woh mohajir hian… theek log nhai…
woh punjabi hian… unsay dosti mat karo…
sindhi log hian…
pathan theek log nahi hian…
These are few statements we heard so often… That makes our early perception about different ethnic groups/culture.
Did you experience such taboo? What is your observation about different community then the one you were told by your family/relatives?
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
i know when it comes to marriage, people look at these things very seriously. if you are mahajir, you tend to marry only mahajir and that too from the same area where your ancestors came from. i had a memon friend who really wanted to marry the guy she liked but her parents didn't agree because he was not memon. another girl really liked a punjabi guy but her parents didn't approve because he wasn't mahajir like them. a cousin of mine whos now in her 40's never got married because she never got any good rishtas within our own community and her parents didn't let her marry outside(this is in UK, not even pakistan!). i dont understand this nonsense.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Yes there's a lot of bias. One can hear so many jokes about Pashtuns, marriage out of ethnicities is also a big taboo.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
one’s dislike knows no bound. if nothing else, he/she doesn’t like his/her nose or ears, face, height etc…of course, no one chops off his/her ears or nose…he/she learns to live with his/her dislikes…why can’t we live with our dislikes of other ethnic groups, religious sects, linguistic groups, religious affiliations, skin colors and people of other regions?
**
yuN to Saiyad bhii ho, Mirzaa bhii ho, AfGhaan bhii ho
tum sabhii kuchh ho, bataao, k Musalmaan bhii ho?** 
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
It's terrible. The kind of ethnic bias in you see amongst South Asian communities go beyond the idea of believing in harmless stereotypes, some of the people belonging to these communities harbour proper negative perceptions and do not feel any ounce of shame and remorse while passing off highly offensive remarks, and consequently discriminating to the point of ruining lives.
I've heard all sorts of mean and damaging things about every ethnicity, and including the one belong to. But in my view, the only to deal with such negativity is by not feeling any kind of victimisation! I believe in exerting higher level of self esteem, self belief and self regard when confronted with ethnic bias. It's an ultimate triumph of positivity over self destructive hatred.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Lack of interaction and atmosphere created by some groups (mainly politicians) to stop such interactions is the reason behind ethnic hatred. People who have mixed and passed sometime with other communities were always in position to grab something positive from each community.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Lack of interaction and atmosphere created by some groups (mainly politicians) to stop such interactions is the reason behind ethnic hatred. People who have mixed and passed sometime with other communities were always in position to grab something positive from each community.
Is this the case in Karachi - the most ethnically diverse corner of Pakistan? From my experience, I've found people from Karachi to be more ethnicity and language conscious in a more politically motivated way than people I've interacted from other parts of Pakistan.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Is this the case in Karachi - the most ethnically diverse corner of Pakistan? From my experience, I've found people from Karachi to be more ethnically conscious in a more politically motivated way than people I've interacted from other parts of Pakistan.
Karachi may be a cosmopolitan on the face of it, but if you dig the surface (read social fabric), you will find lack of trust when it comes to interaction between different communities. Reason is obvious and contains the answer why such a diverse society had supported parties like MQM.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
one good thing is that there's a lot of interaction amongst people nowadays (thanks to the social media), hopefully these biases will die down with the passage of time.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Roti bias
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
It's very prevalent on GS aswell. And surprisingly people who are so-calledly very against it, seem to be not only ok but also supportive of it.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Karachi may be a cosmopolitan on the face of it, but if you dig the surface (read social fabric), you will find lack of trust when it comes to interaction between different communities. Reason is obvious and contains the answer why such a diverse society had supported parties like MQM.
Politically motivated ethnic hatred is the worst kind of racism. Indeed all forms and types of racism is bad, in fact terrible, but it's one particular type of racism which is almost impossible to cure because it's systemically fed. Karachi is one of the worst examples in the world of failed multiculturalism. It's terrifying to even think that how a City so huge can be so multiracial and multilingual yet be so xenophobic and antisocial.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Politically motivated ethnic hatred is the worst kind of racism. Indeed all forms and types of racism is bad, in fact terrible, but it's one particular type of racism which is almost impossible to cure because it's systemically fed. Karachi is one of the worst examples in the world of failed multiculturalism. It's terrifying to even think that how a City so huge can be so multiracial and multilingual yet be so xenophobic and antisocial.
Right.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Politically motivated ethnic hatred is the worst kind of racism. Indeed all forms and types of racism is bad, in fact terrible, but it's one particular type of racism which is almost impossible to cure because it's systemically fed. Karachi is one of the worst examples in the world of failed multiculturalism. It's terrifying to even think that how a City so huge can be so multiracial and multilingual yet be so xenophobic and antisocial.
mostly due to petty politics on racial and sectarian grounds, other than that I think during the past decade or so the situation has improved. I am sure Muqawwee will testify, more needs to be done...
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Politically motivated ethnic hatred is the worst kind of racism. Indeed all forms and types of racism is bad, in fact terrible, but it's one particular type of racism which is almost impossible to cure because it's systemically fed. ** Karachi is one of the worst examples in the world of failed multiculturalism**. It's terrifying to even think that how a City so huge can be so multiracial and multilingual yet be so xenophobic and antisocial.
This is not true
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
mostly due to petty politics on racial and sectarian grounds, other than that I think during the past decade or so the situation has improved. I am sure Muqawwee will testify, more needs to be done...
Yes, more needs to be done and first step would be to shun parties who play 'ethnic cards'. This ethnic bias so wide spread that when Karachi was burning and the casualty figure was in double digit on daily basis, some newspapers published names with ethnic identities of people who got killed. Every party kept on shouting 'hamare log mar rahe hain'.
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^ I agree. The previous elections were an eye opener for those who thrive on ethnic cards, isnt it change that political parties like MQM are trying to portray themselves as national party now (claiming that they have members from all ethnicities) and trying to play the victim card (extra judicial killings). I think the political parties are not in sync with the thought process on ground. I feel the parties have opposition even from their rank and file. If they dont change they could become history with the passage of time.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
This is not true
This may not be true in totality, but the situation in city has been evident to this at many occasions. I live in an area which is MQM dominated and my cousins back home and relatives living in mix population areas of Karachi always raise this point to change home asap. What does this show? Its a fear and past experience of intolerance in city, which lead to such suggestions.
We have seen migration of Kachhi population from Lyari, which is well documented in media. In 90s, Hyderabad and Karachi saw severe tension and killings due to Sindhi-Muhajir conflict. Latifabad, where many Sindhi families were living for decades, was made no-go area for Sindhi population and they had to shift to Sindhi majority areas. Same had happened to Urdu-speaking families living in Sindhi majority areas.
These are realities and should be accepted as a first step towards solution. Common men don't have 'khuda waste ka bair' against people from other ethnicity, but there are grievances that can easily be exploited by political parties, whose politics is limited to hilight hatred between ethnicities.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Not to mention the violent anti Pakhtoon wave furthering the divide with devastating effect.
But things are changing, the last elections proved that there is a glimmer of hope for Karachi.
Re: Cultural/Ethnic Bias
Karachi may be a cosmopolitan on the face of it, but if you dig the surface (read social fabric), you will find lack of trust when it comes to interaction between different communities. Reason is obvious and contains the answer why such a diverse society had supported parties like MQM.
You did not state that 'obvious' reason. But let me tell you that the reason of choosing MQM by most Urdu speaking people was not the lack of trust but the perceived lack of economic opportunities.
The same reason is the cause of people's choosing parties all over Pakistan. Be it PMLN in Northern Punjab or PTI/ANP in KP, or PPP in Sindh and Seraiki Belt. Just singling out one party and one community is unfair.
Karachi is mini Pakistan. Actually, mini South Asian Subcontinent. People in Karachi have always experienced different cultures and languages. So contrary to your claim, if one digs deeper, one will find that the reason of choosing different parties is not the lack of trust.