Comments on: Dancehall Insurgency, Tiger Style

By: Nayana S

Nayana S — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:15:55 +0000

Hey..This bitch is also a one of those mother fucking LTTE terrorist..

By: Rowan

Rowan — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:42:56 +0000

This is a brilliant article - I ‘discovered’ the music of M.I.A. a few years ago and at first just liked the tunes, before becoming more aware of the political aspect and drawn in to finding out more about the whole situation in Sri Lanka (I don’t think it’s been widely covered by the British media). I applaud her for spreading the word through her considerable talent.

By: Noel

Noel — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:04:01 +0000

Deep stuff. Got here after being mesmerized(albeit somewhat disturbed) by ‘Paper Planes’, and went where the web took me… I was familiar with M.I.A. beforehand, and did have suspicions that a Sri Lankan living in Britain would very likely be a rallying point for all the islamist haters who love to think of themselves as the ‘disenfranchised’. I’m glad to learn more about these Tamil without being hung up on preconceptions, but post #9, Nathaniel laid out the bottom line, regardless of the new popular attitude that the whole universe in gray, blowing up random people going about their lives is what defines terrorism, and is blatantly evil. Maya is sure friggin’ adorable though!

By: Nathaniel

Nathaniel — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:12:24 +0000

Regardless of one’s personal views on LTTE, standing up and speaking out for something you believe in, as Maya does (somewhat ambiguously at times), should never be condemned. Without rational thought, peaceful negotiation, and compromise, our species is sure to not last long.

With that said, the LTTE is seriously fucked up and is most certainly a “terrorist” organization. I understand that political frustration and desperation can powerfully influence actions, but recruiting children and slaughtering civilians - fathers, mothers, priests, nuns, children - is NEVER acceptable. Period.

By: More comments on M.I.A. from the interweb « Brad tries understanding critical theory.

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:09:52 +0000

[...] the M.I.A. blog of the day goes to sepoy from Chapati Mystery who analyses M.I.A. in the context of contemporary uses of “terrorism” as a label to [...]

By: oneman

oneman — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:59:08 +0000

to post number 5, you’re ridiculous. You’re obviously confused about yourself and incompetent to your surroundings. why don’t you invistigate and back up your comments instead of accusing someone you’re just jealous of. it is great that someone can stand up for their beliefs like MIA does. now if only we had a few more people in the right positions do this. oh and great article

By: Mahatma Grande

Mahatma Grande — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 12:03:38 +0000

Wish there were more like, but whaddaya know, we’re everywhere. Most of us don’t make records, but we still have to do more than wait for these old buggers to drop dead off the top of the dunghill.

By: bulleyah

bulleyah — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

blown, sir, totally out of my mind…

By: dalal

dalal — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I’m sure that the MIA/Diplo remix of “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles fits in with this, I’m just not sure how. One thing is certain: it is flashy, trashy, junky and funky.

By: Morcy

Morcy — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

great post. All I can think to add is how the Tamil Tiger narrative is drowning out the fact that her album has flashes of political dissatisfaction that have nothing to do with aligning oneself with the situation in Sri Lanka–I’m thinking of, say, the song “10 Dollar.” It’s important to note that Maya went from one kind of oppression in Sri Lanka to another form entirely growing up in the projects in England. And though I don’t want to give too much value to her biography, her upbringing in England fuels a political worldview that places the struggles of the Tamils into a general, global narrative of oppression.

By: dacoit

dacoit — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Morcy: spot on comment, and while I understand your reluctance to treat M.I.A.’s music as a function of her biography (or as a sort of [trans]national allegory for that matter), the various forms of exclusion that she experienced in the Sri Lankan and British contexts that you note here are extremely useful in situating the grounded yet global critique of social and economic marginalization to which her music gestures.

dalal: that Bangles mash-up is def thought-provoking. Requires a completely different lens than, say, her recasting of Jamaican dancehall styles which already contain a certain vigilante ethic (she takes reggae as a political and musical form like the Clash or the Specials, as opposed to the Police). M.I.A. is all about strategic essentialism, while the original “Walk Like an Egyptian” was about marketing Orientalism. Strangely ironic to put them together, innit? A bit like combining Lynyrd Skynyrd and Goodie Mobb. Okay, not exactly, but anyway…

By: Lord Lagaan

Lord Lagaan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

What a load of rubbish.

I see this girl as a terrorist sympathiser. A girl that cannot accept failure, the music awards were a fine example. Send her back to her jungle so she could fight for her terrorist friends.