There's yet another article following the fad for Dubai bashing, this one in the UK Sunday Times.
I'd missed it because we were flying back to Dubai during Saturday night, so thanks to Andy the Redundancy Porsche Man for the heads up.
Andy's featured in the article and having obviously given some assistance to Rod Liddle the author I should say in passing that I thought he was depicted somewhat ungraciously.
Once again it's an article concentrating solely about what's wrong, with no balance, but at least it isn't the sort of inaccurate and often patently untrue and sensationalist garbage we've seen from Johann Hari recently.
Even something that's contrary to my experience and with which I fundamentally disagree, I can't fault because the writer is honest in his statement because he says it's what people told him.
"...The British expats I spoke to believed, without exception, that the Emiratis are utterly useless, corrupt and indolent..."
Other less professional writers would have said "all British expats" while Rod Liddle specifically quotes the few Brits he spoke with. I have no reason to doubt that they said exactly as he reported, I've heard the same huge generalisation from a couple of Brits myself.
(Incidentally, those same Brits would be ropeable if they were all categorised in the same derogatory way, as Hari depicted British expats in 'The Dark Side of Dubai' )
In his note to me Andy describes the article as 'harsh' and you'll probably agree if you read it, here.
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5 comments:
I think Dubai deserves all the 'bashing' it's currently receiving. Something more shocking is the recent revelation that Etisilat are spying on all their customers, this deserves some serious attention, and another reason to leave this place: http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/21/etisalat-blackberry-update-was-indeed-spyware-rim-provides-a-so/
Hi - I have no particular affinity or agenda in Dubai but, like yourself, after reading some of the Dubai bashing of late I started to feel some empathy for the precocious Gulf State. I wrote a piece on my own blog which you might be interested to read: http://headdowneyesopen.blogspot.com/2009/05/boom-or-doom-for-dubais-desert-dreams.html
I thought this essay explains why Dubai-bashing journalism has become a popular genre lately http://www.uel.ac.uk/risingeast/essays/2009-06-03.htm
what a liar you are..."but at least it isn't the sort of inaccurate and often patently untrue and sensationalist garbage we've seen from Johann Hari recently"...you were challenged to point out what was wrong in hari's article, and you never did. obviously you had only an emotional response, and nothing factual in reply to him.the challenge is still open..pray do illuminate us. do i see an writer's jealousy here..:-)
Anon@1.50 being ignorant of the facts and not bothering to check them obviously doesn't stop you shooting your mouth off.
Read my posts on the subject in April and May, there are three of them.
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