Tweet of the Day

I should have added “woke white friend” but I found this to be so hilarious. I mentioned that he should just say “Indo-Mughlai” or “Indo-Pakistani” though from my understanding Nihari, Aloo Ghosht and Falood have definite Turanian influences. Daal of course is a staple food but depends on what type of Daal; Haleem is certainly ours.

Much as I love my woke white friends (they find my persistent Toryism to be hilarious) I don’t approve of their use of the term desi as in this recent tweet:

A “London desi woman” doesn’t exist and using it (to paraphrase King Khan, “not even wrong”) just suggests “trying to  be woke” without understanding anything at all. There are at least 5 different desi communities in our great city Londonistan (Pakistani, Sikh, Gujju, Tamil and miscellaneous); BatPakistani, Sikh, Gujju, Tamil and miscellaneousra being a Hindu Punjabi name (also Khatri Sikh surname but they aren’t really here in Britain more in Delhi) would be just out of place.

It seems Aaronovitch has googled the name and I wouldn’t mind but if you can’t “write what you know” at least “know what you write.” There is so much “particularity” to the Londonstani/desi experience that it can’t be generically represented (he essentially wants to write about a brown housewife with an exotic surname to tantalise his readers and that’s appropriating).

 

 

17 thoughts on “Tweet of the Day”

  1. I don’t think people mind it that much. Much of the nationlist Indian twitter on food etc are based in India. Much of the nationalist Indian twitter abroad is fighting battles like appropriation of india as South Asia, Hindutva as fascism etc fight with the left.

    Most of the woke indian twitter is south and Bengali India for whom this India Pakistan thing is mostly irrelevant. Nor are they nationalistic in that sense abroad or other wise. I would say abroad ones are probably more nationalistic than their Indian counterparts from this region

    Moral. It won’t result in twitter war

  3. “Haleem is certainly ours ” The flip? I’m from Hyderabad, South India, and if my folks hear a Pakistani claiming Haleem to be theirs, there’s gonna be a fight coming for you.

  5. “Indo-Pakistani” or “South Asian” food would be technically correct. Though meat-based dishes like Haleem and Nihari are probably more associated with Pakistan.

    As an aside, I am so happy at SOAS when I meet Indians. I think this whole India vs. Pakistan thing is much more important back in our home countries. Of course the Indians at SOAS tend to be nice leftist types that a Pakistani like me can get along with.

        1. What would be equivalent of jnu in Pakistan ? Lums has too much of management studies to be jnu

          1. LUMS has one of the best liberal arts programs in Pakistan. The name “Lahore University of Management Sciences” reflects an earlier era of the institution. It now has an Engineering school as well as a Law school.

            Habib University in Karachi (a much newer institution) also has a strong liberal arts program

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habib_University

            If you are trying to make a connection between JNU and leftist politics, there isn’t really an equivalent in Pakistan since student politics was killed by General Zia.

          2. I would agree with Kabir that LUMS and Habib University are very impressive.

            Interesting observation about leftism in Pakistan. Is leftism in Pakistan–to the degree it exists–mostly focused on Islamism and the Deep State GHQ (two separate things to be sure)?

  6. “School of Oriental and African Studies”
    What are their assumptions? Do they assume that most people are potentially:
    —powerful
    —wise
    —sovereign

    Or do they assume the opposite and focus on colonizing the minds of people of African ancestry with inferiority complex and a lack of self confidence?

    Asians are sick of imperialist westernized philosophies colonizing their minds with inferiority complex and lack of self confidence. Please leave Asians alone.

    Most people are far too powerful, wise and sovereign to be oppressed by others. This is also true of most Asians and Africans.

    In any case given the devastating damage imperialist westernized philosophies are doing to Englishmen and Englishwoman; they will not be welcome in even England much longer.

    Thank you.

      1. Should have phrased that as a question about SOAS. My hope is that their liberal arts haven’t been completely overrun by post modernists engaged in colonizing the minds of Africans and Asians with inferiority complex.

        If they haven’t been overrun by the big lie; if they allow the truth to be spoken (that Africans and Asians are potentially powerful, wise and sovereign) then Allah bless them. Africans aren’t victims. Rather Africans are indescribably powerful and wise.

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