Chowk is 9 Today

IMO the chowks hindian and paki interactors are definately different.

hiindians: middle to Lower middle class, some peela-schoolies, more inclined to be hard-science professions, typically with indian undergraduate degrees, not living with parents, argumentative, less likely to say nice things (or platitudes), less ``balanced``, more direct and seem to care less about ``chowk`` since its a paki site anyways.

pakis: from higher strata, influencial families, grammar school, amrikan undergraduate degrees (liberal arts), even with hard-science background now working in bussiness fields, tend to say nice things to each other (mashallah janab etc) but may switch to obscenities and personal and often gang-attacks, tend to lament upon how chowk is gone bad due to riff-raff of code-coolies posting insults to pakis

Jang. You may be right. It`s definitely a wide gulf and it may be the difference in social class as you suggest. That`s exactly why I want it to be a subscription site. $100 a year is not a bad idea.

jang (putting on my psychologist hat): When did you first start noticing these feelings of inferiority? :-)

PS: Actually,you are wrong. Some of the filthiest abuses are written by those pakistanis who think their has been some goostaakhi against their arab/persian gods.

You guys - do you have to do this fake tear-fest over what you call ``abuse``?... I mean - all you guys shedding copious tears now - all of you[except for DM], at one time or the other, have resorted to the name-calling and what not... and you guys will continue to do it in future no matter what anybody says.... so what the heck are you guys whining about?...

You f***ing old coots[there goes the abuse]... take your self-righteous a$$es out of here... :) no one is interested in this regular old hag whining session that you guys do....

And what`s so bad with the so-called abuse anyway... this is a f***ing internet forum, not a town-hall meeting... so get over it...

mohar: you have deserted my camp!! no more unsolicited insults from you!! have i said something mean to you to deserve this??

sincerely,

closet mullah
:-)

and btw ... you were right that I was mistaken about your comment about Safey Qureshi. I was hasty in my judgement under attack by code coolies. I couldn`t say this then because of you know why.

Re: # 116

Ha ha ha... plain speaking..:) :)

....there you go ...(#116).....

Re: # 111 zee
[...and the saboteurs emerge ...]

Yep - this infantile old coots` tear fest has to be broken up... stop whining like fools [ there goes even more abuse] and go home... chowk is doing just fine - with or without the so-called ``abuse``...

This routine is really pathetic.... I mean - you old coots abuse each other with no end..... then you guys suddenly break into self-righteous whining and tears... which then leads to group-hug.... a few days later, all of you will be back to hurl the same old abuse at one another again...

But not anymore... this has to stop this before it goes to the sickening group-hug phase.... :)).... go shoo, get out of here....

DM

``Most of the publications referred to you would allow words like ``clueless``, ``crap``, etc., especially in their Letter to the Editor section.``

In a direct response to a reader, and insulting the reader by calling him idiot and captain clueless, mutilating his name? Can you provide evidence?

Mr Mittar, believe me I am all for open season at Chowk. I have a list of Chowkies that I am just waiting for to deliver punches. But I will have no respect for Chowk. My line is simple: if you want respect then respect me, otherwise I am the meanest sob you will ever have the misfortune to encounter.

Abuse comes in different forms. First, there is the ``gaali`` variety. This type of abuse is used when the interactor (perhaps due to anger) cannot find the appropriate ``language`` to express himself or herself. However, when it suddenly comes forth from decent and intelligent interactors like zeemax or godot, others are taken back a bit. On the other hand you expect it from say gujju. The important characteristic of such abuse is that it is often personal. At times this kind of abuse is aimed at groups, e.g. `Indian squatters`, `jihadi Pakistanis`, `khasi` etc. Sometimes these abuses can be quite clever and sometimes not. The process of such abuse is like sledging, forgotten and forgiven over a beer. Soon you get over it, can joke about it or even look forward to it. The second type of abuse, is the India-Pakistan cut and paste variety of arjun and faisal. Most of the time they are plain stupid. At times they are extremely offensive. This is because such offenses stereotype individuals. Third, the worst type of abuse is the ``decent`` abuse. Most of the times, it is deliberate and subtle and hits right at an individuals belief structure. Sometimes it is not deliberate. Often the abuse is of the patronizing variety. Nevertheless, all kinds of this third type of abuse strike at closely held beliefs .... or ``slices through the heart`` (as one interactor, I think echoboom, put it).

The third type of abuse, the one which hurts significantly, is difficult to regulate. This is because an editor`s personal bias would come into play when deciding what is offensive and what is not. Hence, it is best left unregulated. Moreover, shaking up a belief structure is not necessarily bad. (In particular I like the suggestion that ``Indians are still collecting tadi even if some of them are doing so from IT`` or the suggestion that ``Indians are khasis``.) But here comes the problem. The first type of abuse is more often than not a response to this third type of abuse. Hence, this type of abuse should also be left unregulated. Otherwise, chowk will be stomping on equity. That leaves us the second type of abuse. Frankly, this type is more irritating than offensive. Hence, it should only be required that the interactor post the link and be done with it.

Finally, chowk should not be compared to nasseeb. The latter clearly states that it is a muslim website. Chowk is not, it is diverse. So of course it won`t be sanitized (as HP reminded me). It is like Faisal`s description of Indian toilets, or was it schools.....or hospitals? As nation states, both Pakistan and India are young and hence immature. A consequence of this immaturity is jingoism. Chowk lets interactors inflame and douse jingoism. As a result it helps individuals from both these nations mature.

As for me, I would rather be here in this cesspool of diversity called chowk. I have learnt a lot here over time. Keep it like this and let us forget censorship.

I think chowk-staff will have to decide whose forum it is ...

Re: # 122 godot
[....I am the meanest sob....]

Sure.... and who isn`t?...

Re: # 117 tahmed
[.... have i said something mean to you to deserve this?? ...]

Nah - it`s not you, it`s me... These days, I am too much in ``love`` with zeemax to pay attention to anybody else.... :)))

#113 by jang

[pakis: from higher strata...]

``Higher`` or ``lower`` depends on your perspective. Unless you are talking about ``higher economic strata``. For example - Dawood Ibrahim is a Paki from a ``higher`` strata.

#122 by godot on August 15, 2006 9:23am PT


I have a list of Chowkies that I am just waiting for to deliver punches. otherwise I am the meanest sob you will ever have the misfortune to encounter.


Ooh....paki itching to make empty threats at Indians....I`m shaking in my boots already...