Pakistani man’s thank you note to HONY goes viral
Hasan Saeed thanks Brandon Stanton for showing a positive side of Pakistan
Brandon Stanton PHOTO: AFP
A Pakistani man’s post on Humans of New York’s (HONY) Facebook page thanking photo-blogger Brandon Stanton for visiting the country and portraying its positive side has gone viral.
Hasan Saeed, like so many Pakistanis, was grateful to Stanton for showing a different side of the country which is rarely shown in the international media and his message eloquently summed up what many Pakistanis are feeling right now.
"I just wanted to thank you for coming to my country and breaking the negative image we have abroad, one picture at a time. Thank you for holding a mirror to this society to help us realise the privileged life we lead," the post read.
Read: HONY bids adieu but leaves one final gift for Pakistan
It added, "Thank you for showing the hardships the people of this country face. Thank you for showing that the basic necessities of life, that we take for granted are luxuries for others. Thank you for approaching drug addicts, asking about their life story. We shun them but you, who doesn't even speak the same language approached them and talked to them. You have single handedly furthered the eradication of bonded labor in this country than anyone else in years."
"In the words of the world's greatest detective, “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know the world hadn’t ended.”In this case, you are the hero who is changing the world one picture at a time."
Stanton captured the hearts and minds of Pakistanis over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, he left the country with one final word on Pakistan and the key issue we face as humans in a global community.
A few days after the photographer’s haunting images of Pakistanis trapped in bonded labour triggered an outpouring of donations to help end the practice, Stanton summed up his final thoughts on Pakistan in an eloquent post on how the country, like many others, is a victim of negative publicity.
Read: HONY raises $1.3 million to help end bonded labour in Pakistan
Stanton, aware of the violence and extremism in Pakistan said the media unfortunately only shows one side of the country — the negative one.
The photographer wrote, “Imagine that every time you have a lapse in judgment, it gets printed in newspapers around the world: every time you lose patience with your children, every time you scream at someone in traffic, every time you drink too much and do something you regret. Each time you slip up, everyone hears about it. The world is never notified about the 99.99% of the time that you are a completely normal, productive, law-abiding citizen. The world only learns about you when things go wrong. Now imagine what the world would think of you.”
Stanton endeavored to show the positive side of Pakistan and his posts about the ordinary people of Pakistan has touched hearts not only in Pakistan but all over the world. And, if the comments on his posts are to believed, he has successfully changed many people’s mind about Pakistan. Lets just say that Pakistanis owe him a debt of gratitude.
Hasan Saeed, like so many Pakistanis, was grateful to Stanton for showing a different side of the country which is rarely shown in the international media and his message eloquently summed up what many Pakistanis are feeling right now.
"I just wanted to thank you for coming to my country and breaking the negative image we have abroad, one picture at a time. Thank you for holding a mirror to this society to help us realise the privileged life we lead," the post read.
Read: HONY bids adieu but leaves one final gift for Pakistan
It added, "Thank you for showing the hardships the people of this country face. Thank you for showing that the basic necessities of life, that we take for granted are luxuries for others. Thank you for approaching drug addicts, asking about their life story. We shun them but you, who doesn't even speak the same language approached them and talked to them. You have single handedly furthered the eradication of bonded labor in this country than anyone else in years."
"In the words of the world's greatest detective, “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know the world hadn’t ended.”In this case, you are the hero who is changing the world one picture at a time."
Stanton captured the hearts and minds of Pakistanis over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, he left the country with one final word on Pakistan and the key issue we face as humans in a global community.
A few days after the photographer’s haunting images of Pakistanis trapped in bonded labour triggered an outpouring of donations to help end the practice, Stanton summed up his final thoughts on Pakistan in an eloquent post on how the country, like many others, is a victim of negative publicity.
Read: HONY raises $1.3 million to help end bonded labour in Pakistan
Stanton, aware of the violence and extremism in Pakistan said the media unfortunately only shows one side of the country — the negative one.
The photographer wrote, “Imagine that every time you have a lapse in judgment, it gets printed in newspapers around the world: every time you lose patience with your children, every time you scream at someone in traffic, every time you drink too much and do something you regret. Each time you slip up, everyone hears about it. The world is never notified about the 99.99% of the time that you are a completely normal, productive, law-abiding citizen. The world only learns about you when things go wrong. Now imagine what the world would think of you.”
Stanton endeavored to show the positive side of Pakistan and his posts about the ordinary people of Pakistan has touched hearts not only in Pakistan but all over the world. And, if the comments on his posts are to believed, he has successfully changed many people’s mind about Pakistan. Lets just say that Pakistanis owe him a debt of gratitude.