Nearly 5 years on ...

[HAIDER]

I am going soon to clock 5 years on PDF - yep nearly half a decade with over 5,000 posts. So what I have learn't or have my views changed over the time? And do I detect any change?

To the first I have changed in some ways. I think I came to PDF as more pro American then I am now. My views about that country have gone negative over time. I think the same applies to Israel.

As regards India I came already with hostile views of that country but after all the interaction I have had with Indian's and besides I have become even more hostile. I don't think I could get more hostile of India even if I tried. I hold it in utter contempt. That of course does not mean there are good Indians here with whom I have enjoyed discussing.

My views on Iran are same as five years ago - have rather have soft spot for that country but I have become frustrated with the ruling mullacracy in that country and have almost despaired that Iran will ever free itself from the the hooligans who took it over in 1979. I find Iran difficult and a complicated country which behaves in very unique but frustrating way. It's like a person you want to be friends with but that friend lacks the social graces and is so awkward that you struggle to strike a friendly conversation with.

Turkey has been surprise for me. I held a positive image of that country already but since my time in PDF my respect for that country has gone up significantly for the simple reason that there are some great Turkish members. Affable and sensible comes to mind.

My views about Arabs is same as when I first came. It was low and it remains low so no change there. Banglas, I regarded as minus zero but now I regard them as zero. So progress there.

As regards Pakistani's my general feeling is that they are getting better and more sensible. I won't call it secular but I think the grip of fanatical religion is showing signs of abating. A fresher more Pak centric generation is growing up and that is great news. I joined my first forum in early 2000s I recal most of the Pakistani's were just turds - full religious hogwash and narrow minded. It was scary.

Chinese have been a revelation. They are my second favourites after the Turks. I see great future for Pak/China and the Chinese members here are vanguard of a great future. I know great things will come out of this. Chinese will not only bring infrastructure, trade, business revolution but will augur much needed change in social outlook.

So let us hear from other members how, if any way their views have changed over the years eitheir through PDF or general life experiances.

Well , since 2006 I have seen lots of sane one. But few of us last of Mohicans . World never changed and the majority lives on this planet.

 

[Deadpool]

when i came here about 7 years ago (yes i am that old on PDF) i was filled with hate against Indians,shias ahmedis Israel and Americans in short every one who was hated by our local mullah.i even chanted shia kafir and death to infidels on few occasions .i was young at that time my mind was malleable but thanks to god i found PDF when i did.it helped me become more open minded individual, taught me how to tolerate and agree to disagree.i will say PDF was and still is the best teacher i ever got.
today because of member like @500 i am more open and tolerant toward israel.
because of @Nilgiri @MilSpec my hate for india as a nation is no more.(but yeah i still do hate the indian trolls though).
because @Pakistani Exile i support my ahmedi brothers
because of @haviZsultan @Oscar @Zibago @Kaptaan (formerly atnaz if i remember correctly) i am more open minded toward all of our sects and in general more hopeful for pakistan.
these are just few names i want to thank everyone here for changing me the way you did

It is so refreshing to see a post like yours in this forum that I find fills me more with negativity than positivity.

May Bhagwan give you long life and more wisdom. And may you make the same difference to many other's lives the way these people you have mentioned have made a difference in yours!

 

[The Sandman]

Ouch you got me! Guess im a RAW agent with my bhai @The Sandman Sinister plans are afoot!

Oh yes
OT same like hell hound i had pretty much same views towards iran, israel, ahmedis etc but i can say i have become more tolerant towards others opinions and because of PDF i have learned a lot about Islam not only that but now i always love to do my own research on things that confuse me about Islam and obviously i have learned about the true nature of our hypocrites mullahs my views on israel hasn't changed much about indians well i don't have any problem with them i know there are lots of good indians (like nilgiri my first indian frnd here) too seriously if we can resolve Kashmir issue we can live peacefully man only the indian trolls pis**s me off about ahmadis in my opinion we've done way too much harm to them it's time we start giving them respect and stop conjuring up conspiracy theories against them. Turks/Chinese nothing changed they were our brothers and they will always remain our bro's

 

[ito]

Before, I held views that all Pakistanis are terrorists. Because that is how Indian media portray Pakistan. After joining PDF, I learned that they are like anyone else. They have both bad and good people.

On Chinese, I held views that they are good and hard working people. Now I see them as lazy and full of hubris. I don't like them

BDians are the worst of the lot. Most of them are close minded and radicalized.

Iranian are the best on this forum.

I don't know much about others.

 

[Hell hound]

It is so refreshing to see a post like yours in this forum that I find fills me more with negativity than positivity.

May Bhagwan give you long life and more wisdom. And may you make the same difference to many other's lives the way these people you have mentioned have made a difference in yours!

thanks for the dua bro
and insallah bro i am trying and will make the difference.

 

[Pakistani E]

because @Pakistani Exile i support my ahmedi brothers

We have always loved you and Pakistan.

On topic: Always had a positive view Chinese and the Turks, it has gone up even more. I did interact with Turks before, and I do not have any hesitation in saying that I would have no qualms fighting for the Turks. Again due to family history, we love the Turks even if I an vehemently opposed to their government, but I respect the democratic right of the Turks in choosing their government.

but am pleasantly surprised with the Chinese interaction. I always felt that maybe this lovey dovey relationship is too lop sided from Pakistani side, but I am glad to have been proven wrong and can see that it is indeed a two way street.

As for India, I honestly think my feeling towards it has remained same even though it is very hard sometimes, but only because I am friends and interact with Indians in my personal life that I manage to look past the trolling and jingoisim of the Indians on PDF. So can I even say PDF has changed my view on Indians? Only one thing I guess, since the election of the current government in India, I have seen the centre ground amongst Indians give way to right wing feelings. Even then, I still feel Pakistan has a lot to gain with making peace with India than to fight it. But that will require mutual respect and understanding.

The Iranians, I have always loved due to my family history, I love and admire the Persian culture, but I feel the government there purposely tries to suppress it. I have known Iranians in my personal life so not much has changed. Still the feeling of admiration on their resilience as a nation and their hospitable nature.

Moving on to Bangladesh, again this is a bit like the Indians, but I do have a soft spot for them because we knew a Pakistani Bengali family so I cannot stand the racism that is sometimes sprouted by some Pakistani members on this forum.
But some of the trolls from Bangladesh, do deserve it. They are definitely the most khud-khush trolls on PDF, second only to Indians.

 

[Zibago]

My view of Americans fell considerably particularly Republicans because i learned how to translate buzzwords maybe if i stopped visiting Fox news fb page my opinion will improve
My view of Chinese,Afghans and Arabs remained the same, my view of Iranians and Bangladeshis improved
My view on Indians fell a little it was negative to begin with but i did make some good Indian friends Indian trolls are the worst thing that happened to pdf {after paid baboons and Mullahsaurases }My view of Europeans is still net neutral on Turks i would say my opinion improved significantly

when i came here about 7 years ago (yes i am that old on PDF) i was filled with hate against Indians,shias ahmedis Israel and Americans in short every one who was hated by our local mullah.i even chanted shia kafir and death to infidels on few occasions .i was young at that time my mind was malleable but thanks to god i found PDF when i did.it helped me become more open minded individual, taught me how to tolerate and agree to disagree.i will say PDF was and still is the best teacher i ever got.
today because of member like @500 i am more open and tolerant toward israel.
because of @Nilgiri @MilSpec my hate for india as a nation is no more.(but yeah i still do hate the indian trolls though).
because @Pakistani Exile i support my ahmedi brothers
because of @haviZsultan @Oscar @Zibago @Kaptaan (formerly atnaz if i remember correctly) i am more open minded toward all of our sects and in general more hopeful for pakistan.
these are just few names i want to thank everyone here for changing me the way you did

edit: sorry i forget about you my turk and Chinese brothers you guys always have a special place in my heart and you still do.(but you are taking too much space in it now. pls leave some for others )

ab rolaye ga kiya

I grew up listening and believing in this

I use to chant this on 12 Rabi ul awal as a child (yep everyone chants this you chant along thats what made Qadri he was brainwashed from day one)
We were being taught violence at a young age no one is willing to confront it in 2007 we even had a taliban fighter at our sector mosque and in 2011 a released ssp fighter at same mosque{the mullah is pro baboon just so you know} We were encouraged to take law in our own hand people ignore this but this is grass root training of terrorist govt is too scared of them and in many cases supports them
@Pakistani Exile @Hell hound
I clearly remember all the violence these so called ashiq,s did when the stupid movie came out we are afraid of tackling extremists

Our society promotes vigilante justice no one is willing to challenge that

 

[Hyde]

India: Frankly speaking I have high respect for them besides when the Kashmir issue is raised. We Pakistanis do not appreciate them enough for what they have been contributing to us for example in medical field. We claim to have the best doctors in the world but why can't we have major operations like Liver transplant in Pakistan with similar success rate to India? They not only care thousands of patients from Pakistan but have got amazing visa process for medical patients despite being a hostile nation. There are good and bad people everywhere and of course when they make a terrorist (or lets call it controversial) the PM of India, the problem is there to be seen but overall I think if we ever resolved our border disputes, India is likely to be our closest ally due to similar culture of North India, similar language for broadly speaking 'ruling' part of India and similar traditions and values due to common history and heritage for centuries.

China: Iron brothers, the view has been same as expected but it sounds really sweet to ear and eyes when I see Chinese defending Pakistan for some of the illogical arguments too... They are true friends of Pakistan and this relationship is likely to develop in the next century

Iran: I usually don't think about Iran but my perception has been slightly negative since last few years mainly due to the strict laws for non-Shia Muslims and unfair punishments for minor crimes. I think they are amazing nation and better than their Saudi counterpart in self reliance, laws (both nations discriminate however) and long term vision. Iran is likely to become another powerful nation of this region given its not entrapped in another never ending list of sanctions.

Saudi Arabia: I had highly positive views about Saudi Arabia but now its turned to negative or neutral. They have crazy laws very similar to Iran (just opposite) and the worst examples of racism where they openly discriminate between Saudis, Yeminis and Non Arabs (literally categorise people in 4-6 tiers and they all have different human rights) They even made a dedicated airport for Arabs... lol

Saudis invite foreign workers and don't allow them to start business on their name, those who start business under the name of Kafeel are always frightened that their Arab sponsor may just takeover the business one day if he has change of mind and they continue to pay him commission (I call it ransom) to please him and to make sure he doesn't think of taking over their hard earned money. Just an example of countless problems with Saudis

USA: If I see what USA does for its own people, they are the best nation on earth but when I see that its literally invaded half of the world in the name of peace and caused unnecessary bloodshed everywhere and being a powerful nation, it reserves the right to defend it and others listen to everything US feeds, I surely do not have a positive opinion on it if not negative, perhaps neutral. I think they have been doing amazing job for their own people and have set an example for other nations to follow, they are also very hard working nation and introduced so much technology with innovative ideas and the entire world owes them a lot but just an example about Pakistan that before 9/11 the world was at peace... suddenly everything changes overnight and Pakistan is hit by bomb blasts every week.... call it our own problem but it all began after the reaction of the public when it felt the government had bowed down to USA... Wherever they go.. bomb blasts and suicide attacks follows...

UK and Germany: I think I have always had high respect for UK and Germany and will continue to have even better opinion about it. They have been amazing for their people as well with only difference from USA that they stopped invading and colonising other nations in the name of peace. They are the true examples to follow for peaceful world. They do collaborate in madness of USA bur that is generally very limited to certain roles

France: from highly positive changes to negative and find them a racist nation although I must admire they are also very innovative and trend setter similar to Israel

 

[Vergennes]

I don't know if I could have a positive or very negative opinion of a country and its people because of PDF members,I try to make my own opinion without taking them in count. I have good views pretty much of all the countries and try to maintain it,even if of some of their government's actions or says,or even because of some PDF members.

It's good being on PDF since these years,meeting people from all over the world,learning about other's people views and opinions,what's happening all over the world and understanding what people in others regions think about us and debate with them. But many many being trolls,it's difficult to do so. Thankfully,there are bunch of sane members which it is possible to do so.

There is a positive thing about PDF : Helping me improving my English skills,even it isn't perfect at 100%,I learned so much and comparing today to when I came on PDF.... it's day and night,literally . @WebMaster @Kaptaan

 

[Pakistani E]

I don't know if I could have a positive or very negative opinion of a country and its people because of PDF members,I try to make my own opinion without taking them in count. I have good views pretty much of all the countries and try to maintain it,even if of some of their government's actions or says,or even because of some PDF members.

It's good being on PDF since these years,meeting people from all over the world,learning about other's people views and opinions,what's happening all over the world and understanding what people in others regions think about us and debate with them. But many many being trolls,it's difficult to do so. Thankfully,there are bunch of sane members which it is possible to do so.

There is a positive thing about PDF : Helping me improving my English skills,even it isn't perfect at 100%,I learned so much and comparing today to when I came on PDF.... it's day and night,literally . @WebMaster @Kaptaan

Come now, your English is a thousand times better than my French!

I didn't mention you in my post, but trust me brother, my feelings for the Republic are even better after having interacting with you. Liberte, Equality Fraternity are great ideals to aspire to for all nations. Your concern for the safety and security of the U.K are equally worth cherishing. All the best to the Republic!

 

[Vergennes]

Come now, your English is a thousand times better than my French!

I didn't mention you in my post, but trust me brother, my feelings for the Republic are even better after having interacting with you. Liberte, Equality Fraternity are great ideals to aspire to for all nations. Your concern for the safety and security of the U.K are equally worth cherishing. All the best to the Republic!

Sadly our country is in a situation where the Republic and its institutions are being challenged everydays,and our society rigged with problems,but I hope for a better future in the coming months/years with a strong leader,a strong Republic and strong institutions. Currently this is only anger and disappointments by disappointments and I think some of you can see it in my posts. I know that no country will ever be an utopia,but it's good to hope for the best.... for any country in fact.

 

[Solomon2]

...and because of PDF i have learned a lot about Islam -

???? There are no discussion threads allowed on religious doctrine at PDF, right? So what did you learn about Islam here?

 

[The Sandman]

???? There are no discussion threads allowed on religious doctrine at PDF, right? So what did you learn about Islam here?

Yes religious threads aren't allowed but there were some threads which compelled me to learn more about Islam.

 

[Margarita]

I had a very positive image about pakistan before I joined this forum, especially of its people, but not anymore, sadly.

 

[WAJsal]

Helping me improving my English skills,even it isn't perfect at 100%,I learned so much and comparing today to when I came on PDF.... it's day and night,literally .

Same case here, i was very naive when i joined. @Levina , you may remember.
Some people may not believe it but PDF has helped me fix many things in live. I would even go on to say i have learned to refrain from saying something i shouldn't in real life. Moderation also teaches you a lot.

PDF has has improved my general knowledge. Knowledge regarding a lot of things. Before i joined PDF i hated India and Indians, lol; overtime realized we have a lot in common. Unfortunate circumstances. PDF is a great platform, there are obviously some bad things about PDF.