# What are these Afghan/Pakistani men doing on giant swingsets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341 "2009-10-02T14:02:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/1 "2009-10-02T14:02:54Z")
At about 2:20 in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPaB0ZgK0ZY), there is a clip of men swinging on giant swingsets. What are they doing? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/2 "2009-10-02T14:17:49Z")
Having fun. Six Flags Over Karachi was closed that day. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/3 "2009-10-02T14:30:41Z")
No factual answer, but to me it looks like they’re swinging. For fun. Weren’t swings for adults kind of an in thing in the west in the 19th century? ---
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/4 "2009-10-02T19:00:10Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > No factual answer, but to me it looks like they’re swinging. For fun. > > Weren’t swings for adults kind of an in thing in the west in the 19th century? I had certainly considered that possibility. Just wanted to see if there was something more. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/5 "2009-10-02T19:24:02Z")
It was Eid. There was a big fair to celebrate the end of Ramadan, as there is every year. Like how it’s pretty traditional to have fairs, feasts and festivities around Easter in Christian countries, to celebrate the end of Lent. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/6 "2009-10-02T19:29:18Z")
Contrary to western beliefs its not against the rules of Islam to have fun. There are several things I consider fun that are against the rules, but many fun things are not. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/7 "2009-10-02T20:03:30Z")
Reminds me of the description of a Pleasure Palace in Medieval 2: Total War, something like “There are many delights to be found in a Pleasure Palace, some of them prohibited by the various holy texts, the majority prohibited to those without a regular income”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/8 "2009-10-02T20:12:54Z")
They swing on swings in India, too, especially for spring. We decorate them heavily with flowers and such. It’s all in fun. And poets sing of lovers meeting at the swings, on a night after the monsoon, with the large moon smiling down upon them, and when love is in the air… ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/9 "2009-10-02T20:27:28Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > Contrary to western beliefs its not against the rules of Islam to have fun. Can you tell us who in the West believes that? Because I know little about Islam, I have no such belief either way. I do know the Taliban doesn’t like fun. [Why is kite flying un-Islamic? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=77944) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/10 "2009-10-02T20:30:54Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Can you tell us who in the West believes that? Because I know little about Islam, I have no such belief either way. I do know the Taliban doesn’t like fun. [Why is kite flying un-Islamic? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=77944) I think pan is just joking, at least partially, but terrorists in the popular eye don’t really have much fun. And too many people think terrorist=Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/11 "2009-10-02T20:42:10Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I think pan is just joking, at least partially, but terrorists in the popular eye don’t really have much fun. Well, they have fun, but it usually involves blowing things up. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/12 "2009-10-02T20:51:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > No factual answer, but to me it looks like they’re swinging. For fun. > > Weren’t swings for adults kind of an in thing in the west in the 19th century? Aside from porch swings, which really aren’t the same thing, tree swings seem to have been fashionable for adults in the 18th century, at least. [Girl on a swing](http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/ARTH/ARTH200/gender/fragonard_swing.html) by Fragonard. Click on the thumbnail to see the picture (rather than link to the large image, I linked to the informational material that includes the thumbnail). ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/13 "2009-10-02T23:52:08Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Aside from porch swings, which really aren’t the same thing, tree swings seem to have been fashionable for adults in the 18th century, at least. > > [Girl on a swing](http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/ARTH/ARTH200/gender/fragonard_swing.html) by Fragonard. Click on the thumbnail to see the picture (rather than link to the large image, I linked to the informational material that includes the thumbnail). All you’ve done is proven that throughout history people have put hotties on swings. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/14 "2009-10-03T00:34:43Z")
> [@gitfiddle](#): > > I had certainly considered that possibility. Just wanted to see if there was something more. Something more? So you thought that a bunch of humans who made a swingy thing had another reason to do so other than because it’s fun to swing on swingy things? :dubious: Anyway, Renoir’s [_The Swing_](http://www.sai.msu.su/wm/paint/auth/renoir/swing.jpg) is the best hottie on a swing. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/15 "2009-10-03T03:34:50Z")
There’s a pretty woman on the video and you’re thinking about SWINGSETS? Who is she? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-afghan-pakistani-men-doing-on-giant-swingsets/512341/16 "2009-10-03T05:52:07Z")
When my dad was in the army one of the houses we lived in had an enormous swing tied to a huge tree. I was like 20 and I spent a lot of time on it. And those are Afghan/Afghani men, very clearly not Pakistan.