Dionne Stax

When I think about war in the Middle East, I think of an endless situation. So many people fighting and so many unpleasant things happening around there. So when I was reading this article with some news from Palestina, I really had to search for what is happening there. The Palestines are still in a conflict with Israel. At that moment I didn’t want to know more because all this war in the world got me really depressed.    

What is it?   

Dionne Stax is a host of the news at NOS. I think she is a really pretty and kind newsreader. And she has got a nice kind of fashion style. However, Dionne Stax chose to wear a blouse that afterwards went viral in Palestina.  And we don’t know if she would be happy by the reason it went viral.    

Wednesday the first of June 2016, during the nine o’clock news in the morning, Dionne Stax chose to wear a blouse with a specific design. A design that people from Palestina recognized as the Keffiyeh. The Keffiyeh is a traditional Arab headdress that in recent decades has become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.    

Why is it cool?   

Let’s start with  saying that I don’t know if it’s cool. Yet in Gaza (one of Palestina’s largest cities) it’s cool for sure, it went viral. Why? They think wearing the Keffiyeh  is the biggest, most important and most special thing someone from Europe could do. To them it is more important than a political speech or an official visit from Europe. In Gaza they see it as an act of solidarity.    

The website Alsiasi News writes that "The presenter of the main news of the Netherlands bears the Palestinian Keffiyeh pattern.” And the Alquds.com site writes: "Activists have posted the photo on social media and stressed the importance  of a newsreader wearing a Palestinian Keffiyeh print as shirt. It is more important than political speeches or official visits from Europe.”   

On the other hand, I think expressing commitment and solidarity was never the intention of Dionne Stax. I would even bet she never realized that the blouse she was wearing could have this meaning for someone. She has not responded on the incident. She did respond to a tweet though with the question where she had bought the blouse.     

Does it have future growth potential?   

It won’t cause a lot of effect I think. In Palestina it went viral, but also there, there were people who realized that Dionne Stax probably didn’t wear the blouse on purpose.  People who believed she did wear it as an act of solidarity could have poured hope out of it. Still it won’t end the war, neither will it  get in the big picture in the Netherlands. But those who know and care could react to it.    

Trends   

While reading this I immediately thought about the shift in identity of Dionne Stax without her even knowing it. People changed her identity by their opinion only and believe she cares about them. Also Technologisation and Globalisation are trends involved in this story. It’s also technology and the internet who made it possible. And this would be the globalization in the big picture. Furthermore I think “going viral” could be called a trend too. The last few years more and more stuff on the internet went ‘viral’.  It has been  looked at all over the world by lots and lots of people...    

What about the Quality of Life?   

This happening affected the emotional wellbeing and social wellbeing of the people in Palestina and of Dionne Stax.    

To my opinion the blouse of Dionne Stax looked like the Keffiyeh for maybe 10%.  The people who really believed Dionne Stax did it as an action of solidarity overreacted, I think. Not everything has a meaning and not everything you see has something to do with you. So please Dionne Stax, just keep wearing your nice clothes and reading the news!   

http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/06/03/waarom-dionne-stax-trending-werd-in-gaza    

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestina_%28staat%29    

https://www.google.nl/search?q=Keffiyeh&biw=1280&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfnaujzZDNAhXKJcAKHUE4DMgQsAQIGw   

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Stax