Hadji Girl...
is nasty, stupid, sadly revealing,and and an abhorrent flashpoint. I promised myself I would take a walk before going to work, but curiosity got the better of me (might kill this cat after all) and looked up the reaction. Very interesting. I don't have time to do a reaction round-up but needless to say, it appears rather divided into "this is disgusting" and "yeah, man, hoorah!" The both reactions are predictable, with a number of people calling it racist (which I think it is) and others treating it as so much war-time humor.
What is disturbing, is the Anti-Arab sentiment that accompanies the 2nd set of opinions as well as the idea that blowing someone away simply because you're the Marines is not only permissable but preferable.
WTF?
More importantly than general stupidity and a sense of murderous entitlement, the reaction reveals a very deep sense of superiority and moral suspension. When the Abu Ghraib scandel broke, a number of people (including the news station where I worked - and you know who you are) dismissed the whole thing as a) lockeroom level pranks, and then as things got slightly more graphic, b)well-deserved treatment that got a little of hand, and then, c) confused appalled silence followed by grateful grasping of the bad apple theory.
And these are supposedly educated, somewhat urbane (as much as that is possble in my area of SoCal) people.
And people ask how war crimes, etc, happen in Iraq? It's because people back home don't have a problem with that kind of behavior. Think about it. A lot of people think the song is funny, and a number of the posters have no problem with the actions described there in.
Why is that?
Which brings us to the "lyrics" (such as they are...)
And this is supposed to reflect well on the Marines? How?
Belile says he meant it as a joke. Fine and good, but the problem with the lyrics is that Haditha happened in November, Ishaqi happened in March (the same month this lovely performance was immortalized on tape), more incidents have occured recently and countless others are alleged by Iraqis from the invasion onwards.
So, what kind of a joke, is this?
The racist kind that says you and your life don't count as much as mine?
The kind that says, ha! if you think you're safe in your own country, in your own house, think again, man, I'm a marine!
The kind that says human decency, the general US expectation that our armed forces aren't some kind of legitimized thug gang or government run death squad, are so much civilian delusions?
Just what is so funny here?
See two posts down for the link to the video and listen to it yourself.
I am so disgusted I have to take a walk.
What is disturbing, is the Anti-Arab sentiment that accompanies the 2nd set of opinions as well as the idea that blowing someone away simply because you're the Marines is not only permissable but preferable.
WTF?
More importantly than general stupidity and a sense of murderous entitlement, the reaction reveals a very deep sense of superiority and moral suspension. When the Abu Ghraib scandel broke, a number of people (including the news station where I worked - and you know who you are) dismissed the whole thing as a) lockeroom level pranks, and then as things got slightly more graphic, b)well-deserved treatment that got a little of hand, and then, c) confused appalled silence followed by grateful grasping of the bad apple theory.
And these are supposedly educated, somewhat urbane (as much as that is possble in my area of SoCal) people.
And people ask how war crimes, etc, happen in Iraq? It's because people back home don't have a problem with that kind of behavior. Think about it. A lot of people think the song is funny, and a number of the posters have no problem with the actions described there in.
Why is that?
Which brings us to the "lyrics" (such as they are...)
Hadji Girl
I was out in the sands of Iraq
And we were under attack
And I, well, I didn't know where to go.
And the first think I could see was
Everybody's favorite Burger King
So I threw open the door and I hit the floor.
Then suddenly to my surprise
I looked up and I saw her eyes
And I knew it was love at first sight.
And she said
Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
Hadji girl I can't understand what you're saying.
And she said
Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
Hadji girl I love you anyway.
Then she said that she wanted me to see.
She wanted me to meet her family
But I, well, I couldn't figure out how to say no.
Cause I don't speak Arabic.
(but how he figures out she wants to take him home is unclear- since he doesn't speak Arabic- but he is willing to go along which is a)stupid and b) suspicious- does he think he is going to get some?)
So, she took me down an old dirt trail.
And she pulled up to a side shanty
And she threw open the door and I hit the floor.
Cause her brother and her father shouted
(and not "shot" as is widely blogged about- nobody shot anybody until our Marine did)
Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
They pulled out their AKs so I could see
And they said
Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
(notice they did not aim them, shoot, hit him with them, etc. And think about it, with all the house searches, dead civilians because the marines screwed up, why would a home owner NOT react to an armed foreign soldier in his doorway?)
So I grabbed her little sister and pulled her in front of me.
As the bullets began to fly
The blood sprayed from between her eyes
And then I laughed maniacally
(ok, this Marine, who is supposedly supposed to be of a higher caliber, acts like a common thug and uses someone as a human shield, probably knowing this person will be shot, then laughs about it.)
Then I hid behind the TV
And I locked and loaded my M-16
And I blew those little f***ers to eternity.
And I said
(so let me get this straight- he is armed, follows some local girl back to her house,has a confrontation with her father and brother, uses the sister as a human shield and then takes over the family's house and kills them all. He initiates the contact that proves fatal for this family.)
Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
They should have known they were f***ing with a Marine
And this is supposed to reflect well on the Marines? How?
Belile says he meant it as a joke. Fine and good, but the problem with the lyrics is that Haditha happened in November, Ishaqi happened in March (the same month this lovely performance was immortalized on tape), more incidents have occured recently and countless others are alleged by Iraqis from the invasion onwards.
So, what kind of a joke, is this?
The racist kind that says you and your life don't count as much as mine?
The kind that says, ha! if you think you're safe in your own country, in your own house, think again, man, I'm a marine!
The kind that says human decency, the general US expectation that our armed forces aren't some kind of legitimized thug gang or government run death squad, are so much civilian delusions?
Just what is so funny here?
See two posts down for the link to the video and listen to it yourself.
I am so disgusted I have to take a walk.
