The lad was only giving women some business advice
A lot of fuss is being made over the boo boo that Boom Boom Afridi has recently made by suggesting that women are only good for things they can do in the kitchen and nothing else. The ensuing reactions were not only absurd but also extremely unfair. Only a handful few understood what Afridi was even talking about. This is how we treat our national heroes.
This is no ordinary man, he is a veritable legend. He frequently graces our TV screens with his shiny hair and perfect smile. The legacy he will be remembered for will continue to earn him respect; indeed his work as one of Pakistan’s foremost advertisement personalities is the epitome of perfection. His modeling assignments alone have helped him rake in more than Rs100 million a year. Earning several millions a month is no biggie for the beautiful brute. His work involves not just local Pakistani companies, but multinationals as well. Everyone wants a piece of our little Boom Boom. Then why do we have so much trouble respecting him, and keep dragging his name through the mud?
Pakistanis have no shame. First they label the man a cricketer even though he’s just a TV personality, and then they twist his words. For starters, it’s common information that our Boom Boom doesn’t just have a successful career on screen but he’s also brilliant off screen. His restaurant, Splice by Shahid Afridi, is one of the best places in Lahore to grab a bite. That’s not all, the extremely hot and happening lad even has his very own clothing line. Boom Boom is the king of making money, and he seemed to have it all figured out till the entire nation decided to go bonkers over something they didn’t even understand. Aik du game kya khel liyey log tu peechy hi parr gaey hain.
When he said the ladies from the cricket team should head over to the kitchen, all he really meant was for them to earn a little more. After all people don’t really care for women’s cricket in Pakistan, which is why it probably doesn’t help them make much money. If they opened up a restaurant like our handsome hunk they too could be rolling in dough. The recent Pepsi advertisement had just ONE female cricketer; Afridi has been doing these campaigns for ages. Don’t you think he must have felt bad for the women in the cricket team? Here he is, this guy, who just plays the sport as a hobby, making a ton of money, while the poor ladies do nothing but play the game on field. Afridi has a big heart – he’s even compared his with Indians before.
Nevertheless, a good deed never goes unpunished, does it? All Boom Boom tried to do was help the ladies find a new career path to supplement their cricket dreams. But no, we must raise hell against him over nothing. Is Boom Boom a sexist, chauvinist jerk who doesn’t respect women? Of course not! He loves women! The proof: he’s even worked with a cosmetic company and modeled for different shampoos. Do men care about shampoos? No, only women do. Men could wash their hair with soap and not give it a second thought. It’s all for his female fans. How ludicrous it is to ask him these questions and then twist his answers into sexist statements!
Let’s also talk about cricket. It is so extremely obvious that he only plays the sport as a hobby. So many of the men we know play the game just for fun, but no one calls them sexist. Why are we holding Boom Boom’s boo boo in such a different light? He’s been playing the game for 18 years in which he’s got the most pathetic batting average, really high bowling average, and he’s only managed to become an all-rounding flop. Of course he loves his country so he does perform in big matches every couple of years. But if you look at it closely he’s been brilliant at his day job i.e., television adverts, while he hasn’t really wowed at cricket. A lot of people have hobbies they are no good at, why must we expect the poor guy to be the master of all trades when he’s only good at being the jack of some?
The people of this country love Boom Boom. No amount of propaganda from the liberal lot is going to change that. There was even a call for prayers so that he could be blessed with a son! Why would people band together to ask for a son for the man if they didn’t love his work? Haters can continue hating the man but he’s moving onto great things. He’s going to be traveling to Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and more for different commercials. Who needs cricket? Surely, our little Boom Boom doesn’t. Isn’t it enough that he takes out so much time from his successful career as an advertisement model and TV personality just for these silly cricket games? What more do we want from him!
Clearly you have a good grasp on the lack of shame bit – he's a sportsman; not a machine; as such he has good performance days and bad. Maybe the day you become an international sports sensation you might have a leg to stand on with your cheap tongue in cheek humor – right about now all it comes off as is a case of sour grapes that you dont have a face that P&G is scrambling to put on their product. Take a look in the mirror and then wonder why.
His 'successful career as an advertisement model' is a by-product of his sporting career, which is the case with greats like Roger Federer, despite the peaks and valleys of their careers. It doesnt take away from his accomplishments or his skill set. Learn some respect and garner some insight into your topic before you pick up your poison pen again.
It was insult or appreciation….?
Clearly an article which ,when and if (god forbidden) printed should b handed over to a rahhi wala to sell channa in …chances are he would cut out the pictures and throw away the gibberish to keep his stove working!!
Complete CRAP!!! Get your facts straight before u publish!
i would like to know how much money was paid to Miss Luavut Zahid from Afridi for defending him. Why is Miss Zahid not at home cooking, cleaning and getting walked upon by her husband/boyfriend/whoever instead of being a writer. I do not care who the person is HERO or ZERO what he said on national TV was an insult to women. Even if it was Imran Khan i would say the same thing that these so called heroes need to realize who they are before they open their ignorant mouth. What afridi said showed what kinda mentality he has and what kinda household he grew up in . Maybe thats Afridi has planned for his daughters but this is not what pakistanis have planned for their daughters.
The reason behind Pakistan STILL being a regressive society in 2014, particularly for women, is only because of people who possess Afridi-like mentality. I used to be an Afridi fan once upon a time, but after listening to his statement I felt angry and sad, because unfortunately his statement represents more than half of pakistani awaam's mindset, and the comments above prove exactly that. The sadder part though is that I have seen women themselves not offended by his statement, because they don't even have the brain to realize what place they have been given in the society. However, at the end, Afridi's statement should not only be offensive to women but men as well, because it represents a stone-age mindset altogether.
I wanna give a thumbs up to the writer of this article for voicing her opinion, even though she knows and understands how much criticism she is going to receive from blind and dumb Afridi fans.
I dont know if you are trying to insult or defend the guy but this certainly the most ignorant piece of writing I have read. I'm sorry I dont agree with any of the crap you have said about him. Although it is his right to say what he wants and speak his mind, you have no right to run down his cricket career just because you can!!!
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