this isn't very convenient

[bossymarmalade]

Just in case any of y'all were led to believe that using the word "slumdog" to refer to Indian people is fun, jokey slang, please ... don't.

http://navia.livejournal.com/220989.html

http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/02/26/slums-are-for-lovers/

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/n/i/top_stories/2867/ (ETA: I include this last one for his account of the term being used, not b/c I necessarily agree with his views on Mumbai.)

Comments

[ms-nerd.livejournal.com]

When I saw the title to the movie, I couldn't believe it! The best is Oprah shouting SLUMDOG, SLUMDOG, SLUMDOG when she had the stars of the movie on her show and I'm all "but..." oh well.

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

SHE *WHAT* OMG

I swear, Oprah is just losing her damn grip on appropriate responses more and more every day. I saw that one where she was talking to a girl from Mauritania who was explaining that women are expected to be heavy there, to the extent that some women were taking veterinary drugs to put on weight and how diabetes was a real problem, and all Oprah could do was sing, "I'M MOVING TO MAURITANIA, MAU-RI-TAI-NI-AAAAAAA!" and I was like, what the fuck, lady.

[embitca.livejournal.com]

Oprah is completely self-absorbed and pretty much always has been. Even all of her charity work is designed to just bring her as much fawning and kudos as possible. I really find her loathsome.

[ms-nerd.livejournal.com]

LOL!!! I know! She was so full of glee about the movie and I'm all "Oprah, you need to get some people that will tell you the truth - not what you want to hear mkay."

In an aside to this, I've seen a few people here and there who were commenting how "gross" the movie was because of how the people in the poor sections of Mumbai live. I'm all THAT'S HOW IT IS FOR THESE PEOPLE!! The whole world does not live on cul-de-sacs and hang out at Starbucks. Ugh, I can't even deal with people with no fucking clue.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

The PBS piece about the movie (or perhaps it was the bbc... it was ON pbs at any rate) right before the oscars actually did a pretty good job on that point - they went to the areas where the movie was set and were like "hey, look! Not faked! Is really like this!"

(Now I think about it, it must have been the bbc. The reporter had that dry British 'you people are all MORONS if you think this is romantic' tone to his voice.)