Johana P. Martinez
Jeannina Perez
WST 3015
April 5, 2010
Baghdad Burning Monday, September 29, 2003
Sheikhs and Trbes
On this blog, Riverbend talks about the different types of Sheikhs and tribes there are. She begins by explaining how marrying a cousin is not as popular as it used to be in Baghdad and other cities surrounding them. Riverbend talks about the history of a Sheikhs and how each one of them is responsible for their tribe. Also how the word marrying your cousin is term is refer as, everyone who is not your grandparents siblings, aunts or uncles, are your cousin and you can marry them. The duty of the Sheikhs is to take care of his tribe, by settling disputes, if they are about war or marital arguments. Even though the Sheikhs words isn't the law most people of his clan will follow what they are told to do. Riverbend goes on telling how this leader of the clan will pick up an orphanage and take him as his own. She then begins talking about how how after the occupation of Irak, Jay Garner met up with leader, religious figures and Sheikhs to propose that they support the Americans. According to the Sheikhs when the americans invaded, bombs were thrown to their houses killings their wives, parents, children etc. It is true what the reading on the "Living in a Globalizing World." when war break out perhaps one of the most far-reaching effects of war is the normalization of violence in everyday life (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 504). Riverbend tells us about customs in this blog in particular, when she explains how foreign countries like the United states tend to have a misleading perception on leaders of clans. The United States believe that these leaders might all have to be part of a terrorist group or are working with other leaders to attack the states, but Riverbend states is that these leaders are highly respected they are look upon as someone with wisdom, and are there to settle arguments as mention before, that instead of having these misconceptions we should learned to understand someones culture.
With Riverbend i would characterized her blog as personal and political. She writes both her experience as well as the politics behind it. For example in the blog about will work for food, she talk about a women who was trying to help her company since she was an electrical engineer, but because of being a women she was denied to not help, and since she didnt like the answer they gave she protested, and an army came in to her house open fire and killed her (Riverbend529). This is an example of the politics in her blog as well as some of her own experince as being lucky to b enot important or else you are a target to the militia. It seems that because of Riverbends blogs, she is telling us what really goes on on that side of the world, how women are being treated and how media portrays things that are usually in correct or misinformed.
Work cited:
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women and the Military, War, and Peace, Women's Studies. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010.3-18.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq(203-04)-Excerpts. Women's Studies. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010.3-18.
Riverbend. "Sheikhs and Trbes." Web log post. Baghdad Burning. 29 Sept. 2003.
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Jo, I also fond Riverbend's posting to be a personal but political narrative. Her simply being in the setting she is, I cant imagine it not being political. She tells the world the sides of this war and situation that are hidden from us. I had no idea that, that was the kind of treatment going around. Riverbend enlightens me politically but also draws me in with her narrations and personal input.
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