Are You A Coconut?
Salaam
Most of us here are of a Pakistani/Bengali etc background and were born in the UK.
So who here gets accused of being a coconut or gets accused of being “too westernised”?
I get this pretty much all the time…not from my immediate family but from the ladies in my community……the "what’s it gotta do with them" argument, is a separate issue-For now I wish to look at their heartfelt “concerns”….
I do love my Pakistani food, I love the Pakistani dress…I speak crap Urdu and have never been “expected” to live my life as a “typical Pakistani girl”…I can study, I can work, I can drive, (as soon as I get my license!), I don’t run my house and I’m not expected to do anything I don’t want to do…but for some reason, the way I live my life is a cause for concern for people who do not even know me….I’m not “Paki enough for them, and apparently my parents have allowed me to run wild”.... :?
More interestingly, the “secular” side of my family thinks I’m way too backwards…
If a person doesn’t know their language, does that make them a coconut?
If a person doesn’t wear their cultural dress, does that make them a coconut?
If a person doesn’t like their food, does that make them a coconut?
If a person doesn’t abide up what the rules dictated to them by their culture, does that make them a coconut?
If a person doesn’t like to visit their country back home, does that make them a “coconut”?
And does being a so- called coconut make one any less of a good Muslim?
What exactly does it mean to be “too westernised” and after being born and brought up in this country isn’t the dilution of our culture inevitable?
On a side note-the men in my family are cricket fanatics…I remember when I was about 10 and England and Pakistan were playing in the finals…I got told off for supporting England –lol
So ARE we losing our connection with our roots? And is this a serious cause for concern?
Do you perceive yourself or others as so-called coconuts? Do you think we’re more “white” then “brown”? Are people from back home with strong attachment with their culture more or less better people from here?
Share your thoughts…
Wasalaam
Are You A Coconut?
Are You A Coconut?
i am both
i am me 8)
Are You A Coconut?
There is a difference.
Freshys are basically being who they are. They speak english funny, they wear leather jackets that they had since they were twelve, they smoke, they drive taxi. Thats it, they are just normal pakistanis who made it somehow into uk.
The coconut by my understanding is one who hides or is ashamed of who he is or where he comes from. If a person is a pakistani, he grew up in a white area, speaks english, cant really speak urdu, gets on with whites, has posh accent then he isnt in my opinion a coconut, he is being who he is and how he was brought up. The coconut is one who has a bit of culture in him, but tries to hide it and portray himself as someone he is not. Take me. I chat in a ghetto way, but can write quite well alhamdulillah at times. My writing is not me being a coconut because that can come naturally to me. My changing my SPEECH to make it more neutral or more BBC english or whatever is me trying to be a bit of a coconut and is something I refuse to do. THATS the differece.
Essentially, how I understand the issue, it is that the freshy is just a pakistani in uk who is being what he is, the coconut is being something OTHER than what he is.
Are You A Coconut?
in that case Med then i was not a coconut i was a bit colour blind thats all.
i never tried to be something that did not come naturally - thanks for clearing that up
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Med"]There is a difference.
Freshys are basically being who they are. They speak english funny, they wear leather jackets that they had since they were twelve, they smoke, they drive taxi. Thats it, they are just normal pakistanis who made it somehow into uk.
The coconut by my understanding is one who hides or is ashamed of who he is or where he comes from. If a person is a pakistani, he grew up in a white area, speaks english, cant really speak urdu, gets on with whites, has posh accent then he isnt in my opinion a coconut, he is being who he is and how he was brought up. The coconut is one who has a bit of culture in him, but tries to hide it and portray himself as someone he is not. Take me. I chat in a ghetto way, but can write quite well alhamdulillah at times. My writing is not me being a coconut because that can come naturally to me. My changing my SPEECH to make it more neutral or more BBC english or whatever is me trying to be a bit of a coconut and is something I refuse to do. THATS the differece.
Essentially, how I understand the issue, it is that the freshy is just a pakistani in uk who is being what he is, the coconut is being something OTHER than what he is.[/quote]
so were not british? so if a pakistani dude is trying to integrate into society or just trying to break the class barriers.....hes ashamed of his roots?
Must he dress funny and speak funny?
dont buy it
Are You A Coconut?
no he doesnt have to speak funny. If you read my post hay-DUH I say if naturally he speaks in a posh way or naturally he gets on with whiteys(!) then thats ok. The issue is when he speaks normally like a paki but wants to act like a white boy so puts on a oh how ARE u ol' chap routine.
integration, funny clothes,? I dont see what that has to do anything. My point is if he normally chats like a paki, but affectates his speech to hide his pakiness then I think he is being a deceiver.
U not buying?
Funny I aint selling.
Are You A Coconut?
why you gotta speak like a paki tho?
why is it wrong to speak like a gora?
arent we british?? i want to wear a tailcoat and have a maid and a butler and eat crumpets and watch bowls!
i wudnt buy from a cavemen anyway! :o
Are You A Coconut?
look BRO!
U dont HAVE to spk like a paki, u shud spk how u naturally spk. Im saying that if u naturally spk like a paki then u shudnt hide it, similarly if u a paki and u naturally spk like a white boy then u shudnt hide it.
Im saying every1 should spk in their normal way without affectating speech. Point being those who try to hide their paki accents are being dirty coconuts which should be smashed over someones head on their wedding.
MMMM coconut.
Are You A Coconut?
Those who have paki accents cant hide them they are very different and obvious same applies to any accent, one can talk like another for only so much.
Are You A Coconut?
Coconuts are the kind of people who would go down the pub for a drink every other evening.
Also, they would find things wrong with Asian culture because 'that's not how white people do things.'
Are You A Coconut?
i dont like freshies
the freshies i know are my backards cousins frm Pakiland
we've hated one another since we were kids
they call us "coconuts" and I call them "smelly, greasy freshies"
some freshies are OK-my dads one-but he's integrated here well
and btw not all coconuts hate their culture
my uncle and all his mates are coconuts-cant speak urdu/hate asian food/love to make fun outta culture
but he donthate being a Paki
Are You A Coconut?
just to be diffrent....im stickin up for coconuts....not the pub ones, every1 has their own interpretation of a coconut (from now on reffered to as a coco)
whats this divide? is it wrong to speak like a gora?
dirty cocunuts? dare i say dirty freshies!
Are You A Coconut?
I spk like a paki and im proud.
I say Wed-nes-day not wensday, I say rushiya, not rusha (russia), I say roydal not rochdale. Long live my accent!
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Darth V-Hayder"]just to be diffrent....im stickin up for coconuts....not the pub ones, every1 has their own interpretation of a coconut (from now on reffered to as a coco)
whats this divide? is it wrong to speak like a gora?
dirty cocunuts? dare i say dirty freshies![/quote]
Preach on!
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Med"]I spk like a paki and im proud.
I say Wed-nes-day not wensday, I say rushiya, not rusha (russia), I say roydal not rochdale. Long live my accent![/quote]
oh jeezus.....
strange, you have a deep love for british history and its monarchs 😃
a unique freshy....now thats sumat u dont see every day 😃
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Darth V-Hayder"]
strange, you have a deep love for british history and its monarchs
a unique freshy....now thats sumat u dont see every day[/quote]
Lol. Yes I am a bit of a freak. Having said that, its not just british history, I like history in general. I like to see how empires and civilisations collapse, hoe battles were won and lost. At the mometn I m reading a book on how the Sahabah Karaam established the borders of Islam in Greater Syria. It was amazing, subhanALLAH.
The things you learn from history are amazing. Did you know that there were four/five battalions in that region, each headed by a leading Sahabi? That at a crucial stage the Muslims needed reinforcements and the troops that could provide assistance were within Sayyidina Khalid ibn Waleed in Iraq and that due to the urgency Sayyidina Khalid radhiyallahu anhu only left with about 650 men. And the route that He radhiyallahu anhu rook his lashkar was one that no military general or leader had ever done because he had to get the troops in postiion asap and the shortest way was through a part of the desert that was literally unpassable. So what He radhiyallahu anhu did is take the lashkar exactly that way, no army in history has gone through that zone. Subhanallah!
Sayyids genius was amazing aswell. They took camels and filled them with the water, even though there were no oasis in their pathway. When water ran out, Sayydina Khalid ordered that a small number of the camels be slaughtered for meat and more amazing for the water that they stored. SubhanALLAH. At one time he watered the camels so they were swift in traversing the harsh climate, made a store for the water, and provided meat for the army.
May ALLAH be Pleased with him.
But also other military geniuses (is it meant to be geniae?) were also present with Sahabah Karaam. ALLAH! May I be sacrificed on their Imaan. ameen.
Are You A Coconut?
Am I British, don't care.
Am I English, yes.
English before Indian? uh huh.
before Muslim, nope.
Coconut? gets stuck in my teeth.
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Dawud"]Am I British, don't care.
Am I English, yes.
English before Indian? uh huh.
before Muslim, nope.
Coconut? gets stuck in my teeth.[/quote]
I agree
I too see myself as Muslim/British and THEN Paki
but I am fond of coconuts tho-but I can never cut the thing
i always make dad cut it
Are You A Coconut?
I refuse to use the word coconut, only coconuts use the word coconut. I am a pakistani, I call those type of ppl naaryal!
looooooooooool
Where are all those naaryals?
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Med"]I refuse to use the word coconut, only coconuts use the word coconut. I am a pakistani, I call those type of ppl naaryal!
looooooooooool
Where are all those naaryals?[/quote]
u call coconuts "naaryal" what is the exact meanin of "naarya" btw its rude to use words that other ppl dont understand!
Are You A Coconut?
Naaryal is urdu for coconut.
lol
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="angel"]
u call coconuts "naaryal" what is the exact meanin of "naarya" btw its rude to use words that other ppl dont understand![/quote]
it is rude ur right
my freshie cousins do this a LOT to me and sis
thats why i hate them
Are You A Coconut?
im a muslim
im a coconut
im a freshie
now what?
its an issue made out of nothing
Are You A Coconut?
[quote="Darth V-Hayder"]im a muslim
im a coconut
im a freshie
now what?
its an issue made out of nothing[/quote]
Hey we are all coconuts and amongst us we have a greasy freshie, i say put him bak on the boat!
Was that nasty?
Are You A Coconut?
no....put me back on the boat!!!
jus redirect it to barbados....
Are You A Coconut?
loooooooooool.
Im so greasy that I just slip out of your hands.
Just let me alone and give me a taxi plate!
Are You A Coconut?
i already got a shop......i wanna be a freshy and take over....and sell mangoes....and fone cards!
Are You A Coconut?
i dont think any one of us here are coconuts the real coconuts and we all know some would never think of coming on such a site full packed with brown people!
as for freshies i feel sorry for them they have such a hard job leaving their beloved culture behind and slogging it here its as if they were forced to come here! and if its as bad here as they say it is then why do they proceed to bring the rest of their relations here - safety in numbers i guess
Are You A Coconut?
i think its time i locked this thread.
It was interesting.
But when we go into racial stereotyping its a long slippery slide downhill.
i was a coconut until 9/11 and then i was suddenly a paki