Interesting Views of Pashtuns held by Non-Pashtuns

[Shamaar]

I wanted to start this thread so people could compile some of the interesting views they've found other people hold of Pashtun culture. I'll start:

A family friend said that he found Pashtuns are indiscriminate of other Pashtuns social standings. No matter if you're a doctor, engineer, charsi, laborer or whatever, Pashtuns will always congregate with other Pashtuns above anyone else.

This got me thinking of my university days and I feel it's correct. No matter what kind of people they were, if they were Pashtuns we'd all stick together.

[khushal]

Many of my Desi friends say that they are under the impression that pashtuns have a high temper. But they have not noticed it in me.

They also tell me that sometimes they are afraid to be with me when we go out to a restraunt, as if there is an argument with someone else, That the pashtuns are known to strike no matter how many people he is against, and they fear they might be caught in the cross hairs. They make me laugh some of the stuff they say.

Pashtuns will always trust other pashtuns above others because of pashtunwali. Even if there is badi between two pashtun families, they will always unite against outsiders and after that they will continue their badi until resolved.

[eyeliner]

^ true, i have seen when there is badi......pashtuns will reunite against outsiders. Everyone that i know go on about how pashtuns are trustworthy and loyal. But pashtuns have a slightly bad reputation.......because of the things they get upto. lol

[Amir al Ghaznavi]

without going into too many details, in my eventful experiences with the opposite sex, lets just say Ive gotten alot of attention from desi women because Im Pakhtun

[Shamaar]

^^ Lol @ both of you.

Though, desis definitely take the cake when it comes to radical beliefs about our species.

[eyeliner]

^ they dont look at themselves thats why

[khushal]

In Pakistan, all I've heard is negative sterotypes. In Pakistan we are the jungle people. We are considered hot headed, mentaly challenged and incompetent chowkidaars by many. All jokes of Pakistan especially on cell phones revolve around us.

No, I believe your wrong. Most desis envy pashtuns. They envy our honesty, the we are straight forward. They envy our morals, our respect for others, our hospitality for others. They envy our courage.
Some may joke about us but its because they envy us.

[Amir al Ghaznavi]

Amir what do you mean? Please tell us more.

out of respect for some of the sisters i will avoid details

it usually works like this

Desi girls: where are you from
Me: Im Afghan
Desi: Pathan?
Me: Its pronounced Pakhtun
Desi: Whats your name
Me: Dont worry about my name, call me Khan Saheb
Desi: *giggles* Im not gonna call you Khan Saheb even though you look like one
Me:
Desi :
Me:
Desi girl:

[Khan Gul]

No, I believe your wrong. Most desis envy pashtuns. They envy our honesty, the we are straight forward. They envy our morals, our respect for others, our hospitality for others. They envy our courage.
Some may joke about us but its because they envy us.

More than thirty years ago I was watching a Pakistani T.V. program where a mother was trying to educate her child about the peoples living in Pakistan. The dialog went like this:

Mother: This is Punjab. The heart of Pakistan! Here lives Punjabis – the lions!
Mother: This is Sindh. Quid-i-Azam… (and talks a good deal about him in exaggerated reverence)
Mother: This is Baluchistan. Baluchis live here…
Mother: This is NWFP. Pathans lives here
Son: Oh Pathans! Our chaukidar? Who eats Naswar?

And our humiliation continues. I Need not go into more detail for Afghanlady said it all.

[As-Salaf As-Saalih]

Our honesty and our sincerity is why we love Islam so much.

[SinghIsKing]

More than thirty years ago I was watching a Pakistani T.V. program where a mother was trying to educate her child about the peoples living in Pakistan. The dialog went like this:

Mother: This is Punjab. The heart of Pakistan! Here lives Punjabis – the lions!
Mother: This is Sindh. Quid-i-Azam… (and talks a good deal about him in exaggerated reverence)
Mother: This is Baluchistan. Baluchis live here…
Mother: This is NWFP. Pathans lives here
Son: Oh Pathans! Our chaukidar? Who eats Naswar?

And our humiliation continues. I Need not go into more detail for Afghanlady said it all.

I am not pashtoon but I have seen a similar community in eastern part of India which is also very brave but commonly referred as Choukidars. That community is "Nepali Gurkha". I hate this type of arrogance shown by people but this perception of Gurkha has been embedded in people's mind.

[tor_khan]

I hate to take the fizz out of the party, because whilst it's true that on college campuses in North America, the UK and other places, being Pashtoon means that Desis project upon you a kind of exotic awe - they admire your skin and hair, blah, blah and all this is very flattering, it is, sorry to say, very short-lived and rather shallow.

At this juncture, the Pashtoons are, on the whole vilified. The Americans and their backers know they are fighting a war with Pashtoons. Let's say it so that we can begin to unpick the reasons why (for another thread, I hasten to add). And that is half the world. Closer to home, to the Indians and Pakistanis to the east we're savage fools and to the Persians we're equally despicable. Those of us who moved to the Indian plains, for example, and adopted Indian ways, also looked back upon their cousins in the hills and the valleys as savage or at best through rose-coloured spectacles. The latter take "pride" in their stock - the stories of being tall and fair - the increasingly forgotten stories of our chivalrous past.

The trouble is, this is not the key to our progress and survival. This comment is more to do with being someone else's fantasy. We shouldn't allow ourselves to be duped or impressed by a few words about being tall, fair and read-headed.

Survive we will, because our genes will be passed on, but when we think of the price that this comes at - to abandon our people in the hills and villages because they are scruffy-faced, unstylish, stubborn and uneducated then we let ourselves down.

What others think of us is important to a point because the world, its politics and its economics are interrelated. What matters more, however, is whether we care enough about ourselves and each other and if we are able to galvanise enough power so that we're able to shape our own futures without being held ransom to the opinion of Bollywood, PTV and everything else that deserves a huge pinch of salt.

[Amir al Ghaznavi]

well ive done my part to uphold my peoples ghairat. the desi and persian women i have dispatched speaks volumes

[Shamaar]

I hate to take the fizz out of the party, because whilst it's true that on college campuses in North America, the UK and other places, being Pashtoon means that Desis project upon you a kind of exotic awe - they admire your skin and hair, blah, blah and all this is very flattering, it is, sorry to say, very short-lived and rather shallow.

I have to say I agree wholeheartedly with this. As soon as they get the impression that you've warmed up to them, they'll hit you with the gay jokes and keedar jaati hais.

[IamDZJ]

^ they dont look at themselves thats why

what you did right there was no different than what they do everywhere.