Namaste Mofo hits the Urban Dictionary
or, “All PR is good PR, where PR = PUNK ROCK”
For every thousand kudos, well-wishes and heartfelt smiles that Namaste Mofo™ has garnered in these 3 years online, at street fairs and on t-shirts and bumper stickers which YOU are walking and driving around proudly displaying… for every thousand good vibes, only ONE crap-ass comment comes up. Here’s the latest one:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Namastucker
We made it to Urban Dictionary! …and they just don’t get it.
Namastucker: A portmanteau of Namaste and Mother Fucker conveying a feeling of contempt for behavior regarded as incongruent with the values relating to the practice of Yoga.
Keywords: namaste, asshole, yoga, douche, motherfucker
Bret: What’s up with that douche selling the Namaste Mofo tee shirts? I hear the name is even trademarked!
Sally: Just another Namastucker capitalizing on Karma.
DUDE. I just got called a douche! AWESOME!
The thrust of this term — and its adorable example of usage — is that, because I have a) combined a term used in yoga to connote reverence and inclusion with a wholly offensive term of profanity; b) slapped a ™ on it so as to protect my brand (not the term); and c) am selling things with this motto on it, that all of this is incongruent with yogic values.
First, I want to talk about the “capitalizing on Karma” thing briefly: When we break even someday, then you can talk to me about capitalizing. And, tell me you don’t shop LuluLemon or Gaiam or buy Yoga Journal. Fuck you.
Next, you clearly don’t know what Karma is.
Most importantly, can we agree that we are human and that rare among us is an enlightened one (certainly not one who posts such a divisive term to Urban Dictionary) and that yoga is a PRACTICE and hence practitioners are not, by definition, perfect? How is it wrong to acknowledge the human parts of us that are not perfect, that we get angry, at ourselves and/or others and may need to swear a little? It is exactly that holier-than-thou “yogic” attitude that needs to hear this:
In absolutely no uncertain terms, Namaste Mofo™ stands for speaking one’s truth, for embracing the complexity and multiplicity inherent in any individual, and for not giving a shit about what anyone else thinks.
And we get a lot of positive feedback for it. We’re resonating with a lot of people out there, and we’re grateful for their understanding and embrace.
And if you don’t get it, then YOU are the people we are talking to. To YOU, we say it loudest: NAMASTE, MOTHERFUCKER.
We mean it, both words: We understand that you want to be One with the universe, but you don’t see that you and us, we’re connected too. We are punk rock, and we understand who we are. We just wish you could be honest with yourself, and go easy on your not-perfect parts. So we use profanity, to shake you up. We know it seems incongruent, but we want you to THINK about it.
We honor the Namaste part just as much as the Mofo part, and we keep our senses of humor and humanity. We don’t truncate it into your fugly, cowardly portmanteau that pretends to be more ‘congruent,’ more yogic. You are merely hiding the profanity in the contraction, even though you still intend the contempt…
Now, that’s not very yogic of you, is it?
I am grateful to you, Vahe Katros, for posting something so ridiculous, and giving me the opportunity to state again, with more venom, what I already said in the site’s FAQ (which you obviously didn’t bother to look at).
I hope I get some hits — and maybe even some business — out of it.
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
To the owners of this company:
I must say that your product is highly offensive to Hindu culture. If you had even the slightest respect for the purpose and meaning of yoga then you would have thought twice before creating such a product.
You have paired holy and ancient Sanskrit words next to modern day American trash street talk. And you market this irreverent mix on T-shirts, which you then sell to people to parade around in public and at yoga studios. Did you ever consider the impact you would have on society when you conceived of such a product? While insulting and mocking Hindus, you normalize this sort of cultural jabbing among people.
How can you place the lotus flower on a Middle Finger???? What would people say if a company placed a Christian Cross, or sacred words such as “amen” on shirts next to offensive words? You may argue that you have every right to produce this garbage, and that you do. But I must submit that you are promoting cultural ignorance.
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Thank you, Rohit, for your comment. I appreciate your view and the energy it took to find me and post your viewpoint.
As I have staked out some space on the web for my views, I’m also respectful enough of those of others (see FAQ & WTF pages, and also my post above) to give yours some air space here too.
Namaste,
E.