Comments | qatar: The Qatar Living "cultural war" (a long-overdue synopsis)

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The Qatar Living "cultural war" (a long-overdue synopsis)

Jan 24, 2010 15:04

While I was away from Qatar over the holidays, what one journalist has called a "national cultural war" broke out over an online post by a friend of mine ( Read more... )

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Comments 11

dubaiwalla January 24 2010, 13:04:49 UTC

It is both interesting and scary that this incident escalated to such a point. I refrain from commenting on the UAE Community Blog because more often than not, it feels like an ongoing battle along similar lines. Luckily, it has never gone beyond online sniping. It is scary that a single glance at a two-sentence post there is generally enough to tell if someone is a national or expatriate. The ideas are inevitably variations along the same themes, and almost never successfully carried over to the other side. Makes you wonder just how much resentment bubbles just under the surface.

Oh come on!!! anonymous January 24 2010, 17:17:08 UTC

You say you believe in 'freedom of speech', the type that encompasses the right to say offensive things, but doesn't that entail the freedom of people being able to express/respond to her post as well? Lisa chose to jot down her thoughts of her own free will, but somehow she wasn't ready for the effect it would garner? like the saying goes, if you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen! if she has the freedom to jot down her thoughts, people too have the freedom to express themselves and react to her post! and the fact of the matter is, the tone of her post WAS arrogant, she WAS grossly stereotyping, and her words WERE offensive, as she repeatedly admitted herself! The fact remains, she should have been wiser in her choice of words, even if she was supposedly in an emotional state of mind when she wrote the post, and consequently she could have spared herself the whole fiasco ( ... )

Re: Oh come on!!! qatar January 24 2010, 18:05:19 UTC

Oh, I completely think people should have the freedom to disagree with Lisa, and to voice that disagreement. You might have noticed I never argued with people in the anti-Lisa group: they voiced their disagreement, asked for an apology, and got it. But when it comes to people calling for government censorship of Qatar Living, that's plain misguided. They've the right to ask for it, but I think they should think through what kind of society they're asking for ( ... )

Re: Oh come on!!! anonymous January 24 2010, 19:09:44 UTC

"mild"? I think that's precisely where we differ! It is your personal opinion against hundreds of Qatari's who thought Lisa's post was in fact extreme! Are you suggesting that the many Qatari's who were offended by Lisa's post were all overreacting because you personally thought it was 'mild ( ... )

Re: Oh come on!!! qatar January 24 2010, 20:30:04 UTC

As I said in my post, I honestly don't understand why people reacted so strongly to Lisa's post. She didn't say "all Qataris are obnoxious drivers," she just described the kinds of attitudes she saw on National Day. If she'd written the exact same words about the 4th of July in my hometown, I would not have been offended, let alone called for her to be deported. I am obviously missing something important in how Qataris read her words ( ... )

Thread 6

I still do not understand why all this anonymous January 24 2010, 20:55:54 UTC

All that the American woman wrote was true ... There was hooliganism on the roads and the police let down people ....
I read that thread . I still do not understand why she had to apologize ... why she was rebuked on public etc ...
I had always thought that you -Americans get more respect in this country than citizens of less powerful countries .. But it sounds to me that they treat you all the same as they treat their housemaids - shut up for the money you earn here or go .... it is their slogan - frightening that they have no respect for their own teachers in a society where elderly people dictate many times ...

The total lack of self criticism is also frightening ...

I was amazed that Lisa caught so much flak for this. anonymous January 25 2010, 08:02:00 UTC

Her original post was sarcastic, sure, and clearly she'd had an awful afternoon in traffic and was venting. But I read it in that vein. A few respondents said things which I can see were offensive to many -- but QL is rife with posts and posters that push people's buttons. 'All theists are delusional.' 'All Arabs are backwards.' 'All westerners are immoral ( ... )

This is what i think anonymous January 25 2010, 16:29:17 UTC

Lisa's post came at the wrong time. QL is never the same after what happened.

You must understand that views expressed on the FB QL hate group doesn't represent all Qataris. Most posters are collage kids. I don't understand why in the first place you or even lisa bothered to post or even engage in such discussions

By the way, when the article was discussed in famous internet forum 'Qatar shares' . Many have showed sympathy for what have happened to lisa and supports her views. Maybe someone can translate the thread for you
(http://qatarshares.com/vb/showthread.php?t=328048)

I suggest you also check out the diary of a Qatari girl

http://mimizwords.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/dialogue-distress-the-gap-between-qataris-and-foreigners/

take care

genesis

Re: This is what i think qatar January 25 2010, 17:04:56 UTC

I am more interested in engaging in discussion with college students than the general public, since I came to Qatar to educate college students. :-)

Thanks for the links! Both very interesting. I posted a link to mimizwords -- very well put.