You'll have read by now about the classy British female tourist who stripped off down to her bikini and paraded around Dubai Mall.
It was in response to being told she was originally dressed too revealingly, breaking the mall rules.
The woman's clothes "were so short and revealing, close to a bikini. Such outfits are not permitted in shopping malls or family-oriented public areas," said Colonel Al Razouqi (Dubai CID)
"She was wearing very revealing clothes as it is, and decided to dress down further after she was approached" said a Dubai Mall official.
As usual there are different versions of events.
According to the UK Daily Mail which broke the story:
"Briton held for wearing a bikini in Dubai shopping mall after fight with Arabic woman.
...she was accosted by an Arabic woman...
The mall's security team then intervened and called the police, who arrested the British holidaymaker."
According to a mall spokesman and Dubai Police, reported in Gulf News:
"A group of Gulf national women recently tried to enforce a dress code morally acceptable to them by distributing leaflets to women they found to be dressed inappropriately, a Dubai Mall official said.
Colonel Dr Mohammad Nasser Al Razouqi, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigations Department for Police Station Affairs, told Gulf News the incident was a "minor" argument in Dubai Mall.
"We called in both women to the police station to resolve the matter amicably. We didn't charge the Briton or open a case against her," he said."
So there we have it. A fight/accosted or a minor argument. Arrested or no charge/no case opened.
As always I love the revealing reader comments section of the Daily Mail story. You might well roll around with laughter at many of them, as I did. Like these:
"They can wear what they like in our country - why shouldn't the same courtesy be extended to us in their country?"
"Good for that British woman for making a stand."
"if we cant wear bikinis in their country why can they wear burkas in ours?"
She was, you'll remember, strutting around a city centre mall in a bikini.
I'll refrain (for once) from offering my opinion on the comments because I think I might devote a new post to the subject in the next day or two.
But I will say I have to agree with George, who said that on his trips to Dubai he'd noticed it had become Chav City.
Here's the version of events from the Daily Mail.
And here's the version from Gulf News.
Showing posts with label manners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manners. Show all posts
Friday, August 06, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Culling the trolls
Not something I'd normally bother to give exposure too, but this is a post about trolls.
The reason for the post is not that we have a troll frequently visiting 'Life in Dubai', but because other readers have been responding to his crass stupidity.
The problem with that is response is trolls' reason for being.
This definition explains:
In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
Their comments are usually extremely childish - think seven year old schoolboy trying to impress his peers by writing rude words on a wall - and their infantile egos feed on responses.
Here's an example of the high intellect, the jaw-dropping creativity of our very own troll. He repeats this and similar messages on many of my posts:
"Yes you are back indeed!
Mrs Seabee?!?! The writer is a HE?
With all the whining, bitching and whimpering, I really thought you were a woman!
Either the "we" in "We lived in Dubai from 1977 to 1984" includes your mustachioed civil partner hidden behind a 'abayah, or you are a closeted basket case."
Boy, aren't we all impressed with the cleverness of that!
BTW, our troll has an interesting obsession with homosexuality, revealing a particular liking for cross-dressing moustachioed men.
Some people think that trolling is, like attempted suicide, a call for help.
Disturbed they undoubtedly are, but I take a different view on how to deal with them.
They're simply a waste of space. If they were animals they'd be culled.
Now although we don't allow culling of humans in the real world it is allowed in cyberspace.
Moderators can hit the 'Delete' button.
So the trolls go exactly where they belong. They cease to exist.
The fun part is, I probably get more enjoyment out of culling troll than he does in leaving his messages.
If you're tempted to respond to a troll, don't. Just ignore them. Don't give them the satisfaction and ego rub of responding to them.
There's an acronym to remember - DNFTT. Do Not Feed The Trolls.
Definition of troll.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Why the rudeness?
Why are so many comments on blog postings rude, impolite, bad mannered, offensive?
Why do people feel the need to do that?
It's something that's been intriguing me for a while.
If you disagree with an opinion expressed you can say so, give your reasons for disagreeing, put your own opinion forward. That's the well mannered, adult way.
All too often though there's just rudeness and abuse.
I'll give you a relatively mild example and it's just one of many, but it prompted this post as it's the latest one to appear on my blog.
I've talked a few times about the inordinately high number of vehicle fires we have here and I've asked why it is. I've asked whether maybe our vehicle safety standads are not as advanced as other countries, which I've put forward as a possible reason. My latest post on the subject was on Tuesday.
On the live feed to Dubizzle there's the following comment - this is it in full:
"You can think of no other reason because you're not qualified to have one and therefore you amazingly just assume it must be down to poor vehicle standards.
You almost read like a quote from GN!
And yes, I am a qualified British Safety Engineer specializing in Accident Investigations and Root Cause Analysis...."
A self proclaimed expert bragging about his qualifications to justify a smart-arse comment; 'You don't know what you're talking about, I'm highly qualified and very clever'. But, you notice, not giving us the benefit of his expertise by giving an answer.
How about the alternative of an answer like: 'You're wrong in thinking that safety standards are to blame. As a qualified Safety Engineer I can tell you that the most likely reasons are (whatever they are)'
That would have been helpful and informative. It would also have been without the unnecessary and uncalled for rudeness.
I've never claimed to be an expert on the subject of vehicle fires, it's something that concerns me and I'm interested to know the reasons behind it. I think it's something that should be discussed and if the causes can be identified and prevented then that should be highlighted.
For the first time on one of my posts about it there's been a comment left from someone who claims expertise on the subject. Does he give us the benefit of his expertise? No, just a smart-arse comment and a brag about his qualifications.
It happens just about every time a blogger states an opinion and I genuinely am interested, as other bloggers probably are, to know what's behind the rudeness.
Among the people reading this are those of you who are bad mannered enough to leave offensive comments. Many of you do that regularly and exclusively, never leaving a sensible or helpful comment. My questions are to you.
Are you the same in the real world, face to face with someone in your working life who expresses an opinion with which you disagree? Or with a friend who does the same over a drink? I suspect you'd get a smack in the mouth if you did, so my guess is that you don't. The net gives you the anonymity and protection you need to be bad mannered, rude, offensive.
But that doesn't answer why you do it.
Why don't you express your opinions in a polite way, join in an adult dialogue, an exchange of opinions? Why play the man not the ball?
By being bad mannered and rude do you think you're being clever and smart? Do you brag to your friends about what you've said? Do you think it shows your sophistication and intelligence?
Why do you do it? The comments section is open for you to tell us...
Why do people feel the need to do that?
It's something that's been intriguing me for a while.
If you disagree with an opinion expressed you can say so, give your reasons for disagreeing, put your own opinion forward. That's the well mannered, adult way.
All too often though there's just rudeness and abuse.
I'll give you a relatively mild example and it's just one of many, but it prompted this post as it's the latest one to appear on my blog.
I've talked a few times about the inordinately high number of vehicle fires we have here and I've asked why it is. I've asked whether maybe our vehicle safety standads are not as advanced as other countries, which I've put forward as a possible reason. My latest post on the subject was on Tuesday.
On the live feed to Dubizzle there's the following comment - this is it in full:
"You can think of no other reason because you're not qualified to have one and therefore you amazingly just assume it must be down to poor vehicle standards.
You almost read like a quote from GN!
And yes, I am a qualified British Safety Engineer specializing in Accident Investigations and Root Cause Analysis...."
A self proclaimed expert bragging about his qualifications to justify a smart-arse comment; 'You don't know what you're talking about, I'm highly qualified and very clever'. But, you notice, not giving us the benefit of his expertise by giving an answer.
How about the alternative of an answer like: 'You're wrong in thinking that safety standards are to blame. As a qualified Safety Engineer I can tell you that the most likely reasons are (whatever they are)'
That would have been helpful and informative. It would also have been without the unnecessary and uncalled for rudeness.
I've never claimed to be an expert on the subject of vehicle fires, it's something that concerns me and I'm interested to know the reasons behind it. I think it's something that should be discussed and if the causes can be identified and prevented then that should be highlighted.
For the first time on one of my posts about it there's been a comment left from someone who claims expertise on the subject. Does he give us the benefit of his expertise? No, just a smart-arse comment and a brag about his qualifications.
It happens just about every time a blogger states an opinion and I genuinely am interested, as other bloggers probably are, to know what's behind the rudeness.
Among the people reading this are those of you who are bad mannered enough to leave offensive comments. Many of you do that regularly and exclusively, never leaving a sensible or helpful comment. My questions are to you.
Are you the same in the real world, face to face with someone in your working life who expresses an opinion with which you disagree? Or with a friend who does the same over a drink? I suspect you'd get a smack in the mouth if you did, so my guess is that you don't. The net gives you the anonymity and protection you need to be bad mannered, rude, offensive.
But that doesn't answer why you do it.
Why don't you express your opinions in a polite way, join in an adult dialogue, an exchange of opinions? Why play the man not the ball?
By being bad mannered and rude do you think you're being clever and smart? Do you brag to your friends about what you've said? Do you think it shows your sophistication and intelligence?
Why do you do it? The comments section is open for you to tell us...
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