Wait, did you seriously just go there?
Aug. 8th, 2009 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypsosSo I was procrastinating (yes, again) and I was looking through Amazon for a good dance workout DVD. (If anybody's got a good one that's Bollywood or Latin music, uh, any chance I can get a copy? *puppy dog eyes*)
Anyway, I was looking at a Bollywood one and read this ... ahem, review.
Christians Beware - Fun Workout Marred by Idolatrous Backdrop
After having used this Bollywood video workout several times and enjoying the moves on their own, I must say that I find the focus on the idolatrous Hindi deities in the background a major turn off and distraction. As a devout Christian, I find the blatant and frequent display of two pagan religious icons in this video backdrop offensive.
I love East Indian culture for the most part - I love to eat curries and I adore making unusual clothing with sari fabrics. But I despise idolatry of any kind - especially the misplaced use of it in a video supposedly designed as a light-hearted and fun workout.
For a while I also studied classical Indian dance, which this Bollywood dancing workout has not the slightest resemblance to. Back then, I was a Christian as well, but thankfully the teacher did not have any idols in her dance studio. But when I finally performed in an East Indian dance show with my class, I was horrified by the huge many-armed statue of Shiva in the back of the stage with incense burning in front of it.
Needless to say, it was the last time I danced in one of their shows, though I do have a great deal of respect for the intricacies of Indian classical dances. For this reason, I doubt that I will use this video much, and may soon be looking to sell it here. It's a regrettable thing, because without the idols and the demonic looks occasionally flashing out of Himalaya's eyes, this video would have been a keeper.
Oh, thank God she mentioned eating curries, or else she might be an intolerant bigot!
*headdesk*
Reading that made my brain hurt.
*
Okay, answering some of the questions from yesterday's meme:
From![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
conuly: Top five anthropomorphic animals
1.Brian (Family Guy)
2.Miss Piggy (The Muppets)
3.The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4.Tigger (Winnie The Pooh)
5.The Gummi Bears (The Gummi Bears) – They have a better theme song than you will ever have. Trufax.
Frommadripoor_rose: Top five disaster movies
1.The Poseidon Adventure: My favorite of all-time. I know it from beginning to end and could watch it over and over again. I usually pair it up with The Towering Inferno and Earthquake (which I still have to get on DVD) … ah, my holy trinity. :D
2.Daylight: Yes, yes, I know. It's shit. And Sylvester Stallone is shit in it. But I'm terrified of tunnels – I have to close my eyes going through them because I get paranoid if I see missing tiles or cracks or anything – and that's one that genuinely scares the crap out of me, at least on some level.
3.Knowing: It's terrible and I loved every minute of it. Plus, bonus points for actually ending the planet. Good movie, here's a cookie.
4.Dante's Peak: Pierce Brosnan is pretty, isn't he?
5.2012: I'm prematurely adding it to the list for two reasons – it looks like they'll actually destroy the planet in this one, and it also looks like they're going to go ahead and blow the Yellowstone Caldera. I'm planning my LIFE around this movie. It's my thesis. \o/
And oh, my God, I gave up on The Storm after Teri Polo got killed off. Which sounds like such a lame break-up mark. It's like saying she was the best thing about it which, HA.
Fromseferin: Top five sex scenes
1.When Kyle and Sarah finally sleep together in the first Terminator.
2.Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie going at it in Mr. And Mrs. Smith. (Yeah, yeah.)
3.Zach showing up at Shawn's place and jumping him in Shelter.
4.Pretty much the entire running time of Out of Sight.
5.The threesome in Y Tu Mama Tambien. That was hot. :)
Fromfortuna_juvat: Top 5 people the Doctor needs to have sex with. (To be fair, I should point out that I only know New Who, so for those of you who are more seriously into Doctor Who, I apologize before answering. ;))
1.Sally Sparrow. Okay, actually I just want her to come back and be a companion. She was awesome.
2.Madame du Pompadour, of course.
3.River Song. I seem to recall the general fandom opinion on her being a thumbs-down, but whatever, I loved her.
4.Donna. Mostly I just want her to come back yesterday. And stay.
5.Jenny. (What? I'm a SPN fan. Hello.)
And before anybody responds to this list, yes, I'm a spoiler whore, so whatever you're about to tell me, I probably already know. ;)
Fromapiphile: Top Five Moments When You've Yelled Something Like "OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE CHRISTIAN STOP THAT". [VL] (Heeeeee.)
It goes a little something like this ...
1.“Christian! Oh, for fuck's sake, Coco is awesome, please stop treating her like an ignorant beard even if she sort of is one.”
2.“Christian! Stop being a clogged douchenozzle to your boyfriend in front of Wolle, you JACKASS.”
3.“Christian! You put that bat down, get the fuck away from Axel, and go back to your fucking boyfriend, goddamn it!”
4.“Christian! Stop sulking over having to skim the damn fountain and pick up the damn classifieds. FUCK.”
5.“Christian! You stop drinking everything in sight, and OMG GET YOUR FUCKING TONGUE AWAY FROM MIRIAM'S TONSILS YOU TOOL!”
Fromanenko: Top five characters you'd want defending the Earth in case of an alien invasion and/or the natural disaster of your choice.
1.Anybody played by Will Smith. I mean, really, at this point …
2.Wendy Watson and the Middleman (The Middleman) – Hey, they're a team, and a damn good one, so I'm counting them as one.
3.Jack Harkness (Torchwood) – I know, I know, but you can't say he wouldn't do the hard stuff to save the planet if need be.
4.Aeryn Sun (Farscape) – In case of alien invasion, I want someone who will go in guns blazing, no matter what. Aeryn did it while in LABOR, for fuck's sake.
5.Nate Ford (Leverage) – Smart, capable, sneaky, and a great leader. I want him in charge.
Fromkouryou: Top Five Sidekicks that You Would Totally Sidekick for When They Go Pro.
1.Mr. Boy (Sky High)
2.Ando (Heroes)
3.Harley Quinn (Batman)
4.Donna (Doctor Who)
5.Mitch (The Long Kiss Goodnight)
*
I need someone to come to my house and yell at me to write, because everything else is just not working. Who wants to come to my house and smack me about the head with a rolled-up newspaper? *sigh*
Anyway, I was looking at a Bollywood one and read this ... ahem, review.
Christians Beware - Fun Workout Marred by Idolatrous Backdrop
After having used this Bollywood video workout several times and enjoying the moves on their own, I must say that I find the focus on the idolatrous Hindi deities in the background a major turn off and distraction. As a devout Christian, I find the blatant and frequent display of two pagan religious icons in this video backdrop offensive.
I love East Indian culture for the most part - I love to eat curries and I adore making unusual clothing with sari fabrics. But I despise idolatry of any kind - especially the misplaced use of it in a video supposedly designed as a light-hearted and fun workout.
For a while I also studied classical Indian dance, which this Bollywood dancing workout has not the slightest resemblance to. Back then, I was a Christian as well, but thankfully the teacher did not have any idols in her dance studio. But when I finally performed in an East Indian dance show with my class, I was horrified by the huge many-armed statue of Shiva in the back of the stage with incense burning in front of it.
Needless to say, it was the last time I danced in one of their shows, though I do have a great deal of respect for the intricacies of Indian classical dances. For this reason, I doubt that I will use this video much, and may soon be looking to sell it here. It's a regrettable thing, because without the idols and the demonic looks occasionally flashing out of Himalaya's eyes, this video would have been a keeper.
Oh, thank God she mentioned eating curries, or else she might be an intolerant bigot!
*headdesk*
Reading that made my brain hurt.
*
Okay, answering some of the questions from yesterday's meme:
From
conuly: Top five anthropomorphic animals 1.Brian (Family Guy)
2.Miss Piggy (The Muppets)
3.The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4.Tigger (Winnie The Pooh)
5.The Gummi Bears (The Gummi Bears) – They have a better theme song than you will ever have. Trufax.
From
madripoor_rose: Top five disaster movies1.The Poseidon Adventure: My favorite of all-time. I know it from beginning to end and could watch it over and over again. I usually pair it up with The Towering Inferno and Earthquake (which I still have to get on DVD) … ah, my holy trinity. :D
2.Daylight: Yes, yes, I know. It's shit. And Sylvester Stallone is shit in it. But I'm terrified of tunnels – I have to close my eyes going through them because I get paranoid if I see missing tiles or cracks or anything – and that's one that genuinely scares the crap out of me, at least on some level.
3.Knowing: It's terrible and I loved every minute of it. Plus, bonus points for actually ending the planet. Good movie, here's a cookie.
4.Dante's Peak: Pierce Brosnan is pretty, isn't he?
5.2012: I'm prematurely adding it to the list for two reasons – it looks like they'll actually destroy the planet in this one, and it also looks like they're going to go ahead and blow the Yellowstone Caldera. I'm planning my LIFE around this movie. It's my thesis. \o/
And oh, my God, I gave up on The Storm after Teri Polo got killed off. Which sounds like such a lame break-up mark. It's like saying she was the best thing about it which, HA.
From
seferin: Top five sex scenes1.When Kyle and Sarah finally sleep together in the first Terminator.
2.Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie going at it in Mr. And Mrs. Smith. (Yeah, yeah.)
3.Zach showing up at Shawn's place and jumping him in Shelter.
4.Pretty much the entire running time of Out of Sight.
5.The threesome in Y Tu Mama Tambien. That was hot. :)
From
fortuna_juvat: Top 5 people the Doctor needs to have sex with. (To be fair, I should point out that I only know New Who, so for those of you who are more seriously into Doctor Who, I apologize before answering. ;))1.Sally Sparrow. Okay, actually I just want her to come back and be a companion. She was awesome.
2.Madame du Pompadour, of course.
3.River Song. I seem to recall the general fandom opinion on her being a thumbs-down, but whatever, I loved her.
4.Donna. Mostly I just want her to come back yesterday. And stay.
5.Jenny. (What? I'm a SPN fan. Hello.)
And before anybody responds to this list, yes, I'm a spoiler whore, so whatever you're about to tell me, I probably already know. ;)
From
apiphile: Top Five Moments When You've Yelled Something Like "OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE CHRISTIAN STOP THAT". [VL] (Heeeeee.)It goes a little something like this ...
1.“Christian! Oh, for fuck's sake, Coco is awesome, please stop treating her like an ignorant beard even if she sort of is one.”
2.“Christian! Stop being a clogged douchenozzle to your boyfriend in front of Wolle, you JACKASS.”
3.“Christian! You put that bat down, get the fuck away from Axel, and go back to your fucking boyfriend, goddamn it!”
4.“Christian! Stop sulking over having to skim the damn fountain and pick up the damn classifieds. FUCK.”
5.“Christian! You stop drinking everything in sight, and OMG GET YOUR FUCKING TONGUE AWAY FROM MIRIAM'S TONSILS YOU TOOL!”
From
anenko: Top five characters you'd want defending the Earth in case of an alien invasion and/or the natural disaster of your choice. 1.Anybody played by Will Smith. I mean, really, at this point …
2.Wendy Watson and the Middleman (The Middleman) – Hey, they're a team, and a damn good one, so I'm counting them as one.
3.Jack Harkness (Torchwood) – I know, I know, but you can't say he wouldn't do the hard stuff to save the planet if need be.
4.Aeryn Sun (Farscape) – In case of alien invasion, I want someone who will go in guns blazing, no matter what. Aeryn did it while in LABOR, for fuck's sake.
5.Nate Ford (Leverage) – Smart, capable, sneaky, and a great leader. I want him in charge.
From
kouryou: Top Five Sidekicks that You Would Totally Sidekick for When They Go Pro. 1.Mr. Boy (Sky High)
2.Ando (Heroes)
3.Harley Quinn (Batman)
4.Donna (Doctor Who)
5.Mitch (The Long Kiss Goodnight)
*
I need someone to come to my house and yell at me to write, because everything else is just not working. Who wants to come to my house and smack me about the head with a rolled-up newspaper? *sigh*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 08:59 pm (UTC)"I like foreign culture when it's something pretty or tasty that I can consume, but how dare they have a different world view than me! I demand the right pick and choose only the parts that are palatable, keep the rest away from me!"
It would probably be less offensive if she didn't point out how she likes curry and saris, and that's saying something. It's such a classic example of cultural appropriation.