New York Times ridicules Qataris

[qatar]

Today's New York Times published a rather biting article about the conflict between Qataris and non-Qataris in Qatar: Affluent Qataris Seek What Money Cannot Buy.

Qataris' and non-Qataris' stereotypes of each other is something I've been thinking about a lot this summer, between the Lisa Clayton kerfuffle and the recent arguments over on Mimiz

Comments

Another anonymous poster

[anonymous]

The fact that such a short, poorly written and obviously biased article can ruffle feathers to the extent that it has rather proves the point that this culture isn't ready to integrate into the modern world just yet.

Are Qataris upset because they don't like everything that was written? Are they offended that someone has an opinion that runs counter to their own? Do they find it offensive that someone should say anything negative, or at least not overtly positive, about them?

All in all it does point to a culture of person who is spoilt and unused to not getting everything their own way all the time.

Money can't buy you favourable coverage in the New York Times, but mature, grown up people get over it, rather than starting Facebook groups and kicking and screaming (in a virtual, online environment) like petulant brats.

For the record I thought the article was biased, poorly written and not fit for publication in the NYT. But I still did find the overall content interesting and not far from my own experience.

I've been here for 5 years, and intend to stay on longer, and in that time I too have sadly come to the conclusion that on the whole, Qataris do not respect foreign workers. They are discriminated against not just in behaviour, but in the law - exit permits being a prime example of this. There is no meaningful legal protection for labourers and workers whose rights are abused, and seemingly no ethical or moral imperative by bosses to treat them fairly or decently.

Re: Another anonymous poster

[anonymous]

I suppose the author felt it was a good stage setting article. After all, the country has a lot of money (whether or not specific citizens do), and it imports a lot of labor, and many citizens don't like the result. Such a situation is surprising at face value!

One hopes for a followup dealing with what's behind face value.

Re: Another anonymous poster

[anonymous]

lelandt: Why don't you join the discussion instead of talking shit about those anonymous people who have?