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Aneirin -> RE: Condemning a large group of people for the actions of a few (8/18/2010 6:06:02 PM)
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Regarding the actions of the few against the goodwill of the many, I have lived in middle eastern countries and at no time did I ever receive any negativity towards my nationality or perceived religious belief, the Arabs whom I met were with perfect courtesy and good humour, including the police and other members of offialdom and security.
The only thing I did come across, which made me feel quite apalled, was the Western contract workers and their attitude towards the people of the country that employed them and undoubtedly enhanced their financial prospects and lifestyle. Daily I heard such derogatory comments made in private about the people of the country, comments such as towel head or rag head etc even the other immigrant workers from the East of the Middle East all had derogatory and unkind private western nomenclature, but always when the indigenous people of the country were not around to hear such insults, when they were, it was perfect politeness and a large degree of ass licking.
I had come to the conclusion that the more I understood about the Arabs and the belief that governed their life, the more I came to like and respect them, for they clearly had something we in the West have either lost or indeed never had. I liken that thing the Arabs possessed which many Western people in the country did not, was something close to the code of Chivalry.
I came to the conclusion that those of the West are by and large arrogant, they hold a belief that they are for some reason superior than the people of the country they are graciously treated guests in and in those countries, the minority misbehave and break the laws they know exist, but I believe the authorities are aware, but tend to turn blind eyes as long as visitor activities do not bring insult or shame to the indigenous population.
( As an aside it was common place for Westerners to brew alcohol for their own consumption, the infamous Sadiki amongst others, but the authorities being aware of Western tastes announced there was to be a raid on a certain date at a certain time searching for alcohol, of course when the raid happened, they did not find any alcohol, the reason being, it was all destroyed or secured elsewhere long before the time of the raid. The authorities finding no abuse of their laws went away happy, and the Westerners went back to normal. So in short, the authorities know, but turn blind eyes unless there is a possibility that insult or shame is a possibility for nationals, in a way, they accomodate foreigners to an extent even if laws are bent).
But it is the Western arrogance that astounds me, and I have likened it to the Colonials, people who are nothing in their home country suddenly feel elevated to VIP status when in another country, especially countries that seem to function perfectly well without our high tech adornments, countries which by our western standards seem primitive, but with a primitivity we would find it hard to survive in.
Interestingly though the common thing which interests both Middle East and the West is oil, we need it to live by, the Middle East sells it and the majority continue on as normal, as they have done for thousands of years, even in a relative primitivity, which they will continue unabashed when there is no more oil to sell. The West on the other hand, the falsety that oil has brought us, it will hit us hard when it oil comes to an end, so to me, the Arabs have the upper hand, their low tech life will serve them well.
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