An Open Letter to Junaid Akram/Ganji Swag

Junaid Akram is a name that requires no introduction; he is well known for his comedy and educational videos on Social Media. Yesterday he posted a video with the title ‘ ERTUGRUL OR HAMARI AWAM ‘ in which he bashed our own people who left some negative comments on the instagram posts of main cast.

Junaid Akram is a sensible and educated person who has traveled around the world and being a social media influencer, he must be well aware of social media trends all over the world. And yet, most of the time, he always bash and make fun of Pakistanis and their mentality. I agree that some people crossed the line on Ertugrul’s cast posts but they were just a few people; and in those few people, some comments weren’t negative at all. I am not defending hate comments but if someone tried to advice the actress on clothing, what’s wrong in it? Although I do agree that preaching via comments is useless but not everyone realizes it. It’s a human nature; we love to express our views on something we are obsessed with. A mother who loves children and is well experienced will keep on commenting on the posts of other mothers and pinpointing their mistakes which is a very humane act; as far as someone is not crossing the line and starts defaming and abusing. We all pinpoint and it is actually a good thing if it is done with good intentions and in decent way. Whoever is experienced or obsessed with something, he will always try to aware others for their benefits.

For example Vegans; haven’t you seen how vegans from around the world behave? You post a picture having a hamburger and see how vegans will react. Some will talk to you nicely but some will call you a murderer and inhumane person for eating an animal. That’s their belief and they preach about it all the time.

And everyone is obsessed with something in one way or the other and behaves crazily about it. Junaid Akram has thousands of fans and is well known for his baldness; I read a comment on his video which is a perfect example of what I am trying to say; if someday Junaid Akram will show up with hairs grown on his head, he is going to receive tons of comments. Some will mock his hair and some will leave innocent comments straight from the heart, such as JUNAID BHAI AP BALON MAI BILKUL ACHE NHI LAG RHE, JUNAID BHAI WE LOVE THE GANJI SWAG, JUNAID BHAI WE ARE DISAPPOINTED, WE WANT GANJI SWAG. Same was the response of some few people who fell in love with the character of Ertugrul.

And is this obsession limited to Islam or Pakistan? Aren’t people in the progressed nation obsessed with their characters? How people worship Avengers; some people even go the extent of having a plastic surgery to get a face of their favorite celebrity. Go and read the comments of Americans on this year’s performance of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at Super Bowl; go read how American people were also bashing Shakira and Jennifer for their obscene clothes and their performance. Go see comments on Western celebrities; they too share their feelings and views in the similar way.

Why our own influencers always degrade our own people? They even bashed Pakistanis on the response of Corona Virus; haven’t they seen how people all over the world have behaved? Didn’t they see protests in America and Europe? Haven’t they seen drive in DJ party in Germany? Haven’t they seen jam packed parks of London? Haven’t they seen the beaches of Florida?

No, because whatever white skin does are always right but only people shopping in Sadar Bazar are jahils. I am not defending people who are ignoring safety measures but does such people exist only in Pakistan? Yes I know Pakistan has lots of issues but is there any place in the world without any problems? People behave according to their environment and overall living conditions; bring an educated American and force him to live the same life a lower middle class man is forced to live and I will see how patient he remains. Same fruit and vegetable grown in different parts of the world have different taste and shape due to the environment and the roots.

Couldn’t Mr. Junaid have made a video in a decent way educating those people who left negative comments? No, you know why? Because these influencers love to humiliate their own people; it’s their bread and better. Mr. Junaid himself acknowledged that his decent educated videos hardly receive 2-3 Lakh views and a roast like yesterday has received over 2 million views in just 24 hours.

Will his video help? Will people stop commenting? Never. Firstly, it’s a social media trend all over the world and it is never going to change; if someone learns today, someone new will join tomorrow with the same mentality so it’s a never ending process. And secondly, sarcasm and roasting has never done any good in terms of educating people. It’s just a tug of war; one side will roast another and then the other side will reply in the same way without any conclusion. We bash Molvis for their hard talks and if the other side is also doing the same, then what’s the difference between them?

People love negativity, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a part of it; a sensible and educated person like Junaid Akram should be responsible for eliminating hate and negativity instead of fueling it for own benefits.

People get obsessed with their favorite characters all the time. Haven’t you seen Harry Potter theme weddings? Groom’s entries as WWE characters? All this merchandise craze? But the problem is only with Ertugrul Papar.

And besides, the original negative comments were a few and they could have easily ignored by the actors but after Junaid’s video, thousands of Pakistanis went on a Jihad on her post to counter attack. In short, Junaid’s video is the reason why the whole situation is so highlighted and the counter comments are more disgusting than the original comments. Will Junaid Akram hold himself responsible for this reaction which is also heavily tarnishing Pakistan’s image? In short, Mr. Junaid Akram created RAI KA PAHAAR.

We Pakistanis and Muslims are not the only obsessed or evil people in the whole world. It was the white skin who ruled the world and every non-white skin their slaves. One of the reasons they progressed is by suppressing others and they continue to do so in different forms. All the western civilization is not angels; there are people too who see non-white skins and non-English speaking people as inferiors. Stop being a blind follower of West and show some respect for own culture and people.

We laugh and make fun of everything; defaming and roasting has become a norm; we have stopped educating people, instead, we make fun of their shortcomings and troll them and then expect the world to be a nicer place.

Our beloved Propert PBUH never made fun; He never preached through sarcasm or roasting because such acts are never beneficial; infact, such acts ignite the hate. And preaching is a never ending process. Every year, a new batch joins a college or university. People die and people born.

We joke everything and everyone and then complain why our lives have become a joke.

P.S I hope everyone gets the message I am trying to convey. This is not a personal fight with Junaid Akram and if he somehow reads this and thinks so, I apologize in advance.