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On May 06 2010 03:20 Mindcrime wrote:Show nested quote +On May 06 2010 00:49 Biochemist wrote:
I think it's wrong to impose western philosophy and morals on the middle east. Looking at a devout, praying Muslim gives me more faith in humanity than a bunch of drunk naked teenagers running around in Berlin. Yeah, I am sure that women who are lashed because they had the misfortune of being raped would hate it if "western morals" were "imposed" on them.
Keep in mind the Sharia system in that country is total load of bullcrap that the country itself rigid. Yeah I mean not even western morals, but true Islamic law is nothing like what you see being done in that country. Most of the thing you see now in Muslim countries is a mass of shit created by people who were too mindfucked to see right from wrong.
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United States12607 Posts
On May 06 2010 03:20 Mindcrime wrote:Show nested quote +On May 06 2010 00:49 Biochemist wrote:
I think it's wrong to impose western philosophy and morals on the middle east. Looking at a devout, praying Muslim gives me more faith in humanity than a bunch of drunk naked teenagers running around in Berlin. Yeah, I am sure that women who are lashed because they had the misfortune of being raped would hate it if "western morals" were "imposed" on them.
+1, couldn't have said it better myself.
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On May 06 2010 03:20 Mindcrime wrote:Show nested quote +On May 06 2010 00:49 Biochemist wrote:
I think it's wrong to impose western philosophy and morals on the middle east. Looking at a devout, praying Muslim gives me more faith in humanity than a bunch of drunk naked teenagers running around in Berlin. Yeah, I am sure that women who are lashed because they had the misfortune of being raped would hate it if "western morals" were "imposed" on them.
Islam is evolving, just like the west is. Things like this are generally confined to the really jacked up areas like Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Let them fix their problems their own way.
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Really interesting read, thanks.
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Zurich15366 Posts
On May 06 2010 00:46 RaGe wrote:
Holy shit that's even way worse than what I imagined from what you told us.
On a more personal note: did your company offer you the possibility to turn this job down? What kind of protection/guidelines/briefing did they give you?
Yeah sure I could have turned down. But it's not a bad experience as long as you know it's temporarily, and it has its perks, which I might expand on in future posts. And I love traveling so there is that.
I didn't get any preparation, no. But as long as you haven't lived with your head in the sand that's ok. While the whole experience is somewhat strange and hard to image, Western foreigners still live quite comfortably here. If they are male that is.
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Korea (South)17174 Posts
wow, v interesting stuff, i was unaware it was that crazy
the power of societal construct is unreal
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Interesting blogs!
You sure as hell wouldn't get me living there... I don't care what they're paying you!
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The irony of public flogging with the modern city landscape in the background.
I wonder how we will look in the eyes of people 1000 years from now.
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Fantastic blog Zatic, do you want to PM me the place and maybe your opinion on its culture?
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Zurich15366 Posts
On May 11 2010 15:54 ShaperofDreams wrote:
Fantastic blog Zatic, do you want to PM me the place and maybe your opinion on its culture?
I can give my opinion right here if you are more specific. What do you want to know? "Its culture" is a bit too broad.
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Very interesting read, I actually just went and read your Women and Traffic posts, very informative. To be honest, maybe a lot of people know about these things, but as educated as I like to think of myself as, I knew nothing about any of this.
If an "educated" young male like myself can think of places like you describe as Hell on Earth, without any thought to what the people themselves think, what do the majority of Americans think about these places?
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United States22883 Posts
On May 06 2010 05:59 Biochemist wrote:Show nested quote +On May 06 2010 03:20 Mindcrime wrote:On May 06 2010 00:49 Biochemist wrote:
I think it's wrong to impose western philosophy and morals on the middle east. Looking at a devout, praying Muslim gives me more faith in humanity than a bunch of drunk naked teenagers running around in Berlin. Yeah, I am sure that women who are lashed because they had the misfortune of being raped would hate it if "western morals" were "imposed" on them. Islam is evolving, just like the west is. Things like this are generally confined to the really jacked up areas like Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Let them fix their problems their own way.
I'm with this.
I've studied the lack of social movements in SA and in basic terms, there's two main issues. There are a good number of people who love McDonalds and western movies, but simply aren't going to speak out because 1. they're Saudis and so they're paid handsomely by the government (although less so these days) and 2. the paramilitary is actually very successful at keeping dissent to a minimum. 1. represents a lack of incentive for social change, because people are already living well, and 2. is what makes the cost so high.
That doesn't mean it won't eventually happen though. The fact that drug trafficking is already so big there shows a breakdown in the dominant society, and there's still minor protests ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081401598.html ) going on by Saudis. What I'm most curious about is what is happening with the Shias in the east (where the oil is) that make up 15% of the population and still face severe discrimination. When I did my research, the general feeling was discontentment without radicalism; they wanted slow and steady change. I'm not sure how the situation has developed since then.
TBH, living in Dubai would be more unsettling to me than Saudi Arabia. At least you know what you're getting yourself into there. If I may ask, what region are you living in?
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Nice blog, reading the first two now.
This isn’t Soviet Russia, you see no oppression in everyday life at all, and people are very open generally.
You wouldn't see this happen in Soviet Russia either, especially after Stalin was gone. Even before that "oppression" was done in relative secrecy, definitely not something you'd see out in the streets. And back in the first half of the 20th century common people would all cry if their leader died, it would be worse than if their own son died.
In general people were very happy in the USSR.
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Baltimore, USA22260 Posts
Keep writing these please. 
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Zurich15366 Posts
On May 12 2010 14:21 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On May 06 2010 05:59 Biochemist wrote:On May 06 2010 03:20 Mindcrime wrote:On May 06 2010 00:49 Biochemist wrote:
I think it's wrong to impose western philosophy and morals on the middle east. Looking at a devout, praying Muslim gives me more faith in humanity than a bunch of drunk naked teenagers running around in Berlin. Yeah, I am sure that women who are lashed because they had the misfortune of being raped would hate it if "western morals" were "imposed" on them. Islam is evolving, just like the west is. Things like this are generally confined to the really jacked up areas like Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Let them fix their problems their own way. I've studied the lack of social movements in SA and in basic terms, there's two main issues. There are a good number of people who love McDonalds and western movies, but simply aren't going to speak out because 1. they're paid handsomely by the government (although less so these days) and 2. the paramilitary is actually very successful at keeping dissent to a minimum. 1. represents a lack of incentive for social change, because people are already living well, and 2. is what makes the cost so high.
This is very true and I agree very much.
What this means though is that they are not going to change until they have to. Ergo, until the oil runs out. And the little change you are seeing is confined to areas of society I'd deem rather unimportant. They will probably introduce movie theaters sooner than universal suffrage.
And you have to realize that it is only in the interest of government to further social modernization - they are trying to liberalize the country, it's the general public and the religious leaders who are against it.
This is true for many Gulf countries actually where the governments try to liberalize society to advance their countries economically but in many cases are met with broad resistance by the public.
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EPT
