Tag: privilege

  • Why flaunt class by inviting privileged women on a live show to get pedicures?

    Why flaunt class by inviting privileged women on a live show to get pedicures?

    Once again, Pakistani television shows fail to understand how elitism in their content disconnects them from their audiences.

    Nida Yasir has time and time again been called out by the internet for using her show ‘Good Morning Pakistan’ to promote misogynist, sexist content and giving platforms to abusers, but her recent episode has sparked outrage for mocking salon workers. This morning’s episode featured the host along side five other public figures including television presenter Nadia Khan, who were invited for an hour-long pedicure while they all talked about completely random things.

    In the beginning of the episode, Nida Yasir said the purpose of this segment was to invite her friends, and in a way encourage every woman out there to take some time out for themselves. But through out the episode, we can see that it is only elite women who share Nina’s stature and can afford to find the time to get pampered and massaged, but working class women like salon workers are forced to work for long hours without any regard for their mental health. Because by the end of the day, it is these women who need to make a living and cannot afford to take time off from their jobs, even if it means being forced to sit in uncomfortable positions to massage the feet of elite women for an hour and a half.

    During this one hour and 30 minute painful watch, Nida Yasir and her friends gloat about their love for saris, their foreign trips, their beauty tips, while the women toiling away at their feet cannot afford such luxuries

    .We have to ask what was the purpose of this show? Is Nida Yasir aware that most women who are fans of her show aren’t able to afford luxuries like finding time to party with their friends, while ignoring all of their household responsibilities, considering most of them can relate to the struggles of the salon workers.

    Nida Yasir could have interviewed salon workers and asked them about finding time to pamper themselves, but instead she chose to mock them, and other working class women in such a demeaning manner.

    Twitter Tamkenat began the conversation by slamming the episode. Taking to her Twitter account, the content creator wrote:

    “Morning show on ARY digital right now, where elite privileged women are getting live pedicures on tv, while discussing how disgusted they were by their body hair as teenagers.”

    Soon this led to others to criticise the morning show host and ARY for thinking such content is acceptable.

  • Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    On last Friday, the Senate unanimously passed a private member bill that gives many privileges to present and retired Chairmen of the Upper House, The News has reported.

    According to sources, the National Assembly has also approved the bill and it will now be sent to the President for his approval.

    When the bill will be enforced, current chairman and ex-chairman Senate will be possibly getting the following perks and privileges:

    -Every chairman of the Senate after completing his tenure (post-retirement) will 12 employees for life, along with six permanent guards and VVIP security wherever he goes.
    -He can request an airplane for himself and his family for domestic and international travel.

    -He will get additional benefits, not mentioned in the bill, or whatever he desires from the finance committee, which he handpicks.

    -Every person who has held the office of Chairman for a full term of three years, shall be entitled for life to full security detail, that is to say, six sentries at the declared residence, four personnel of police, anti-terrorism force, rangers, frontier corps or frontier constabulary in one squad vehicle, for which the federal government in Islamabad, or a provincial government in the respective province, shall make the required arrangements.

    -The Finance Committee of the Senate may grant the chairman and the person who has held such office for a full term of three years, such additional privileges as it may deem fit

    -The chairman of the Senate will be entitled to the protocol of deputy head of state or vice president. For his foreign travel, he shall also be entitled to requisition at the cost of government an airplane belonging to the federal, provincial government, armed forces, any flying club or any chartered air service provider.

    -The chairman shall be allowed to take with him one member of his family when travelling by a commercial airplane or four members of his family when travelling by a requisitioned airplane.

    -Free telephone facility at residence, official residence, free furnishing at the cost of public money, free official vehicles for self and family, free petrol, sumptuary allowance, allowance on taking up and laying down the office, equipment allowance, TA/DA are in addition to the salary of the chairman.

  • After Oscar win, Michelle Yeoh urges support for Turkey, Syria earthquake victims

    After Oscar win, Michelle Yeoh urges support for Turkey, Syria earthquake victims

    Michelle Yeoh has scored a major win for Asian Americans in Hollywood by becoming the first Malaysian-origin woman to win awards at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and then finally becoming the second woman of color to win Best Actor at the Oscars.

    In an op-ed titled “The Crisis That Changed My Life 8 Years Ago Keeps Happening” for The New York Times, Yeoh revealed that she wanted to shift all the praise and attention that was being showered on her towards a cause that was deeply close to her heart: the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

    Yeoh opened up about how she saw first-hand the tragedies of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, where she had been visiting with her partner Jean Todt. Witnessing the ruin and destruction around her had pushed the Asian-American actress to become a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program in order to help with the relief efforts.

    When devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria in February, mass destruction and havoc followed, leaving behind a confirmed death toll of 50,000 people.

    Yeoh writes that in such catastrophic events, women and children bear the brunt, especially when they live in poverty:

    “Crises aren’t just moments of catastrophe: They expose deep existing inequalities. Those living in poverty, especially women and girls, bear the brunt. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, lack of sanitation, health facilities and safety disproportionately affect women. In my time as a goodwill ambassador, I have seen up close how women and girls are often the last to go back to school and the last to get basic services like clean water, vaccines, identity cards and counseling. They are typically the last to get jobs and loans.”

    Which is why, Yeoh urged that more women should be brought in to leadership positions, because they are the essential voices we need in order to rebuild neighborhoods, schools and marketplaces:

    “Women must also play leadership roles in the recovery process. But women are woefully underrepresented in the decision making that affects their prospects of survival in times of crisis. This gap has a dangerous effect: Studies have shown that women are hit hardest in disasters. Women and girls are often at a disadvantage when it comes to rescue efforts, and women are more likely than men to suffer from hunger.

    We know women sustain their communities. Their voices, leadership and full participation are key to an inclusive, successful and sustainable recovery. This means considering women’s needs, priorities and safety when rebuilding neighborhoods and constructing schools and marketplaces. It means ensuring women have equal access to information, job opportunities and skills training, as well as loans and insurance mechanisms, which are all crucial to regain financial stability.”
    Knowing that she is a person with a lot of privilege, Yeoh said that the best that she can do is redirect the spotlight currently on her towards those who often go unacknowledged:
    “I’m 60 years old, and I just won my first Oscar. I know something about perseverance, and I am all too aware of what society expects of women. I’m also well aware that my experience can’t compare at all with that of the women heroes I met who are on the front lines of crises. But if I can do one thing with this moment of my professional joy, it would be to point the spotlight on those who all too often go unacknowledged, the women who are rebuilding their communities, taking care of children and older people and putting food on the table. Let’s make sure they are not missing from the room when decisions are being made that affect them the most.”

    Read her complete piece here.

  • Power and privilege trumps all?

    Power and privilege trumps all?

    Last week, we witnessed how power and privilege can make people go blind as they think they can break the law and get away with it.

    Videos of armed guards and three women breaking and entering the house of actor Uzma Khan went viral on social media.

    The three women belong to the family of all-powerful property tycoon Malik Riaz. Two are said to be his daughters while the third is related to his wife. Pakistani media, with a couple of honourable exceptions, did not even air the news.

    We can well imagine why.

    The clout Malik holds over those running the affairs of the state is quite evident so it is inevitable that the media, which is already going through a financial crunch, will not alienate him.

    There are many angles to the story. Many in our society latched on to the ‘cheating husband’ and ‘gold digger’ narrative about Usman Malik and Uzma Khan. What they failed to acknowledge was the criminal and vile aspect of this whole incident.

    Those videos were made to humiliate Uzma Khan and this is why they were released and circulated by the very women who broke the law. How can someone enter another’s house with armed guards, breaking and vandalising everything in sight, asking one of the guards to sexually assault Uzma, threatening the girls that ‘we’ will get you picked up by the ISI, throwing alcohol or some other liquid on them (we don’t know yet what exactly was thrown on them) and threatening to burn them, taking away their clothes/bags/shoes and other valuables, beating them up, breaching their privacy and much more?

    Usman Malik’s wife, Aamna Usman, had the audacity to make another video where she is admitting to the crime but says she did it because she had no other choice. Well, she did have a choice: she had the choice of confronting her husband and if he did not want to end the relationship, leaving him should have been her obvious choice. And if she did not want to leave him, even then the family should have resolved the issue among themselves instead of bringing Uzma into disrepute. What Aamna Usman chose to do was not a choice. It was a decision taken because she knew she wields more power, has more money and more privilege than an actor/model in this society.

    We hope that justice will be served. These three women and their armed guards should not be allowed to get away scot-free. Some say an out-of-court settlement is possible. We cannot rule it out but we would still like to say kudos to Uzma Khan and her sister Huma Khan for braving this out and standing up to privileged brats. Our society hardly ever does it. More power to Uzma and Huma!