For many Indian Liberals (A label I reject even though Im on the same page as them on most issues) - Jingoism is Bad (and yes, it really is) but ONLY when Indians do it. But if our more regressive neighbors use it to appear more progressive & even superior, lets appreciate & encourage them. >:( Such Double Standards >:( When Satya Nadella became Microsoft CEO or when Kailash Satyarthi won the Nobel Peace Prize, many liberals in India (and me as well) credited only them for those victories as it was their individual achievement and rightly so. All Indians taking credit in their victories was crass jingoism since all those people didnt achieve anything on their own and pride is for what one achieves on his/her own. But now a few Pakistani women have earned some big awards/prizes and some of us liberals are making all Pakistani women look special & Pakistan look like a progressive society. Such Double Standards >:( [ For the uninitiated, Im talking of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy who won an Emmy award in 2010 and an Oscar in 2013 for two of her Documentaries and of course, Malala Yousufzai who was recently declared the recipient of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. And finally, the Pakistani womens Cricket team winning Gold in the recently concluded Asian Games] Im sure many of these Dum Dum Liberals would have never heard of Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to win the Oscar (Best Costume Designer) back in 1982 for her work in Richard Attenboroughs GANDHI. Anyway, fact is, neither Pakistan nor Pakistani woman are special just because they now have some world-class achievers. Or for that matter, any other country. And Pakistan surely has Not become any UTOPIA FOR WOMEN or LIBERAL VALUES. Remember, its not Safe for Malala and thats why shes living in the UK now, the same way Pakistans first Nobel laureate Abdus Samal (an Ahmadiyya Muslim) had to. But yes, both Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (both Oscar & Emmy winner) and Malala Yousufzai are indeed special and they (and not their country or race) deserve all the praise & appreciation. And as for cricket, well less than a dozen countries in the world play that game. And in Asia there only 4 major cricket teams - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. So thats a pretty inconsequential achievement in my humble opinion. A Victory in a Football, Hockey, Basketball or Volleyball tournament, now that really wouldve been something big. Anyway, hope some of my liberal friends dont get infuriated by this or take this personally. Im attacking a mindset here, not any individual. Instead, they should introspect and realize that the same moral standards need to be applied to everyone in the world. Jingoists, Ethno-centrists & Chauvinists everywhere deserve nothing but Flack. But if you are selective in your contempt for them, youre not really a LIBERAL. P.S. Anyone who feels that Im some Born-again-Patriot or closet Right-winger - GET A LIFE.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:24:47 +0000
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