I Have A Really Stupid Question About The Taliban's Clothes/Garb/Outfits......

[global1]

Their garb looks heavy and overly warm and all the pictures I see of the Taliban - their clothes look like they were just laundered and clean.

How do they keep their garb clean - given the terrain in Afghanistan? Do they carry around a number of outfits with them? Are their laundromats available for their use?

I said - this is a stupid question but it's something that has bugged me for a long time.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. They enslave women and make them do their laundry is my guess (nt)

[marble falls]

7. Just like we Americans do?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. We do? nt

[Treefrog]

14. Dayum, I'm a woman, and where do I apply to get a laundry person?

Never have I ever done a man’s laundry, I might add.

[marble falls]

21. The average American does it as much as the average Afghani does it. Don't you see anything ...

... at all racist in your original wisecrack?

[Treefrog]

25. Can people stop calling Afghans "Afghani"?

I thought we were supposed to be a well informed group.

[muriel_volestrangler]

65. Many dictionaries list "Afghani" as an acceptable name for the people

eg American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Afghani adj.
Of or relating to Afghanistan; Afghan.

n.

pl. Afghanis

1.
A native or inhabitant of Afghanistan; an Afghan.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

27. Bullshit, and no, and it was not a wisecrack to begin with ...

The question was SPECIFIC TO THE TALIBAN.

Or I would not have answered as I did.

And they're called Afghans.

[Treefrog]

33. I understood what you meant.

And thank you for reiterating the correct term.

[BannonsLiver]

44. It was supposed to be a zinger, or something.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. I do the laundry in my household.

I also buy most of the household goods and groceries.

[Treefrog]

34. My parents are gone, but my dad enjoyed doing both of those chores.

[luv2fly]

13. Not this American n/t

[BannonsLiver]

19. Huh?

[marble falls]

24. Do you believe all laundry done in Afghanistan is performed by enslaved women???????

I don't believe women are enslaved to the laundry in the US, either.

[luv2fly]

28. +1 n/t

[milestogo]

2. They probably smell horrible.

Maybe there's a ritual for shaking off the dirt.

[Treefrog]

38. Here's a pro tip.

Don’t travel the world.

[milestogo]

49. I have lived overseas in a country where people did not bathe regularly or use deodorant

I guess I can say I got used to it, but I sure found it unpleasant.

[dalton99a]

3. Rank is evidently indicated by how many blankets you can carry on your shoulder

[0rganism]

4. I'm pretty sure the clothes are appropriate for the terrain

Much of the country is mountainous and chilly
For warmer situations they probably remove outer layers

Guerilla fighters don't get to carry around a lot of vanity clothes so I'd assume what they do wear is close to optimal for their purposes

[marble falls]

6. Finally, a usable answer.

[marble falls]

5. In a million year I'd never think DUers would come up with such bigoted remarks. Sad, sad, sad.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Twas ever thus.

[RussBLib]

15. Bigoted? Enslave women and smell bad?

That's what you call bigoted? Fascinating.

The taliban has a history of, shall we say, not exalting women?

Not every culture bathes and showers the same amount. Westerners, especially Americans, bathe or shower almost every day. That is simply not done in many other countries, and body odor is rather common. Often unpleasant.

Is that being bigoted? I can think of far worse.

[marble falls]

31. I call that notion bigoted. Mainly because it is. Most statements with an understood 'all ...

... people are", are usually BS.

[smirkymonkey]

67. Things might have changed, but when I studied in Vienna, Austria 30 years ago, we

were told to limit our showers because they didn't like to waste water and didn't bathe as often as we did (we lived with host families). I asked my Austrian "sisters" one day about how often does the average person shower or bathe in Vienna and they told me about once per week, maybe twice a week at the most.

And this is in a modern, first-world country, with kick-ass bathrooms and all kinds of cool spigots coming out of every side of the shower stall. I loved their showers! But you could tell when you were in the Subway or the Strassenbahn that people didn't bathe often because it really smelled.

They might bathe more often these days, but probably still not as much as we do. It is similar in many European countries, so it's not much of a stretch to assume that a third-world country in Central Asia does not practice the same hygiene rituals that we do here in the US either.

[luv2fly]

16. Almost like saying American men enslave women

To do their laundry, right?

[marble falls]

40. My point. Thanks.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. OH FFS, the question was How are The TALIBANS clothes so clean ...

We know they mistreat and enslave women.

Speculating that the TALIBAN are making said women wash their clothes is not a bigoted answer and rather logical if you ask me.

Assuming you're harping about my answer, if not, just ignore me.

[brush]

32. See post 20

[BannonsLiver]

35. We must be very careful not to be unfair to the Taliban.

They’re sensitive and they have feelings, too.

[dalton99a]

43. +1. Please do not make fun of the Taliban.

[Coventina]

56. do not taunt happy fun ball!!!

[BannonsLiver]

70. A+ reference

[leftstreet]

46. For sure we shouldn't make jokes

Link to tweet

?s=20

[BannonsLiver]

52. That's really really offensive

[smirkymonkey]

68. *snort*

[marble falls]

37. Why don't you just get to your real point about how filthy you imagine the Taliban are?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

51. I think you're confusing what I said with something someone else said.

Last edited Fri Aug 20, 2021, 04:21 PM - Edit history (2)

All I said was I would GUESS that perhaps the TALIBAN's clothes are always so clean because they make the women they subjugate (the latter being a fact we know to be true) keep them clean for them.

I never said the Taliban are 'filthy' or even implied it.

[brush]

20. Yeah, one doesn't expect to hear such bigotry on a progressive site.

Last edited Fri Aug 20, 2021, 03:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Any army after days/weeks in the field is likely to be a bit ripe. Once they get back to base or a place they can clean up, that's what they do, whether they be American or Afghan Taliban.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

48. Okay, well I can see how commenting on body smells is uncool, but I didn't do that

I was making an honest answer, specific to the question of how the Taliban's clothes always look clean.

I don't think my answer was bigoted, but I'm not always the best with the rules of PC-dom, I will admit.

[global1]

36. I Said Nothing About Odors Or Women - I Just Want To Know How They Keep Their Outfits Clean?...nt

[brush]

50. Cleaning up once out of the field would include clothes too.

People have changes of clothes.

[Elessar Zappa]

39. How is the question bigoted?

[treestar]

69. I agree; the OP clearly said "given the

terrain in Afghanistan" - which is an objective fact that says nothing about the people.

[MineralMan]

9. That clothing came about over a very long time to suit the conditions there.

I assume they wash their clothing as needed. Why do you assume otherwise?

[Treefrog]

17. They actually have cars there too. But somehow people don't think they have washing machines?

[MineralMan]

22. Many people know almost nothing about life in Middle Eastern

countries. There is poverty there, of course. There is also wealth.

Many people also know nothing about Islam. They are simply reacting to the situation without knowledge.

Which is not to say that I would choose to live in that area. I was stationed in Samsun, Turkey for 15 months back in the late 1960s while in the USAF. While there, I met quite a few Turks, in all walks of life. The vast majority of them were nice people, but with different ways of thinking than I had.

I learned a lot about their country, their lifestyles, and how they lived. It's not my cup of tea, although I drank a great deal of Turkish tea while I was there.

[Treefrog]

29. Thank you. And I'll bet you know they are Afghans, not Afghani.

Someone posted a thread about this earlier but obviously no one paid it the slightest amount of attention.

[LeftInTX]

74. Turkey is kinda far from Afghanistan....

My grandparents were born and raised there.....

Afghanistan is not even in the Middle East...
Turkish men have been wearing slacks for the last 100 years...

Please don't generalize.......

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Afghanistan_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg

[greenjar_01]

10. I'm here for the racist and ethnocentric shit show that develops in this thread

[crud]

30. We had an exchange student from Peru when I was a kid

One of my friends asked him if they had ironing boards in Peru. He said we have ironing boards and irons and two maids to do the ironing. We laughed and laughed about that for years.

[Treefrog]

42. Now THAT is funny!

I’ve got some similar stories from growing up abroad.

[Treefrog]

45. One thing I found hilarious was a spot Clarissa Ward was doing, with all these Taliban behind her.

I swear, one of them messed with his headscarf like six times in 20 minutes. All of them were very colorfully dressed, and seemed to constantly adjust their clothing. We were laughing our asses off.

Being on tv I guess, but what a bunch of preening idiots.

[doc03]

47. One Hour Martinizing nt

[LeftInTX]

75. LOL...Blast from the past. Don't have those in San Antonio

[SYFROYH]

54. They have not been in hiding in caves for a while now.

[Chellee]

55. I would think that they're not all that hot or sweaty.

This is a completely different example, but I think the principle is the same. I saw a video made by some historical costumers examining the question of how women in the 18th/19th century could wear so many layers of clothes and not be fainting from the heat left, right, and sideways.

So, what they did was dress in full historical garb, trooped out to the desert (they live in Reno,) and used a heat measuring device that shows on a computer a color heat map of how hot parts of the body are. And then they changed into modern clothing and did the same thing.

Not only did they feel more comfortable in the historical clothes, they were actually physically cooler. Number one, the historical clothes were made of natural fibers and that helped wick moisture away. Two, the layers of clothing trapped air between the outside and the body, kind of insulating them from the heat. Third, the one wearing a short sleeved tee was hottest because the sun could reach her skin.

Obviously, Afhgan clothing is different, but a lot of the same ideas are there. Hats, natural fibers, covered arms and legs, and layers. So, it would make sense that the traditional clothing would be adapted to living and working in a hot climate, and even though it's counter-intuitive, more clothing can keep you cooler in some situations.

[BannonsLiver]

57. That's interesting

Especially the part about the video. The fabric part also makes sense. I also think a lot of what they wear is durable, as well.

[Chellee]

66. I found it. It was a year ago, but I found it. LOL

They actually wore the whole outfit. The thumbnail implies they went out there in their undies. They did not.

[LeftInTX]

72. No way do I wear jeans and tee shirts if it is hot outside

They were not dressed for the conditions in their modern clothes.

I wear lose skirts, lose undies, always sleeveless super loose tops and a bra that is several sizes too big. Everything sags...
I only go outside if necessary....(This is what I wear if I'm going to do anything outside)

If I am doing anything in my backyard, I do not wear a bra. The other day, I was in my backyard and some guy was staring at me. (Pissed me off)

I live in South Texas, where it is both hot and humid.

[Treefrog]

58. I actually like their clothing.

I think I’d wear it for gardening.

It looks airy and comfortable.

[global1]

60. But How Do They Keep Their Outfits Looking So Clean?....nt

[Chellee]

61. Well, according to NASA

"Dust storms can happen any time of the year in Afghanistan. On average, Afghanistan experiences blowing dust one to two days per month in the winter and six days per month at the height of the summer."

So, most of the time it's not that dusty, and when it is, you'd just change clothes because you feel gritty and gross.

Reference: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/76763/afghanistan-dust-storm

[global1]

62. So The Taliban Carries Around With Them Additional Outfits?.....

And I guess they go to the local laundromat to wash their dirty clothes

[Chellee]

63. I don't really know.

But our soldiers don't go to war with just one uniform. Most people who are traveling take a change (or several) of clothes, and wash them when and however they can. I can only assume that they are washing themselves, and their stuff whenever an opportunity arises.

Washing machines are not the only way to wash an article of clothing. I have washed tons of sweaters in the sink, and then spread them out flat to dry. And frankly, in a pinch, any body of water will do, a river, a bucket, a hose in the back yard.

[Act_of_Reparation]

59. I would think the clothing is appropriate to the climate/environment, as most clothing tends to be.

It's clean because they wash it, or have somebody wash it. The guys you see looking prim and proper in front of the camera aren't the dudes fighting on the front lines.

[betsuni]

64. They know when cameras are going to be around and want to look nice.

This is a weird thread.

[LeftInTX]

71. Do they all wear white or is it just the big shots?

I've seen pictures of white in India and Pakistan and their garb often looks dusty and dirty...

Now there are politicians in India who wear white and it always looks nice, but they have their laundry professionally done.

[JI7]

73. They don't always keep it clean. Pics and videos of child brides next to

old ass rapists , I mean husbands show the clothes dirty and full of stains.

[LeftInTX]

76. I really don't know what you're talking about

This is a recent image.
Are you talking about their leaders or are you talking about commoners? This is an image of the Taliban from Aug 17th in Kabul. Their clothes don't look particularly heavy or clean.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-taliban-us-biden-militants-vow-amnesty-afghans-live-in-fear/