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Your concerns addressed: Ricky Martin seeks end to Arab stereotypes
EFLOn his first visit to the Middle East, Ricky Martin declared he will try to change negative perceptions of Arab youth in the West. ...hanging by my thumbs. "I promise I will become a spokesperson, if you allow me to, a spokesperson on your behalf. I will defend you and try to get rid of any stereotypes," the 33-year-old singer told youngsters from 16 mainly Arab countries at a youth conference on Monday. "I will do for you, what I did for Latino men! You will all look really fem when I am done with you." The children, ages 14 to 16, expressed concern about being labeled as "terrorists" by the West. Soon they will express concerns about looking effeminate. "I have been a victim of stereotypes. I come from Latin America and to some countries, we are considered 'losers,' drug traffickers, and that is not fair because that is generalizing," said Martin, who was born in Puerto Rico. Not quite the same as murdering innocent men, women, and children... "Those comments are made out of ignorance and we have to sometimes ignore the ignorant, but we also have to educate the ignorant. You have me here as a friend," he said. And who are your new friends Ricky? Martin, whose hits include "She Bangs,""Shake Your Bon-Bon" and "Livin' La Vida Loca," posed for photos with fans, at one point draping over his shoulders a traditional Arab kaffiyeh headscarf with the slogan "Jerusalem Is Ours" written in Arabic on it. Oh, those friends! (Emaphasis mine.) Shake your Bomb-bomb! Posted by: DragonFly 2005-07-25 |
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