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My country

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by carl24, Aug 16, 2010.

  1. dubyu tee eff

    dubyu tee eff
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    Thinks he has a chance with Christina Hendricks...

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    Things have certainly been different since 9/11. Before that day, I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of Americans couldn't locate Pakistan on a map. Suddenly, after that and other events put muslims in general and Pakistan front and center. I was in the northeast so my experience was likely colored by this, but honestly, the general reaction was more of curiosity and befuddlement than outright contempt. Most people couldn't begin to understand what it was that made terrorists do what they did. A lot of people would just ask me questions about islam. Most people were also quick to understand the analogy of al-queda:islam and kkk/nazi's,etc.:christianity. Overall, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Sure some people were pissed and a family member or two had some negative experiences of racism, but it was nothing egregious.

    I've traveled quite a bit too. And I even have a beard. But again, nothing egregious. Sure I've been "randomly selected" a few times. I've been questioned about my visit to Pakistan pretty much every time I've traveled since. It's understandable. But I've never been unfairly treated or had any official become aggressive or impolite in any way at all. Just a couple of extra questions.

    Pakistani people have been really unfairly treated by the media. It always annoys me to see how every picture in every news source is of ugly bearded men with faces contorted in anger, or the even more ridiculous, little kid holding a gun. If I could sum up Pakistani people's attitude toward all this it would be apathy. We're talking about a country where so much bullshit has happened for so many years, most people have generally stopped giving a shit. I have family living in Karachi, and when the taliban made it down there, they were laughed out of town. They thought they could impose religious rule and people laughed it off like they do the police. As I'm sure you've read, the Swat region has actually felt the power of the taliban. To the people up there the taliban are just another group of people looking for power and their negative impact has been the nuisance value they create for businesses and everyday life. The average person from the region is just majorly annoyed that now they have another group of men with guns roaming around telling them what to do and getting in fights with other groups of men with guns making business impossible. The average person in Pakistan is like the average person in any third world country. They are just trying to survive. They could give two shits about sharia law or ideological conflicts. They just want to make a decent living for themselves and their families.

    A general piece of knowledge to always keep in mind is that the media exaggerates.....everything. Take whatever you see/hear/read and turn the volume down from 10 to about 3-4 and you'll have a more accurate model of reality.
     
  2. Aetius

    Aetius
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    So... why do you hate America again?
     
  3. Disgustipated

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    Terrorist Insurgent Board. Think about it.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear ASIO knocking on my neighbour's front door.

    ASIO is our version of the CIA. They're knocking on my neighbour's door because they have a slight reputation for being incompetent. But hey, at least they're not Victoria's police force.
     
  4. LessTalk MoreStab

    LessTalk MoreStab
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    I was depressed a few years ago so called the Depression Help Line, apparently it has been outsourced to Pakistan. I told the guy I was having suicidal thoughts, he got exited and asked if I knew how to drive a truck. Bastard.
     
  5. dubyu tee eff

    dubyu tee eff
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    Thinks he has a chance with Christina Hendricks...

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    Alright I apologize for obfuscating the real reason in that long winded post. We're just jealous.
     
  6. MoreCowbell

    MoreCowbell
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    Is your beard as awesome as this guy's?
     

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  7. dubyu tee eff

    dubyu tee eff
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    Thinks he has a chance with Christina Hendricks...

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    If only. Actually you'll see those beards pretty often. A lot of older men when their beards turn white, instead of using hair dye which is expensive, they use henna. The result is the fire beard. Often you'll see these men riding scooters which makes their beards split down the middle and fly off to the sides. It is pretty awesome.

    My beard is a bit more in tune with Mr. Ismail on the left.
     
  8. Disgustipated

    Disgustipated
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    I was born in New Zealand. Most people think it's bullshit when I tell, since I've been in Australia since I was 3 and have no "exxent", unless I've been spending time around a bunch of Kiwis.

    Here's the potted guide to NZ from an ex-pat:

    1. Most of the population lives in one city: Auckland;
    2. Most of the rest of the population, particularly those in the South Island hang shit on Aucklanders;
    3. There is a vast difference in accent between the North and South Island. The quintessential NZ accent that people know is the North Island accent. South Islanders typically have a more British accent (soft, not chav). My dad was born in the far, far south and people mistake him for being English all the time;
    4. There are more sheep in Australia than in New Zealand, NZ just has more per capita. And they have to run less to catch them and fuck them;
    5. Any New Zealander that has any capacity to become famous is immediately adopted as Australian;
    6. It has no real natural predators. Any that are there, apart from a couple of birds, have been introduced. All the nasty shit went west one country;
    7. You don't fuck with the Maoris, for a couple of reasons. They're a generally lovely people, steeped in culture and family values. They're also one of the traditionally fiercest warrior races to have walked the earth. When the British came to colonise, the Maoris fought them to a standstill and negotiated a treaty. As with any race, they have their good and bad. Unfortunately, these tend to be extremes. Anyone who has seen Once Were Warriors knows what I mean. A couple of months ago my dad, brother and I went back to Auckland to scatter my mum's ashes and, unannounced, we went and found the Maori lady we'd lived next door to 30 years ago. She welcomed us in like we'd only seen her yesterday;
    8. Maoris in gangs should be avoided at all costs, unless you're with someone who can vouch for you;
    9. In the North Island, check out Rotarua. It's a town a couple of hours south east of Auckland that is famous for its hot mud and thermal pools. They actually are fairly impressive. If nothing else, you can check out a town that is famous for smelling like a rotten egg fart; and
    10. Don't bother with any of the Lord of the Rings tours. The Hobbit village has been demolished, and many of the location shots were composite. So, when you go on the tour you get a lot of "this was the foreground in X shot" or "this was the midground in Y". Then you've got to piece it together yourself mentally. Not worth it.
     
  9. Stealth

    Stealth
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    The Lebanese gangs are slowly affiliating themselves and becoming members of Biker gangs like the Hells Angels.

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...t-chaouk-funeral/story-e6frg6nf-1225905809845

    I have very little respect for the Lebanese in Melbourne and particularly in Sydney , the amount of trouble they attract and the problems they create are far out of proportion in comparison to their relatively small numbers.

    Ohhh and they should stop inbreeding as well ... we all know that marriage between cousins is common.
    It ain't healthy.
     
  10. Sicnevol

    Sicnevol
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    Disturbed

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    I lived in Japan for a while, what did you want to know?