Little Pakistan: Brooklyn’s Coney Island Avenue

dost_mittar writes "It would be a moron who would deny that there is an elite class in the USA; but it is so in every other country..."

That is where you totally lose it, the US elite by their decisions and lack thereof affect the lives and cause the deaths of millions around the globe unrelated to the geographic boundary of the US. Not to mention that they impoverish their own people as well over 40 million face food insecurity, over 80 million are at risk of death through no health care being available, the ones making less than 10K have 3 times the mortality of those making more than 2k and 1% master mover wealth than the rest of the 99% combined, those two car garages- for those who can afford them and there is a whole chunk who cannot- mostly people of color and women- are maintained at the expense of absolute poverty of countries like Pakistan whose military/political/economic institutions are manipulated by the US elite for their perverted ends in maintaining a global system of dominance. It is not as simple as isolated elites where the US elites offer mobility- class structure is rigid in the US mobility is slight not the jump that tahmed presents ignorantly and this very slight mobility to the next level itself takes 2 whole generations to accomplish and very few accomplish it, it has nothing to do with hard work and intelligence....and everything to do with the sources and networks of power to which only a select few are offered access from the bottom if at all...

Re: # 79

masadi saab(peon of the West writes "since this means that the only way to move up for Pakistanis in NYC is the good old fashioned American way: by earning it.")

i swear saab i had nothing to do with it saab, i am a hardworking man saab and didnot write it saab

tahmed, peon of the West writes "since this means that the only way to move up for Pakistanis in NYC is the good old fashioned American way: by earning it."

The "old fashioned American way" of moving up is clearing the land by wholesale massacre of indigeneous folk, being white/European, and lying and breaking multiple treaties as you steal, pillage and plunder. The current US elite arrived at the position they have through similar maneuvering. The Pakistanis cannot take that route because the color of their skin ensures that very tiny of a very tiny percent will be allowed to filter in, after they have been properly cloned and groomed, going through the institutions that the elite desire which themselves have great blocking mechanisms- that stats bear me out 100%, BS and slogans and propaganda "bears Tahmed out", the miserable peon of the West who never misses an opportunity to bow down to the white man as he worships him and recites his praise day and night....I don't want to get more graphic than I need to......

Nkg- you're fool who is unable to write a straight sentence in English. Migration happens due to pull and push facts it has nothing to do with "window burning" especially since the indigeneous population maintained its integrity, ownership of land, and in numbers outdid the Muslims at the time of partition, unlike the Native Americans in North America, so go F yourself you miserable bigot...

masadi:

It would be a moron who would deny that there is an elite class in the USA; but it is so in every other country (with the exception, perhaps, of Cuba). The Soviets had the apratchiks (sp?) and so do our desilands.

What differentiates the US elite class from other societies, including the European societies, is the relative mobility it provides and the stake it has provided even to the working class in its capitalist system. Thus, if one doesn't own a share in Microsoft, his company's pension fund most probably does. It's been a long time but many years ago when I looked at some measures of inter-generational mobility, the US came on top, even more so than homogeneous societies, such as Japan.

And the capitalist system of the United States was able to provide a fairly decent living to its industrial proletariat, the class which was supposed to lead the socialist revolution. I remember what Walter Reuther, the famous leader of the United Auto Workers, once said, "What would Marx tell my members, "Unite with the workers of the world, you have nothing to lose but your two-car garage"? That system now seems to be breaking down under the forces of globalisation, but that is another story.

Kulharee bhai: I just read the article. It is a well-researched and informative article from which I learnt a few things. On thing caught my attention: " Crime is from non-existent to very little. There are no known gangs – a pastime of young kids in some other neighborhoods in the city."

This bodes well for this community indeed - since this means that the only way to move up for Pakistanis in NYC is the good old fashioned American way: by earning it.

God bless little Pakistan, NY, NY.

Re: # 74 & 75
Masadi...

Without socio political/economic/natural reason large scale migration does not take place. There must be similar trace in Iran as well (Settlement generally keeps trace of it's path)...
This "widow burning" fest started after the arrival of follower of mediaval the arab rapist,paedophile.

arjun writes "...annual goatfuck fest ..."

Good you clarified that, when the Muslims arrived in India many such "fuck fests" were going on among the Hindus including the "urine drinking" fest and washing yourself in the ganga sewer fest, and the "widow burning fest", as well as the "di** worshipping fest" and so on and so forth

arjun writes "really? so they came on a PIA flight for the annual goatfuck fest and just decided to stay back... "

No moron they came as travelers and migrants as well, and neither the invaders who had a different origin nor the migrants ever did to India what the white man did in North America, you ran away from addressing this point moron.

Ana writes "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. When you can do that, there is no one who can enslave you, not even the big bad white man..."

You cannot emancipate yourself from "mental slavery" when you buy into the mythology of the white man who enslaves as fact and then uses master symbols to sanitize his system of oppression as exists in current day American. The only way you can emancipate yourself from mental slavery is to reject his system of oppression, evaluate the facts and understand the truth behind that society. By living in that matrix of deception and chasing dreams that are themselves manufactured for you, which most including white people never attain in that society, you are ensuring both your mental and physical enslavement....get an education...

Ana writes "Amreeka certainly does not make things easy for us, but as Kulharee said, our success depends on what we as immigrants are willing to do to make things work for us,.."

Your success within the American social structure is dependant on whether the person in the position of power allows you access to that success and his allowing you access has nothing to do with your hard work and everything to do with how much he feels he can extract from you and your subservience to the structure that he is hiring you to maintain. Only people who are plain dumb will think that hard work at minimum wage or even higher will land you into a position of power or success in America, it will not unless you prove to those in power that you wont upset the current order. Regarding the white Greek man who Kulharee is touting the turn of the century America was a much different place than what it has become now, the class structure is much more rigid now that it was back then, wealth and power is a lot more consolidated as well and the system is fully entrenched compared to back then, and that also being "white" or like-white did not hurt anyone back then and certainly is a major criteria in determining which person of color advances. I have studies, knowledge and scholarship on my side, you have BS on yours, so you best shut up in this matter. Hard work does not determine success in the American system of oppression, serving the system and the powers that be does and even then to a select few....

Re: # 69 becareful what you wish for cheema, Arjun is not too far from the Boyzone of C.Manchester!!!!!!!!

Qutabshahi great article (T). Very reflective, and there is more to sensitivity to you than the usual Kulharee persona of yours ( ;) ).

A similar kind of thing can been seem amongst the denizens of Braadfard, northern suburbs of Manchester (old mill towns on the M62 linking these two places) etc.

Whatever it is, whethere it is you sensitivity or Kulharee persona, this place has not been turned into pigswill like the other one by the poor Canuckian women.....

Re: # 66; arjun mian
"really? so they came on a PIA flight for the annual goatfuck fest and just decided to stay back... "

LOL!! you'd make someone a great drink buddy one day!!

Cheers

The Pakistanis that have succeeded in the system of oppression by cloning themselves after the white man are not "successful" in my opinion and there is nothing those other Pakistanis that are segregated can do to be like them because the white man will never level the playing field, he will allow only those that think like him and yet never challenge their subordiation or faithfulness to the system. The BEST thing for those Pakistanis to do is hook up with other segregated and oppressed folk, the AAs, the NAs, the MAs, and the women folk and give the system hell and keep giving it hell until the oppressive rule of the white elite and his system based on injustice and mythology collapses- though the gains will be incremental. Next, they should shun their current power structure with the mullah and his hidden hands behind them, start in their own community like Elijah M did with the Black Muslims and then spillover to the other oppressed from there. Simple in principle but difficult to achieve because the white man's control and enslavement mechanism will kick in the moment they see the community developing consciousness and rejecting their slave status in that society......

Oh man, where do I begin with this. . .

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. When you can do that, there is no one who can enslave you, not even the big bad white man. I have heard countless stories of us non-white immigrants who as Kulharee's wife's grandfather worked their asses off to achieve what they did. There are things in place in this society which do help us achieve what we want to, and those things exist because they were fought for, by blacks and whites and Asians and Native Americans, among others. I am truly sick and tired of reading how so many of us have cloned the white man, and how we are poor enslaved victims. Amreeka certainly does not make things easy for us, but as Kulharee said, our success depends on what we as immigrants are willing to do to make things work for us, and our families.

There are a lot of Pakistanis who will not seek solidarity with NA's, AA's, among other groups. In order to do that, they would have to escape the insularity they wrap themselves around in, and embrace these communities. It would be nice if more and more of us could form these links, but what this insularity has to do with the control of the white man is beyond me. . .

It’s such an interesting discussion. There are basically two ways to look at the immigrant experience: One through Colonial Paradigm of Masadi Sahib station, and the second through Social Exchange Theory in terms of economic costs and benefits. I have read somewhat heated arguments of Alpha Sahib and Masadi Sahib, however the reality might be somewhere in the middle (or is it? – that’s the question). White man is not there to rape the non-white man (it did that for over 400 years, but that is now past), but is also not there to spoon-feed him either. It all depends on what the immigrant is willing to do to turn a situation into his advantage, by improving himself by working hard, getting better education for his children, and becoming competent in the local systems. It is easy to blame the society for one’s own failures and lack of determination, but there is no doubt that a majority of immigrants do face added challenges in employment, etc.; that has little to do with racism. My wife’s grandpa, turn of the century, came alone from Greece on a ship at the age of 11. Not educated, couldn’t read or write, worked as busboy and later as a waiter for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for most of his life, put his two sons through college. No one served him on a silver platter. I honestly believe that the Pakistanis living on Coney Island is an exemplary community, pretty young for now, but 20/30 years, it will be marveled as a community that contributed more to this society than they took back.

#50 Posted by masadi on April 22, 2008 7:51:49 am


people of Iraqi descent (who did not come as invaders)


really? so they came on a PIA flight for the annual goatfuck fest and just decided to stay back...