We all know about the ‘love’ Cynthia Ritchie has for Pakistani people and we know about her very famous Twitter fueds as well, right? Well, after the Farhan-Cynthia phadda, let me just fill in you with the details of yet another ongoing Twitter feud.
A little background, first. It all started with the news around how a women’s bicycle rally in Peshawar had been cancelled after protest threats by certain religious parties.
Women's bicycle rally in #Peshawar cancelled after protest threat by religious parties
https://t.co/0asba3NEWq— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 18, 2019
This instantly made people think of Cynthia bragging about the freedom she had in Pakistan.
Hence proved that only @CynthiaDRitchie is allowed to ride a bike in Peshawar.
Where are those thekaydaars of Pakistan's "positive image" now? https://t.co/n8g35jzUTD
— Faran Rafi (@faranrafi) January 18, 2019
Wonder how the people who had argued viciously about how women were free to bike in Peshawar back when a white woman did it are feeling now? https://t.co/M68y5rEVY5
— Ahmer Naqvi (@karachikhatmal) January 19, 2019
Basically, people tried to point out the double standards of Pakistani men, as well as how Cynthia had the idea of freedom in Pakistan wrong.
Paki men when @CynthiaDRitchie is riding a bike vs when Pakistani women ride bikes: pic.twitter.com/NYdODXM8y1
— Meph⚓ (@UnitedsFreak) January 18, 2019
People drew comparisons between the reactions of Pakistani men towards the idea of empowerment when Cynthia spoke of it, as opposed to when local women speak of it. They pointed out how easily Pakistani men accepted the whole concept of Cynthia Ritchie riding a bike but couldn’t do the same when Pakistani girls performed the same act.
The accommodating nature of Pakistani men in Cynthia’s case was highlighted. Especially since the same men used religious and cultural references to discourage Pakistani girls from being empowered.
— Meph⚓ (@UnitedsFreak) January 18, 2019
Please explain this hypocrisy to me. Please.
— Meph⚓ (@UnitedsFreak) January 18, 2019
A lot of people tried to explain why the situation was so damn irksome.
The irony is that #Peshawar welcome foreign women on bikes. A gori on a bike in Peshawar is good for improving the city’s reputation but a local woman on a bike is unacceptable. Height of #doublestandards and #hypocrisy
— Rabia Akhtar (@AkhtarRabia) January 19, 2019
And people blatantly called her out for her misinformed tweets.
Hallo Miss @CynthiaDRitchie you there? … Since you have blocked me on Twitter, can someone tell her to ask her GHQ friends to allow this women's bike rally that was banned in Peshawar."Positive reporting" eh?, Why are only white women allowed to have all the fun in #Pakistan? https://t.co/bq95mgzXFr
— Salman Khan सलमान खान 🏳️🌈 (@ImGreenGuru) January 18, 2019
Generally abhor people piling on to someone for their wrong opinion but 100% support everyone tagging Cynthia in the posts re cancelled women's bike rally in Peshawar. pic.twitter.com/vrEvq2O76N
— Cardi Ghee (@antifatwa) January 18, 2019
Basically, there was a lot of trolling, but it wasn’t out of place.
WoMEN can bike freely in Peshawar, how dare you point out that you can't, lady who lives in Peshawar, where the fuck are you cowards at now bitch
— desi babushka 🌈 (@pashminakhan) January 19, 2019
Would You Like To Lead The Bike Rally of Women In Peshawar?
@CynthiaDRitchie— Basit Ahmad (@Basitahmad_) January 18, 2019
However, if y’all thought Cynthia was going to sit back and take it all silently, well, you were wrong. She responded to people regarding this with…well, interesting replies.
She called out people for tweeting at her, saying they should focus on “real stories” and avoid “grade school antics.”
Disappointing the bicycle rally in Pesh was postponed due to religious party protests.
Also disappointing: few media folks tweeting I'm the only one allowed to ride a bike. You folks should focus on real stories. Grade school antics should have ended in, well, grade school.
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) January 18, 2019
She also lashed out at journalists with a certain amount of sass.
Even though 'opinions are [your] own', I'm so grateful to FINALLY see a smidgeon of legit investigative journalism appear in the vast, online maelstrom of bovine fertilizer.
Seriously, though.
Do you really work for @BBC as a journalist? Or are you an undercover comedian? https://t.co/vsoTf5eqk4
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) January 18, 2019
And when it was implied yet again that she was an undercover agent (because obviously, the discussion HAD to go there…)
I mostly work for Comedy Central. Only moonlight as a journalist for BBC sometimes.
But while we are on the topic of working undercover… do you want to share something too? https://t.co/St1lS1ip64
— Faran Rafi (@faranrafi) January 18, 2019
…she pointed fingers at others.
I❤️ comedy central!
For undercover queries perhaps consult @husainhaqqani (& expert at evasion techniques, @TahaSSiddiqui). According to them, I either work for @CIA and/or work for 🇵🇰 establishment.
Curiously, though, they spend way more time in Washington, DC than I. https://t.co/4PN4prtqLU
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) January 18, 2019
Basically, she had something to say to anyone who was calling her out.
Remind me: who is the head of JUI(F), one of the religious parties who protested the #Peshawar cycle rally? I seem to recall a 'grand alliance' formed this summer with the MOST 'pro-democratic' parties. And didn't PML-N nominate him as candidate for President of opposition? 🤔 https://t.co/bLCDt8EsMy
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) January 18, 2019
She even threw in a khota biryani dig.
Btw, this was part of the film work we did all over 🇵🇰 – not just KP – and it was done during PML-N's tenure a few years ago, prior to #NayaPakistan.
Tweeting on an empty stomach can lead to ignorant tweets. I hear khota biryani is tasty.
Do your homework & eat something. https://t.co/bLCDt8EsMy
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) January 18, 2019
Look, this can go on being a case of he-said-she-said, but the fact of the matter is that we have a long way to go as far as female empowerment is concerned. Some people may think differently because it’s easier for them to perform certain acts, but it doesn’t apply to our society as a whole. One day, maybe it will. Till then, working towards empowerment is a much better solution than staying in denial, nahi?
What do y’all think? Let us know in the comments.
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Cover image via YouTube