[h=1] What I learned as Captain America in a turban [/h] [h=2]When I walked around NYC in a superhero costume, I had no idea the effect it would have on strangers -- or on me
Sunday, Nov 17, 2013 05:00 PM PST[/h]Salon.com Excerpt:
On a warm sunny day in June, I stepped out as Captain America to mess with peoples perceptions of turbans and beards. This was the first time in my life I had worn a costume. Not even Halloween had tricked me into wearing one. And I had no plans of donning it again. But life has its own plans, and I found myself out on the streets again thanks to the motley crew at Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell. (Who, by the way, have been given the boot a week after airing the Sikh Captain America segment. I am ready to accept all the blame except for the stupidity of creating a new mutant FXX channel out of FX.)
Along the way I have learned a few life-altering lessons.
1) I did not know I could get hundreds of strangers to profess their love for me. Literally saying, I love this man. Who knew a skinny bespectacled Captain America in a turban with a long, sparsely populated DNA spiral of a beard could arouse such passion? To all of you I say, Thank you, but I am taken.
2) You can grow balls any time in your life, and it has nothing to do with your body size or appearance. Circumstances and people can bring out the best in all of us. Tragedies and conflicts are the most potent opportunities for change. The hate crime wave after 9/11 provided the spark for me to start creating cartoons. The massacre of six worshipers at the Sikh Milwaukee temple last year gave me a reason to get out of my own way and agree to don the Captain America uniform. How we respond to these cracks in our lifes fabric can chart a whole new course.
3) If you stereotype people, then you have fallen victim of the malady itself. To all the people who have given me advice to stay away from white Republican places like Jersey, Florida, Texas and the South, let me say this. If I had stereotyped the world the way it may see me in my turban and beard, I would never have walked out as Captain America. Stop projecting your insecurities. There are many good people all over America despite the political labels we wear. Intolerant asses reside all over the place. New York has its fair share. This Captain America is not a limited time offer in select locations. I was not transacting a deal. I was trying to make a connection with people. Thanks to the Army officer, Haitian American mother, woman who remembered her brief childhood encounter at a dance event with a turbaned boy in Detroit, woman from San Francisco who was inspired to dress herself and her boyfriend as Captain America, countless others who shared with me their memories, insecurities and moving encounters. Together we create super-heroic worlds.
4) Little ones, sorry to burst your bubble. I know you are very brilliant growing up with all the smart gadgets and know Santa Claus does not exist. But you should know that one of the most powerful tools today is coded in little 1′s and 0′s at a very basic level by super-smart people; some of you might call them geeks and nerds. Communication systems, weaponry, utility grids to just about everything you see and use are crafted by computer-controlled machines. Put simply: Superheroes with special powers come in all sizes.
5) This one is for brown people. Stop riding the coattails of the victimization of black people at the hands of white people. Racism can be both personal and/or institutional. Racism is also an equal-opportunity employer. Racists exist in all communities. You dont know the **** South Asian brown people sometimes say about black people. I do, since I have grown up in a South Asian household. Look at the bright side and see what we have in common. We are all susceptible to the perils of racism regardless of our backgrounds.
End Excerpt
I think he looks pretty cool. He's no weirder than any other people who dress up in hero costumes, except not knowing what cosplay is, that is kinda weird...
Sunday, Nov 17, 2013 05:00 PM PST[/h]Salon.com Excerpt:
On a warm sunny day in June, I stepped out as Captain America to mess with peoples perceptions of turbans and beards. This was the first time in my life I had worn a costume. Not even Halloween had tricked me into wearing one. And I had no plans of donning it again. But life has its own plans, and I found myself out on the streets again thanks to the motley crew at Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell. (Who, by the way, have been given the boot a week after airing the Sikh Captain America segment. I am ready to accept all the blame except for the stupidity of creating a new mutant FXX channel out of FX.)
Along the way I have learned a few life-altering lessons.
1) I did not know I could get hundreds of strangers to profess their love for me. Literally saying, I love this man. Who knew a skinny bespectacled Captain America in a turban with a long, sparsely populated DNA spiral of a beard could arouse such passion? To all of you I say, Thank you, but I am taken.
2) You can grow balls any time in your life, and it has nothing to do with your body size or appearance. Circumstances and people can bring out the best in all of us. Tragedies and conflicts are the most potent opportunities for change. The hate crime wave after 9/11 provided the spark for me to start creating cartoons. The massacre of six worshipers at the Sikh Milwaukee temple last year gave me a reason to get out of my own way and agree to don the Captain America uniform. How we respond to these cracks in our lifes fabric can chart a whole new course.
3) If you stereotype people, then you have fallen victim of the malady itself. To all the people who have given me advice to stay away from white Republican places like Jersey, Florida, Texas and the South, let me say this. If I had stereotyped the world the way it may see me in my turban and beard, I would never have walked out as Captain America. Stop projecting your insecurities. There are many good people all over America despite the political labels we wear. Intolerant asses reside all over the place. New York has its fair share. This Captain America is not a limited time offer in select locations. I was not transacting a deal. I was trying to make a connection with people. Thanks to the Army officer, Haitian American mother, woman who remembered her brief childhood encounter at a dance event with a turbaned boy in Detroit, woman from San Francisco who was inspired to dress herself and her boyfriend as Captain America, countless others who shared with me their memories, insecurities and moving encounters. Together we create super-heroic worlds.
4) Little ones, sorry to burst your bubble. I know you are very brilliant growing up with all the smart gadgets and know Santa Claus does not exist. But you should know that one of the most powerful tools today is coded in little 1′s and 0′s at a very basic level by super-smart people; some of you might call them geeks and nerds. Communication systems, weaponry, utility grids to just about everything you see and use are crafted by computer-controlled machines. Put simply: Superheroes with special powers come in all sizes.
5) This one is for brown people. Stop riding the coattails of the victimization of black people at the hands of white people. Racism can be both personal and/or institutional. Racism is also an equal-opportunity employer. Racists exist in all communities. You dont know the **** South Asian brown people sometimes say about black people. I do, since I have grown up in a South Asian household. Look at the bright side and see what we have in common. We are all susceptible to the perils of racism regardless of our backgrounds.
End Excerpt
I think he looks pretty cool. He's no weirder than any other people who dress up in hero costumes, except not knowing what cosplay is, that is kinda weird...
