America War Paar Da! (Look at that American War!)

Via zuky, I journeyed over to ultrabrown, where this video protest song caught my eye and ear.

The juxtaposition of comedy, biting commentary and tragic footage strikes home.

Ah, American moral leadership.  Did we ever have it?  Or is it, as in our own individual lives, moments of clarity and humanity, moments where we are our best selves but then we go back to our emotional conflicts, neuroses, fears, and can’t really look in the mirror and call ourselves heros?

I like this video because, as good agitprop should, it makes me look at reality with a different view.

And without further ado:

Whaddya think?

UPDATE Here’s a link to the performer, by Kannada singer B. Jayashree— now when I look at the pic there, this woman looks a lot older than the one in the video, so I could be entirely wrong about this — tho I don’t think I am.  How’s that for not making sense?  wOO hOO!

21 comments

Skip to comment form

  1. Gimme a pony.  Lots of ponies.

    • pfiore8 on November 9, 2007 at 18:02

    and bordering on brilliant synopsis of who we are

    the only friends i could turn to days after 9/11 were those from China, India, and Europe. they got it and weren’t afraid to let me pour out my fears about what was being sold to us

    listening to miles, btw…

  2. It was so happy in its biting criticism!

    It made me think of a song I heard on the radio yesterday, by Ani Difranco

    your next bold move

    coming of age during the plague
    of reagan and bush
    watching capitalism gun down democracy
    it had this funny effect on me
    i guess

    i am cancer
    i am HIV
    and i’m down at the blue jesus
    blue cross hospital
    just lookin’ up from my pillow
    feeling blessed

    and the mighty multinationals
    have monopolized the oxygen
    so it’s as easy as breathing
    for us all to participate

    yes they’re buying and selling
    off shares of air
    and you know it’s all around you
    but it’s hard to point and say “there”
    so you just sit on your hands
    and quietly contemplate

    your next bold move
    the next thing you’re gonna need to prove
    to yourself

    what a waste of thumbs that are opposable
    to make machines that are disposable
    and sell them to seagulls flying in circles
    around one big right wing
    yes, the left wing was broken long ago
    by the slingshot of cointelpro
    and now it’s so hard to have faith in
    anything

    especially your next bold move
    or the next thing you’re gonna need to prove
    to yourself
    you want to track each trickle
    back to its source
    and then scream up the faucet
    ’til your face is hoarse
    cuz you’re surrounded by a world’s worth
    of things you just can’t excuse

    but you’ve got the hard cough of a chain smoker
    and you’re at the arctic circle playing strip poker
    and it’s getting colder and colder
    everytime you lose

    so go ahead
    make your next bold move
    tell us
    what’s the next thing you’re gonna need to prove
    to yourself

  3. several outstanding videos – financed by the Global Fund for Women

    This is ONE of the many reasons I think this site should have a video strategy

  4. Is there a CD? I live near a world beat music store, I’m going to check this out, thanks Nightprowlkitty. Maybe the singer is B.Jayashree and the dancer is someone else, the link seemed to say that it was a troupe, Twyla Tharp style. 

  5. http://www.youtube.c

  6. But have a bunch O’ Poni anyway!Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Comments have been disabled.