Marvelous Maliha

This TedTalk was really touching. A friend shared it a while back but I didn’t get around to watching it and instead saved it in my favorites and forgot about it (I meant to get to it…eventually! and all you haters, I did eventually get to it. haha don’t ask how long ago she sent it to me lol). Yeah so I was scrolling through my favorites the other day and came across it and just watched it today.

It’s pretty short, only around 6 mins. A nice break. Ok so what I really liked about the talk was that she talked about how to best utilize public spaces to create a sense of community. After leaving Wellesley, I’ve realized how important that is, and how in the real world, in most places these days, you don’t have that sense of community. I really like the idea of shared space and using that to connect people. The different ideas she shows in her talk are really cool too!

Also, she’s from New Orleans, which is also super cool! After reading the play Streetcar Named Desire in high school, I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans! It seems like such an amazing city, so full of a rich and unique culture. :)

This is the “Gap Yah” video that became really popular a couple years ago. I was re-watching it today and it reminded me of my biggest fear, actually being someone like this.

Like I know this video is meant to make fun of people like that, but in all seriousness, sadly I’ve met a lot of people like that. People like that meaning people, often from more developed countries and privileged backgrounds who approach underprivileged communities in either their home countries or abroad in a patronizing manner. This trend is often racially divided, with whites patronizing other racial groups of color, revoking the idea of the White Man’s Burden.

However, I would like to point out that while there is a trend for white people to act this way towards others of color, I do not think that this phenomenon is limited to whites. Rather, it can occur in any group of a privileged background, regardless of race. Which is why, I, despite being a woman of color, worry about coming off a patronizing.

The thing is, of the people I have met who have come off this way, this way meaning oh let me go help these poor people because they can’t help themselves! it’s not that these people have bad intentions; rather I feel like most people I’ve met have a genuine desire to help these people. What is sad though, is that they don’t realize they are being patronizing.

This is why I think the best way to avoid becoming like that, is to be conscious of it. After seeing so many people who are patronizing like this, I try my best to think about whether I am that way too. While I try to do a good amount of self-policing, I do think the honest opinion of good friends is helpful too!

Ok I realize that post kind of came off as abstract, and for those of you who don’t know me, may not make sense. I’ll try to post more about my aspirations in a later post. That’s all for now folks! lol

So this chic is one of the biggest hijab tutorial people on youtube and I came across this video, where she talks about her spiritual journey and how she started wearing hijab. (Despite the title, it’s not about marriage! haha Muslims. ;) but yeah I just thought it was really deep and felt like I connected with it a lot because I felt like I had a lot in common with her when I made my decision to wear hijab and even just in terms of our spiritual journeys. 

Also, I just realized how opposite this post is from my last one. But if you know me, you know that’s how I roll. ;)

Btw, watch part 2 as well!