Well, ain’t this some fabulous reporting from the New York Post (Thanks, Nina):
If you were in Manhattan yesterday, you might have thought an enemy force had taken over the island and severed the East Side from the West.
The invaders were not al Qaeda, but the Pakistani Parade and Festival, which stormed Madison Avenue from 23rd to 41st streets; the Daytop Village Street Festival on Madison from 42nd to 57th; and the Church of the Good Shepherd street fair on Third Avenue from 23rd to 34th.
The occupying armies ate up 45 blocks in the city’s heart from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus time before and after to set up and take down.
I’m consumed by a wrath which makes me want to kick something. An enemy force? A festival which STORMED Madison Ave? Are you kidding me?
This little bit of ignorant commentary is all yours thanks to a Real Estate/Opinion writer named Steve Cuozzo. The title he chose for his piece is awesome:
SLEAZY, STINKY, CHINTZY STREET FESTS ARE MORE FOUL THAN ‘FAIR’
Granted, Cuozzo was referring to three different events while frothing-at-the-ass, but to mindlessly lump in another culture’s Independence Day with a mere street festival wasn’t very bright, considering the purpose of the lumping. Celebrating Pakistani Independence is sleazy, stinky and chintzy? Foul? I’ll tell you what’s foul: sloppy writing, ignorant thinking and pure disrespect. Perhaps this “journalist” thought he was being snarky; maybe he imagined that his choice of words gave his opinion piece that edgy, blunt, rudeness that naive people include in their stereotypes about the city I love most. Perhaps, he is simply a jackass. Whatever his reasoning or purpose, he is wrong. He is offensive, inappropriate and ignorant. And he does not speak for me, or any of the several hundred New Yorkers I know and love.
Real New Yorkers are just that– real. They’re not jerks taking potshots at a community which contributes plenty to the luminous energy the city marinates in. Immigrant communities from every corner of the globe are exactly what make the big apple taste so addictively extraordinary.
New York’s difference is its strength.
Shame on Steve Cuozzo and shame on the New York Post for publishing such garbage in the first place. I seriously doubt that this paper of no record would have either the inclination or the testicular fortitude to print similar if it were covering the Puerto Rican day or St. PatrickÂ’s day parade. The fact that the New York Post isn’t respected or taken seriously may be true, but it’s also irrelevant; Cuozzo’s words remain unacceptable.
I think the fundamental problem we are having here is the fact that you appear to agree with the concept of “collective guilt”, ie. that entire groups are responsible for certain actions purely because they share some affiliation with the guilty party (whether it’s nationality, religion, ethnicity, or anything else).
No you got it wrong. I am not saying that a ethinic group should take responsibility of the crime commited by some from the same ethnicity. The group didnt elect these guys and hence isnt responsible for their action. But if you elect goverenments which for a long period(say more than 25 yrs) support terrorism, And you never ever protest against it, Then i do feel some responsibility lie at your door. I hope i am making myself clear enough here. This place is filled with brown bigots who cant get another point of view and will resort to name calling.
Jai Singh, Also read about my first post on this topic. I never said all Pakis support Jihad against India. I said a majority of them do as without majority’s support governments cant be found. Its not 6 or 10 % of the population but much higher. Those who are opposed to Jihadi policy are very small in number otherwise their would have been protests against the actions of past govt. of Pakistan. Their have been protests against the actions of Sajjan Kumar and Narendra Modi in India. I didnt see something like that happening in Pakiland. Now if Brownies here wanna keep their eyes close, thats fine. Indians wouldnt do that. And yes negative press to Pakistan is in benefit to India. Next time there is a US govt sending millions Pakistan’s way Americans may ask question why thats happening.
Umair,
I do agree with you that uber-nationalist views tend be more prevalent among the upper middle class. Their economic class does not surprise me. I am shocked by the views they hold; even after the “education” they’ve received.
Riiiiight. As opposed to the chromatically challenged UK where brown equals Paki.
If the British gangster movie “Layer Cake” was based in the US, the brown character would have been referred to as a “slimy North Indian member of the Khalsa order” (instead of a “slimy Paki raghead”), right?
Im sikh and i say vote BNP!