At least we are Dubai..

redidentity · May 1, 2010, 8:30am

Okay this is response to the Article of George Fulton.. though it is not very smoothly written and didn’t touch my heart but still i wanted to share..

George Fulton’s opinion piece on Dubai – “At least we are not Dubai” – was misguiding, cliché-ridden and typical of the simplistic analysis some of the foreign media has employed when talking about Dubai. Schadenfreude seems to be the dominant emotion. Just who did these Arabs think they were? The economic crash that affected the entire world (including Pakistan) led to an outpouring of glee in certain sections of the media when it came to the Emirates.

There seemed to be delight that Dubai had ‘failed’ and expectations that the city would turn into a ghost town, receding back into the sand. What this reporting exhibits is ignorance — ignorance of the fact that Dubai is about much more than five-star hotels and skyscrapers. This ignorance is clear from George’s second paragraph. He claims that Dubai has no art.

Did he, in his ten days in the city, visit the thriving art scene in Al Quoz or walk through an exhibition at The Gate at the Dubai International Financial Centre? Did he pick up a copy of Bidoun or Brownbook magazine? It seems not. What he did do was go to the mall, where he observed “people buying shirts they will never wear and books they will never read.”

One wonders how he came to this conclusion. But we get the sense George came to his conclusion long before he arrived in Dubai and nothing he saw was going to change his mind. He loves clichés: “…the Arabs walk around with enough gold-bling to blind you at ten paces. But not everything that glitters is gold.” Thanks George, how insightful. Most of the Emiratis walk around in simple white khandouras, the women in black abayas — that’s certainly not blinding.

But why let a fact get in the way of a pithy phrase? George has a question he wants answered: “…will this city of hubris built on sand and folly sink back into the dunes, a desert mirage that evaporates once the public relations people, the speculators and the tourists disappear?” We can guess what he believes will happen, but unluckily for George, Dubai is made of slightly sterner stuff. It is by no means perfect, but name a country that is?

For all its faults, it still draws millions of tourists each year and many of the speculators have already left — something the locals and long-term expatriates are not sorry about. And if Dubai did fail just what message would that send to the rest of the world? Why would that be celebrated? Dubai has forced the world to look at the Middle East through a different frame — a frame that does not include violence or poverty. Dubai reached high and that makes it a big target.

And many of Dubai’s critics have valid points. But George’s article makes no valid points — it swims around in clichés and speculation, telling us about a man in a “silly shirt” and women in “oversized sunglasses.” He delights in his own prose, describing what he sees when the call to prayer filters through the Mall of the Emirates. “Nobody appears to move to the prayer room; everyone’s too busy performing sajda before Stella McCartney, genuflecting before Gucci, and prostrating themselves at Prada.”

How clever, how witty, how simplistic. Is Dubai a consumer culture? Of course it is. Name a country where people do not shop at malls or try to better themselves. Is Pakistan immune to this? I could list Pakistan’s faults, but having never been there I won’t. I do know this — I would rather live in Dubai than Pakistan. And there are more than 500,000 Pakistanis living and working in Dubai who would agree with me.

Syraa · May 1, 2010, 11:20am

It's funny how the guy says he's never been to Pakistan but then goes on to say he'd rather live in Dubai than Pakistan. How can you say something like that before even visiting the place?

cricketplaya · May 1, 2010, 11:22am

I think Dubai’s heat is getting to his head.

Silly Dubai walay.

Zapatista · May 1, 2010, 11:32am

Re: At least we are Dubai..

Someone seems to be butthurt...someone who obviously isn't even able to write a simple article. LOL

redidentity · May 1, 2010, 11:36am

this is the article jis ke response main ye likha gaya..

http://www.paklinks.com/gs/all-views/419711-but-at-least-we-are-not-dubai.html

Zapatista · May 1, 2010, 11:41am

Re: At least we are Dubai..

^I know and I agree with George Fulton.

clad · May 1, 2010, 11:47am

Re: At least we are Dubai..

Dubai is a very nice place to live to be honest people who live in Europe or America they prefer to live in UAE.
Its a fact cannot be argued that the perspective of Pakistan is not the best and Paki Media is making it worst.
BUT on the other hand Dubai use to be great place because there was some serious money making opportunities available .
In the last 2 years Dubai lost its charm and will continue eventually It will be bankrupted.

aaho · May 1, 2010, 12:16pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

^^ to "live" in dubai as a "normal" person who is living in europe a settled life will be so said "impossible". I am better in europe than I was in dubai!! (not only my perspective but many who came here and were / are my friends)

Jaanwar · May 1, 2010, 4:17pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

What a stupid twat, whoever wrote this.

firenze · May 1, 2010, 5:59pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

such an idiot, he never been to Pakistan .... yet..

stupid writer !

aaliyahkhan1 · May 1, 2010, 6:42pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

Stupid Jack A-S.......

LP · May 1, 2010, 6:46pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

KSA is the best place to live in :@:

Jafri · May 1, 2010, 7:38pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

^ xD

clad · May 1, 2010, 9:48pm

To be honest I have lived almost all my life in Europe,
I have live in UAE 2 years and I have not come across single person who wouldn't want to live in UAE,

Specially Pakis and indians its better then living in Europe!!!
The only reason I would prefer to live in Pakistan is I love my country and if I can make any difference in the society otherwise any 1 who never been to Pakistan its not fortunate that we are alieanised by Media any 1 who is coming to Pakistan would think he is going in a war zone.

Please do not get me wrong but thats the perspective outsiders have about us .

aaliyahkhan1 · May 1, 2010, 9:53pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

I lived in UAE for 5 yrs and before that I lived in Europe.....the only place on this earth that made me feel like a foreigner and made me feel like a ASIAN was UAE!

Damn the place to hell!

LP · May 1, 2010, 10:00pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

for every person it depends on the kind of experiences he/she had.
simple as that

clad · May 1, 2010, 10:48pm

To be honest for me Dubai was great Very cheap compare to London muslim Country so can eat what ever I wanted.
Day off on Friday, cheap cars ,cheap petrol.
Amazing beach malls some pricks and some nice Arabs most of all I was able to go to pakistan in the evening and come back in the morning

beat that

ravage · May 1, 2010, 11:52pm

Re: At least we are Dubai..

yes the description of Dubai was cliched. A description of a cliche is bound to be cliched.

aaliyahkhan1 · May 2, 2010, 6:17am

what beats that is I love being treated like a human and not some thing they think they can buy...or treat like some trash.....so no thank you to Dubai...

clad · May 2, 2010, 11:31am

Re: At least we are Dubai..

well
I have never been in a position where I felt some one is trying to buy me !!!!

To be honest people say its a rich man world but the only place you see it is in Dubai

Dubai is truly a richmans world.
and I kinda agree with u on some points but I still love the place man palm ,jumeira Burj desert safari them little russian belle dancers
SIGH
hope bush burn in hell soon