Arrowyn| Tuesday, February 16th at 12:00 PM PST

The Resilience Toolkit Facilitator Certification Program – Cohort 10

Independence Day

                         Independence Day

by Fazeel Chauhan

8-14-93

What does independence mean to me?
It is many things: Freedom, autonomy, maturity, connectedness and open mindedness.
Our goal should be to be the best that we can be - intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Trouble is, we as human beings are very tempted by our comfort zones. We arrive at a comfortable point in life and then stop to enjoy it. This resting point represents a stagnation in our growth process. The giant sequoias, evolve from a small seedling. Their growth doesn't stop and because of their adaptability, they are able to flourish for thousands of years. Those of us who do not continue to grow, change adapt, stop evolving and perish. the chains that bind us are all the things, beliefs and excuses that stop our growth. Our goal should be to break these chains and strive to be free in the truest sense.

One essential value is open-mindedness. We need to be accepting of other people's views and feelings. Why is it that I don't see any signs on the buses here, that forbid political arguments? People don't have violent fights over politics, honor and religion here, because they are somewhat open-minded. Egocentrism, tunnel vision and narrow mindedness are signs of ignorance and fear. When children start growind, they ask why about everything. Questioning should be allowed so that people can form their own opinions. "Other" opinions that "they" have should be tolerated by "us". As immigrants, we may be viewed as different and separate. But the fact is that we are all connected. We are the same- all "one".
Discrimination is a blindfold and it is psychological genocide. There is no doubt that it exists in the world, but as individuals, we should avoid it. Somebody's last name, economical status or social status, their gender or religion should not be viewed as inferior to our own. At CSULA, on the statue of Confucious it states: "Among truly educated people, there is no discrimination". We should educate ourselves in and out of school. But there are those who are educated but still ignorant. We should allow the education and learning experiences to change us and expand our views.

This is what independence means to me. One day soon, enough of us will join hands and embrace each other, to celebrate the independence of our souls

Affirmative Action and Proposition 209

 Affirmative Action and Proposition 209

by Fazeel Aziz Chauhan

(Published in Pakistan Link  ~  10-28-96)

Is there a conspiracy against non-white immigrants? In California the same people who brought us proposition 187 a couple of years ago, are now bringing us proposition 209. It assumes that racism does not exist anymore and that Affirmative Action programs should be terminated. If the two dots are connected, I wonder what the projected ultimate goal is. If we as part of the "minority" don't vote against 209, then we are on our way to legalized racism.

Proposition 187 targeted "Illegal" aliens, denying their children education and medical care. As Dr. Hathout mentioned, "Even if a person doesn't have proper papers, I will still treat him like a human being and give him the medical care he needs." Proposition 187 attempted to legalize immoral treatment of undocumented aliens and it passed. Proposition 209 is the next step, which takes certain rights away from "legal" aliens. What's next? Separate passports based on which country a person immigrated from? Legalized racism based on your color? Currently, people with "European" features are not likely to be asked to prove whether they are legal or whether they are "American." Nobody even talks about the thousands of illegal Italians in New York. In fact, immigration from European countries is encouraged. Governor Wilson and his supporters are targeting the non-white people.

Some students have been on hunger strikes and demonstrating at the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood. This is a tradition that Mahatma Gandhi popularized. But Jackie who is an activist says that appealing to an oppressor's morality only works when he has morality. So what can we do? Believe it or not, your vote is extremely powerful. Elected officials do care about your vote. Even if you are not a citizen and not eligible to vote, you have every right to call or write to them and state how you feel. Even President Clinton responds to letters within a month. Many government officials are on the Internet and can be contacted easily if you have a computer. You can contact your local library to obtain names, addresses and phone numbers of all your representatives.

Many people, especially "Americans" say that they don't want to get involved in politics. Even though politics is a dirty business, still, we cannot escape the effect it has on our personal lives. For example, proposition 209, will affect all of us because we are a subset of non-white immigrants. Although a lot of energy is required these days to earn a good living, we should not be blind to the big picture. In politics, there is a lot of misinformation. For example, proposition 209, which takes away rights from minorities and women, is labeled as the "Civil Rights" initiative. This kind of "double-speak" can confuse even a sensible person.

Affirmative Action programs which were designed to combat racism are now being called reverse discrimination. The truth is, Affirmative Action is a sensible remedy for addressing current discrimination against people of color and women. It is a means of giving equal opportunities to people of color and women for hiring, promotion, public contracting and public school enrollment. Currently, 86% of jobs are not advertised, and are filled through word of mouth. Affirmative Action is a door opener for people who would otherwise be shut out of good schools, government contracts, and public jobs. It is not a system for hiring unqualified people. No program requires anyone to accept substandard or unqualified applicants. It is not a quota system and it is not a remedy for past discrimination. Unfortunately, discrimination continues to be widespread today. Just ask a conscious non-white person. According to Californians for Justice, Caucasian men make up 96% of CEO's, 85% of tenured professors, 89% of US Senators and 100% of all U.S. Presidents. On the other hand, people of color and women get the lowest paying and least desirable jobs. They also have much higher poverty and unemployment rates. Radio station KPFK 90.7 FM is also a good source of un-biased news and information.

Don't be fooled by Proposition 209, which they are wrongly calling the "Civil Rights" initiative. It eliminates all public equal opportunity affirmative action programs. This "Civil Wrongs" initiative offers only racial division, gender exclusion and open discrimination. The dangerously vague language also legalizes discrimination against women and girls. Does it sound like Apartheid as in South Africa? The initiative falsely assumes that the effects of past and present discrimination don't exist. It takes us back at least thirty years. Fortunately, there are groups like "Angry White Men Against Prop 209" a beautiful bunch of guys from Oakland. Please, vote against Prop. 209 on November 5th and write your elected officials to discourage them from putting such a bill on the ballot in the future

The Honorable People

by Fazeel Chauhan

(Published in Pakistan Link  ~  10-5-95)

Forty Eight years ago, millions of Muslims of the Indian Sub-continent gained their freedom. They did not want to live under the oppression of the British or the Hindus. They wanted independence and the freedom to practice their religion and culture without restrictions. Half a century later, we're still slaves. We are not independent and free. Our actions and current circumstances show that we are not living those values that the founders envisioned practicing. Corruption, injustice, oppression and civil war are the diseases destroying our country Pakistan.
The Westerners came hundreds of years ago and enslaved our ancestors. Their motive was greed of power and money. They ruled our people and stole the material goods and ancient treasures of our land. They made us conform to their thinking, laws and values and attempted to divert us away from our magnificent heritage. They used the tactics of divide and conquer to oppress and control us. The brave people who stood up to fight them were killed or bought. They were our enemies and they taught us to hate ourselves. They looked upon us as the "dirty natives." They made us learn their English language and steered us away from our own richer languages. So they brainwashed us into believing that our old traditions and native values were wrong and that it was good to be modern and westernized. We began to lose our integrity, got confused, and started becoming like them.
The British were able to come in and invade the land, hearts, souls and minds of our people because we had become weak. Specifically, we lost the values which had made us powerful, honorable people and the integrity which had kept us on the right path. When we became weak on the inside, both the devil and the British were able to conquer us.
Our forefathers dreamed that things would be different after independence. Our ancestors gave their lives to attain freedom for their future generations. They hoped that we would live happily ever after in our sacred and "Pak" land. The dream has turned into a nightmare today, especially for the people in Karachi. With so much unrest and lawlessness, nobody knows who could get killed next. So many people have guns that it has become like the wild west. Corruption is rampant in our motherland. A poor man who does not have money or connections, is powerless and vulnerable. Freedom of speech means that a person may be killed if he says what he really feels. The basic human rights that we enjoy in America have to be bought and sold in Pakistan. We are still weak because we still allow ourselves to be divided and conquered.
Part of the problems in Pakistan is the covert operations of outside forces like the CIA. We should learn planning skills from the British, Americans and Jews. Their planning is for the next five hundred years. The imperialist British said "We will not only conquer their lands and minds, we will rule their hearts and souls for generations to come." Today, many generations later, our hearts and souls are slaves to the west. A Caucasian man told me proudly "Don't fool yourself. Just because the British flag was replaced by the Pakistani flag in 1947 does not mean that you are free. Any imperialist government still rules the colonies even after granting them "independence.""
The language we are communicating in today is English. It's difficult to communicate feelings and emotions in this language. For example, there are so many different words for love in Urdu. But English is a necessity in today's world. That's fine, but what's really repulsive is when in Pakistan people proudly and abundantly use English words in their Urdu conversations. The more "westernized" a person looks, the more respect and admiration he gets. Today, a popular song is "Goree". Why is white considered more beautiful? Is it because we believe the Caucasians who told us that we are the "dirty natives" and the whites are godly?
Religion and spirituality are very personal things which are between a man and his God. Yet so many people are oppressed in the name of religion. In Pakistan, many people are not educated enough to properly interpret and analyze the teachings of a religion. The people are threatened not to question "religion". The biggest enemy in our culture is self-righteousness. There are so many egocentric people who think that only they are right and everybody else is wrong. They have no tolerance and are threatened by a difference of opinion.
Twenty years ago a boy was born in Karachi. At a very young age he started having dreams in which the great heros of the world appeared to him. Men like Tipu Sultan, Hazrat Imam Hussain, Nelson Mandela, Bob Marley and Allama Iqbal would talk to him in his dreams. They urged him to be a righteous man and lead his people out of their miserable state. For several years, he strengthened his spirit. Then he started teaching people the ancient ways to make them honorable again. He asked these people of integrity to join him and formed a movement called the "Honorable People".

About a million of these warrior souls are now working for human rights in Pakistan. Their values are rooted in their own rich and ancient eastern heritage. These men and women do not compromise their principles and choose death over slavery. These humanitarians are united and are willing to give up their lives to wrong the rights in Pakistan. They will jump off a cliff before taking a bribe. They are not hypocrites or jealous of others. They protect and empower women and children. They ensure that the poor and needy also get the same basic human rights as everybody else. They make peace among warring factions. They talk to the men who want their own little kingdoms and persuade them to join the Honorable People. As leaders of our society, they make long range plans and visualize where our society should be in five hundred years. They care about other people and are not selfish. They believe that their purpose in life is to serve other people. Will you become an honorable person to help your children? What stops you from joining the Honorable People?

Bandit Queen

by Fazeel Aziz Chauhan

(Published in Pakistan Link  ~  8-7-95)

 
"Bandit Queen" is the name of a new Indian movie. It is a true story based on the life of a famous woman named Phoolan Devi. At one point in time, the film was banned in India because of its controversial content. The movie is not just about Phoolan Devi, however, because it deals with some of the deep social issues of India and Pakistan. This is a very remarkable and socially conscious movie, which makes the viewer look inside. For the Desi viewer, the reality of this movie is hard to accept.
The film opens with an image of a young eleven year old girl. She stares right into your eyes and tells you in a powerful and assertive voice "Yes, I am Phoolan Devi..." At the end of the sentence was a common curse word. This was very unexpected and really grabbed my attention. A young, cute, innocent little girl is not supposed to talk like that. It made me sit up in my seat and I wondered "What was that." From the beginning, the movie was very disturbing. But this ugly discomfort had a very strong and positive effect on my psyche.
Another nice touch in "Bandit Queen" was that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the music composer. There was a haunting song which was sung by a child. Khan kept the music in its raw form and gave it a rough edge. Even the music was packaged in a very real way. This movie represents one of those very rare occasions when the film medium has been used to present the truth to people. Almost all Pakistani and Indian movies show us a romanticized view of life. Like tv, movies can become a drug that we use to escape from real life. We've all seen enough of these movies about fictitious characters who live in a nonexistent world, that we start expecting our real lives to be like that too. But when real life strikes us over the head, it is a very disappointing experience. Films and tv can be very powerful and motivating tools if we want to bring a positive change in the world. That is one reason why this is such an awesome movie.
In Bandit Queen, there were issues which were absolutely the truth but these were hard to swallow. The ugly realities of our society were very difficult to accept. I found myself sitting at the Nuart Theatre in Santa Monica. Almost everybody in the audience was American and there were hardly any Desi people. This made it worse. My first reaction was that I don't want Americans to see all these evil things about my culture. It will give them another excuse to discriminate and belittle us. But if our own society will not acknowledge these problems in our culture, then it might take outside observers to convince us that hey, this behavior is not right.
So what was so disturbing in this movie? It exposed the worst kind of child abuse. It slapped me to show me the severe oppression of women. It demonstrated how rich people can take poor people for granted and make their lives so cheap. It shouted of how human beings who don't have enough money or status are treated worse than animals. It screamed with the pain of women who have no choices and who have to live their whole lives like prisoners and slaves. It makes you sick about the class system which exists in both India and Pakistan.
The movie really shook me up. It woke me up and reminded me of the society that I come from. It showed me who I am. It made me realize the truths about myself and my people, which I didn't want to accept. It showed me the suffering of the masses of India and Pakistan. It reminded me of the raw, blunt and painful prejudice that my people have. Prejudice against how others look, against women, against the poor and against people who have a lower class. It is very powerful movie. If enough of us see it, then making positive changes in our society will become easier. You will realize that there are a lot of things you want to change. You will feel like taking some action to help somebody. And maybe you will follow through and do something to stop the oppression, injustice, prejudice, and other crimes against humanity. What do you feel?

Without Justice Without Peace

Without Justice Without Peace

“Them belly-full” versus “we hungry”

Masters versus slaves, since always

The haves versus the have-nots, from the beginning of time

Rich versus Poor since millennia

Religious versus non-believers since the Biblical prophets

The 1% elite versus the other 99%
The west versus the rest

The imperialists versus the third world

The colonizers versus the colonies

Look at the big picture, not out of context

Five hundred years of genocide against Native people

“The White Man’s Burden” to “Civilize the dirty natives”
Four hundred years of transatlantic kidnapping
and slavery of African Americans
The Crusades, phase one, phase two, phase three
World War one, two, three, four
On average America has been at war every year

in the two hundred year history

of military interventions around the world
Xenophobia leads to war overseas
and to civil unrest in the homeland

The biggest purveyors of global violence

Need more guns in the country versus the amount of humans
Mad cowboys can become volatile

Instigated by the racial arsonist-in-chief

Badge carrying “lawmen” can become vigilantes

And perpetrators of violence domestically

The holy police state keeps the matrix rolling
And no one sends cops to jail

The centuries old policy of divide and rule is enforced

To ensure Brown and Black people stay busy

Blaming and fighting each other

While the corrupt stay in power

And foreign corporations steal the resources of the local people
Puppets and dictators are installed and supported
Democratically elected leaders are assassinated

Or overthrown in military coups

Or ousted by economic hitmen

Threatened by 800 military bases in 70 countries

As the news media tells people to go to sleep

While the godfather’s boot on their neck pushes harder

Using a war on drugs

Or a war on terror

Or a war on Communism
Or a war on anyone

Who disagrees with the religion

called the “American way of life”

The tax payer’s dollars are used
To make war around the world

And to oppress the masses domestically
In the most homogenous society in the world

It’s like bread and circus for the romans
To party with beer, football, pets, pills and pornography
The public is told to stay away from politics

Be aloof and claim, “It’s not in my back yard,
I don’t care, screw you, leave me alone!”
Til the police state infiltrates the schools

And the streets

Where White mass shooters are extended a red carpet
And labeled as victims of mental illness

While Black and Brown un-armed citizens
Are killed in cold blood, on live camera

With billions of witnesses

And still the murderers get away

Without a slap on the wrist

When the politicians, lobbyists and CEO’s
Make millions in bribes and bonuses

They conspire to eliminate the middle-class
To kill the American Dream
To make people beg for minimum wages
Anyone who objects, ends up in a private prison
Run by for-profit corporations
Slavery is legal in jail.

Then one day, a pandemic erupts
And there is no war declared on the virus

The Pentagon’s trillion dollar budget

Can’t kill public enemy number one, Covid-19
Not professed as a threat to American security
So in the lockdown, conspiracy theories fester
Every fourth person gets fired from their job

No benefits, no insurance

No savings to pay the monthly bills
With all that pent up anger,

George Floyd’s brutal murder

Becomes a match in the powder barrel

To ignite civil unrest in 50 American cities
When the mob rules
They feel their jobs were vandalized

Justice was looted from them
They were robbed of peace
Their civil rights were violated
Their dignity was stolen
Their sense of security was shattered

So in the blowback

Sometimes

Some poor

Some powerless

Victims of a long-oppressed society
Might cross boundaries

As seen in the media

In the last days of May 2020
Yet “the revolution won’t be televised”