Why I won't be cheering for Shahid Afridi anymore

[MooshMoosh]

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn: whats going on here?:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

Babies can be cute sometimes, I just find your avator so cute.

 

[dray]

Middle class women need to work as well because their husband dont earn enough to support the family especially if they have big family.

I didn't know that, I know a lot of families including within my family where men & women both work in very good positions and earn good money. And why shouldn't they work? They get educated to waste it inside kitchen only?

I never met any indian women who is working because she enjoy work especially after having childrens. Independence and freedom come from money you earn not from working daily with same fixed routine.

[/QUOTE]

Both men and women enjoy work if the work is as per their liking, or maybe if the work is his/her hobby/passion also. In many cases people (both men & women) do work which is not as per their liking, but pays well. Women are not very different from men in this regard.

 

[Leader]

dont know if she is his wife or NOT but in the other pic where she is covered up she is TALLER than this lady

Anyway whats wrong in dressing like that inside your own house?

its a personal choice. dress the way she likes.. wear skirt or shorts, none of my or Afridi or anyone's god damn business !!

Who knows may be she is family friend. Prove to me that she is wife of afridi, if she is so modren then there must be some interview with her on youtube.
Shahid afridi family are very strict on pardah, they dont allow journalists interviewing their women.

I just googled, you claimed her to be a journalist first.. this is not my point, it was yours.

and yes Afridi comes from a narrow-minded origin.. point being if he can be a begot and defend his conservative values, why cannot a woman do the same? like the way you guys abused Alia Chugtai is itself a proof of how chauvinist you guys are, which is least to say very shameful !

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

Exactly. So it would be wrong to portray it as only applicable to women, nah?

Read it again. I said it was true for men as well

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

I didn't know that, I know a lot of families including within my family where men & women both work in very good positions and earn good money. And why shouldn't they work? They get educated to waste it inside kitchen only?

Both men and women enjoy work if the work is as per their liking, or maybe if the work is his/her hobby/passion also. In many cases people (both men & women) do work which is not as per their liking, but pays well. Women are not very different from men in this regard.

Only elite or ,may be upper middle class do work for fun or enjoyment . Middle class and lower middle class do it for money out of necessity. Have you ever thought why people leave their country and family to go abroad and do same job over there which they were doing in their own country? Its because they are getting more pay in foreign countries. I was talking about huge population who made up of middle and lower class. I never said that women should not work but instead i said its great if they do but i was saying that most of our working women prefer to stay at home but have no choice of staying at home. Its all depend on your financial circumstances and people make choices according to it and they don't make choices based on what they like or wish. I wish to stay at home. Can i? No. There are days when i don't wish to go for work? Can i? No. Passion don't last long but needs does until you die

If educated woman stay at home and spend more time with kids and husband, it don't mean she waste her education. To get salary at the end of month is not the only purpose of education. She guide and educate her children which is great task. Working women struggle to give enough time to their family. I know many professional who are struggling to manage both kids and jobs. Its not easy to work 8/9 hour and then go home with smile on your face and try to handle the pressure/responsibilities come from kids. If some women can do both without sacrficing their career or family life then salute to them

 

[Zarvan]

"Why I wil still be cheering for Shahid Afridi"

So we have been seeing a social-media originated out-cry on Shahid Afridi’s views on women. I happened to skim through a blog on the website of one of the leading English Newspaper in Pakistan. The lady was clearly upset and angry with Shahid Afridi and declared that Mr. Afridi cannot have her “allegiance” and from now on she won’t be cheering for Shahid Afridi anymore.
First things first. Shahid Afridi is a cricketer. His views on women or minorities or the LGBT community do not matter. They don’t matter because he is not a public office holder. He is not a politician. He is not a member of any legislative assembly, making laws. And he’s not a social commentator or a columnist. He is a cricketer and he should be judged and discussed purely on his cricketing merits. I personally think the anchor conducting the interview was out of line when he asked Afridi the question about his views on women playing cricket. He was interviewing a cricketer not somebody who preaches his ideology and moral values on public forums.. Personal views of Shahid Afridi are exactly that. Personal. That TV anchor was clearly looking to get an interesting response and he even tried to rile Afridi up by saying “I personally think its (women cricket) very good.” Afridi being Afridi is always blunt and honest. He fired back with his raw opinion on the matter.
The issue here is not about Afridi’s views on women. They may be right, they may be wrong. That’s a separate debate. The issue here is that his personal views are irrelevant because he is a sportsman and not somebody who’s personal views will affect any of us. If Afridi was a member of the parliament or hosted an opinion-making TV show, then yes, his views will be judged and debated. He is a cricketer and should be judged as one. There is absolutely no reason or justification to vilify Shahid Afridi the cricketer. He is a celebrated sportsman revered by million and millions of people in Pakistan and all over the world. Sports is above politics, prejudices, personal preferences and opinions which have nothing to do with sports. Whatever Shahid Afridi's opinions (once again, they might be right. They might be wrong) on women are, he is not trying to impose them on anyone. He is not campaigning for anything. He is not calling for any laws or ordinances to be passed. Whatever his opinions are, he did not voluntarily share them with anyone rather they were almost concocted out of him by an unprofessional and irresponsible TV anchor. If you watch the video clip objectively, you will notice that Afridi even says "Thank you", as if to convey to the anchor "Ok thats enough of this now. Move on".
I am sure if somebody conducted interviews on personal prejudices of all the sportsmen (and sportswomen) in Pakistan (Cricketers, Hockey Players, Squash players, Kabaddi Players etc.) the “social media justice brigade” will find out that they won’t have anyone to “cheer” for. Why? Because many of these sportsmen (and sportswomen) will not meet the acceptable criteria of civilization and enlightenment of these justice-vigilantes. And the reason this doesn’t happen often enough, and the reason it should never happen is because personal prejudices of sportsmen (and sportswomen) is none of our business. They are not an acceptable topic of discussion with sportsmen (and sportswomen). This is not their area of expertise and TV anchors and journalists should have the basic common sense of asking relevant questions. Asking Afridi about his views on women is the same as asking Bilawal Bhutto about his views on the legality of Floyd Mayweather Jr’s Shoulder-roll defense technique in boxing. It’s irrelevant. Its like using the "philosophy" in Katy Perry songs for your academic thesis. Its not katy perry's fault. Its your fault for using something for what its not intended for.

We should reserve our judgment on their prejudices for when and if they are in a public position or running for a position that might affect us. Right now Shahid Afridi is a respectable cricketer and he deserves all the respect and support from us Pakistanis. And nobody has the right to try to wield an ax on his stature as a cricketer by declaring that he doesn’t deserve our support now. If he ever sells himself as a politician or a public figure then yes you question and berate him all you want. But not right now. He is a Pakistani cricketer, and every Pakistani should stand by him and support him in his cricketing failures and laud him in his cricketing successes. What he thinks personally and what he teaches his daughters is off-limits to us, for discussion. It’s his personal prerogative. We have no business questioning his parenting and implying that he will not be a good father to his four daughters. He is responsible for his own family and not answerable to any of us.

It is unfortunate to see that a vast majority of our educated blog-reading population had their delicate sensibilities rattled by a casual and off-handed comment. A comment that he was asked to make, not what he wanted to make. Even if you cant resist the urge to picture Shahid Afridi as someone who will forcibly send every woman in Pakistan to kitchen, you still have to keep in mind that if you dont agree with someone, you try to convince him, not attack him and take him to the cleaners. Its always better to win people over rather than run them over by self-righteous concept of morality. It is a shame that we have started to demonize a national hero just because his personal opinions (which have absolutely no affect on our personal lives) are different from us. Simple fact of the matter is, he is a cricketer. Nothing less, nothing more (for now at least). Take him as such.

Regards,
A Pakistani Cricket Fan

 

[Secur]

So , will anyone mind telling me , what did Shahid Afridi say in the first place to elicit such emotional response ?

From what I know and from what I was told by muslim women around is that hijab is a symbol of modesty and nobody is forced to wear it or should be forced to remove it.

Neither is it compulsory or obligatory and nor can it be forced . It is mostly well a cultural and personal preference , though forced sometimes by extremists .

Hijaab or no hijaab is not the problem. Problems is the mindset. To notice that someone is wearing or not wearing hijaab, you have to look at her. Ask these psychopaths, when the Prophet (PBUH) has already prohibited to look at na-mahram women, why do they look at her in the first place? To notice that she is wearing hijaab or not?

Is it the " First Gaze " argument , sir ?

 

[Levina]

So , will anyone mind telling me , what did Shahid Afridi say in the first place to elicit such emotional response ?

try this video

Neither is it compulsory or obligatory and nor can it be forced . It is mostly well a cultural and personal preference , though forced sometimes by extremists .

Thanks for reinforcing my belief.

 

[Secur]

Quite unfortunate that the national star thinks like that . I strongly disagree with his statement that the women should be restricted to kitchen ( deduced from his original statement " Our women have a lot of taste in their hands and they make excellent foods " in response to the interviewer question of " Girl's under 19 trials are happening in Peshawar , how much are you in favor of that ? Does your heart wish seeing their teams and women going forward with sports ? " and replying " Thank you , you have your answer " when the person went defensive and said " I asked a general question " ) . These sort of statement represent the conservative , male chauvinist , narrow minded and old - incompatible with modern world - mindset of women remaining inside home and acting as baby making factory . It might be possible to explain this by Shahid Afridi's background which is extremely religious and in opinion of sticking to old and traditional values and way of life , I am afraid that some of that may have still crept and remained after so many years of fame and fortune . It is also very disturbing to see some member's response of abusive and irrational posts either outright abusing a person's personal opinion about Afridi's statement about women or trying to bring in culture or religion as if it supports such mindset/thought pattern when clearly the Pakistani society has shown in general , that it doesn't . The legend despite not intending to , may have offended a lot of people with his remarks though .

What people need to remember though is that this is Shahid Afridi's personal opinion and not something he is trying to propagate or force upon others . It is not something he is trying to pass into law or encourage for the society . So as long as it remains as such , there is nothing wrong with that and I fail to see any reason to react strongly or for his opinion to carry any weight or needed to be taken seriously . He is entitled to his opinion and I can tell you he's a wonderful person not to mention - a loving father and great cricketer .

Now coming to the woman who wrote this , I believe that she has overreacted and taken more from it , than was intended by saying " She won't be cheering for Afridi anymore " or refuses to " buy 10 Jersey ever again " though she is entitled to her opinion and even if someone disagrees , he/she must respect it as merely her opinion . What people should remember before blindly accepting or endorsing anything from their heroes and stars and going into a fan frenzy like the sort I have seen here , that even they are mere mortals , prone to errors and mistakes and like all humans , carry bias and prejudice . They just might be different than the ideal human figure , we all have in mind . So , despite the thing you may like/love someone on the field , it doesn't mean that agreeing/disagreeing with something he/she said off the field should be considered as a disrespect to his/her performance/services by someone else or even by you YOURSELVES . Try to be balanced in your approach .

 

[cyphercide]

Read it again. I said it was true for men as well

?

This is your post in entirety:

Some of them are forced into work because they have no other choice..how many women in India will prefer to Go for work if they were given option to get same amount of money sitting at home..i know many professional women who prefer to sit at home but cannot because of many expenses

And if you do realize that the same holds true for men, why make the distinction or even ask such a question in the first place?

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

You did not get it. Most of our women work because they need money not because they have passion for work and this is true for most guys as well

?

This is your post in entirety:



And if you do realize that the same holds true for men, why make the distinction or even ask such a question in the first place?

Discussion was about women thaswhy i mentioned women . you did not read my next post

You did not get it. Most of our women work because they need money not because they have passion for work and this is true for most guys as well

 

[cyphercide]

Discussion was about women thaswhy i mentioned women . you did not read my next post

It wasn't a mention, you asked a pointed question to Indian women knowing(apparently) fully well the same holds true for men. It would negate the entire purpose of asking such a question unless you were expecting a "duh" response from them.

Either way, it was merely an observation.

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

It wasn't a mention, you asked a pointed question to Indian women knowing(apparently) fully well the same holds true for men. It would negate the entire purpose of asking such a question unless you were expecting a "duh" response from them.

Either way, it was merely an observation.

Its not wise to pick just one post. Read all my posts and then make opinion

 

[Levina]

Afridi Rejects Sexism Claims ‹ Newsweek Pakistan


AFRIDI REJECTS SEXISM CLAIMS




Manan Vatsyayana—AFP

CRICKETER CLAIMS PEOPLE WHO ARE JEALOUS OF HIS SUCCESS IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED ASIA CUP TOOK HIS COMMENTS OUT OF CONTEXT.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi on Friday sought to bat away controversy over comments he made about women’s cricket, saying he had been quoted out of context.

The big-hitting 34-year-old came under fire this week after TV footage circulated of him commenting on the cooking skills of women in response to a question about women’s cricket. Afridi insisted his remarks had been taken out of context by people who wanted to bring him down after his recent heroics in the Asia Cup. Earlier this month Afridi hit last-over sixes to help Pakistan beat India by one wicket and then smashed a 25-ball 59 to help chase down a 327-run target against hosts Bangladesh.

“I am shocked to listen all the stuff and read some on the social media,” said Afridi. “It was a five-month old interview and my half answer was put on the net, which I feel is an attempt to malign my popularity.”

Afridi, who hails originally from the deeply conservative tribal areas along the Afghan border, said he had always backed the women’s game. “I have been a big supporter of women’s cricket and if you ask our women players they will let you know how I tried to get sponsorship for them,” he said. “There are a few people who are jealous of my popularity and they try to find something controversial against me. A big number of my fans are female and I have always respected them and tried to accommodate them whenever they want support.”

In the footage, taken from an interview with ARY news channel in October last year, Afridi is asked whether he thinks Pakistani women should play cricket. “Our women have great taste in their hands and they cook very tasty food,” he replied.

Former international women’s player Kainat Imtiaz gave the star her backing. “He [Afridi] has always been a great supporter of women’s cricket and whenever we used to cross paths in the national academy in Lahore he helped us and encouraged us,” she said.

But once the clips of the interview went viral on social media, there were strong reactions from women’s organizations and analysts, condemning Afridi for relegating women to the kitchen. Activist Mehnaz Rehman said the remarks represented a typical attitude in Pakistan, which remains a patriarchal and at times misogynist country.

“It will take years to change our men. Men display and get their abilities recognized at all levels but when women do this they discourage them,” said Rehman, regional director of Aurat Foundation. “It will stop women’s progress and a celebrity like Afridi should not give such remarks.”

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

^ chaloo now @levina is happy that she can play cricket. Why we wasted 22 pages ?