Somethings Amiss in this Saudi Ignorance Bliss

There are a number of things that Saudis aren't used to when studying abroad. As they are thrust into an environment where they are forced to interact with daily foreign life.

Culture shock is an understatement.

A number of situations happen where a Saudi will block out or black out for not being able to know what to do, as he/she have not been told how to react.

Examples:
Walking out in the early morning and seeing replenishment trucks at bars moving kegs.
It is a sin to even touch alcohol
Speaking with a friend and getting asked about pregnancy advice about the friends girlfriend
It is a sin to have premarital sex
Getting a threat letter demanding a late payment plus interest
It is a sin to pay usury

The typical Saudi will go into his/her alternate breakaway persona, if even for seconds, handle the situation in the least damaging way possible and revert back into normal mode, denying he ever did anything wrong.

A moron will take things out of proportion, making sure that not him/her or any involved party will ever forget that situation, blowdrying the cement on the Saudi stereotype even more, evermore.

Ask a Saudi Week

I may not be updating as much as that Saudi Trousers guy, or have the gift of gob as that Sand Gets in My Ears chick. But I do care.
So if there is anything you wanted to know about the intricacies of Saudi culture but were too afraid/lazy to ask, now is your chance. This post loses its oracleness on Tuesday August 4th.

A Ghoul - Saudi Symantics

The dictionary defines a ghoul as "A spirit said to feed on corpses; A grave robber; a person with an undue interest in death and corpses"
But don't be surprised if you get called that a lot by Saudis.

You see 'aghoul' (pronounced A-Ghoul) is the Saudi verbal equivalent of 'Hey'; 'Hey Dude'; 'Hey you'...you get the picture, meaning that it will most likely be said in a loud audible voice from a blind spot to get your attention, your reaction based on hearing someone announce there is corpse eating spirit near by may be different.

This little tidbit was bought to you by my friend 'A Beer', actually abeer is an Arabic girls name meaning sweet aroma, so asking for ABeer in Saudi will get you lashed no matter what you mean.

A Beer being saved from A Ghoul by the Hey'ah

Call 999 - It's a Saudi Emergency

Its nothing like this

http://www.break.com/index/chick-arrested-for-swearing-at-911.html?advanced=824421

But the public servants o KSA are an uncanny crowed. Since there is a lack of standards (or incentives for that matter) you get either an over the top or a drunk-like low life when dialing emergency numbers.
One thing is for certain,crystal ball in hand, you need to anticipate an emergency at least 12-24 hours before it happens. The reason is that calling with anything short of mentioning the "T" word puts your sorry ass in the VUP list (Very unimportant person), Where details of you and your emergency will be logged on, and supposedly help is on the way....but in reality, they know that most Saudis are panicky and love to exaggerate, so they will ignore the situation until you call again, and again, and again with the same details. Of course you can bypass all this grief with the magic "T" word, but it may land you in hot water depending on the non-standardized mood of the CO.
Another problem is that cities such as Jeddah and Riyadh are grape vines, unplanned expansion means that if you are lucky enough to know where you are, the police and ambulance may not. And by the time they get there (if they do) the time frame is well beyond the "pizza will get cold, and so will your corpse" period. There are numerous stories of ambulances asking for directions to the nearest hospital with gut wrenching shrieks in tow.

Nobody wants to be the boy who cries "T"...but if its life or death, you don't want to end up with two dead bodies, the person you are trying to save as well as yours dying of frustration (and a grand phone bill).

A Tale of 3 Saudi Movies - Not Made in KSA

With all these debates about cinemas in KSA, many talk about the effect of movies in changing views and educating emus and such.

I won't go into the point that says that Saudis would evolve with the establishments of theaters and great movies will raise the Saudi image abroad. Of course that is total bullshit, point in case is that everyone still makes fun of Egyptian movies, an industry with 50 years of experience.

What I want to talk about is the other side, the way KSA is portrayed in movies. Although there are countless films that have the token Saudi bad guy, the token Saudi moron, the token Saudi corrupt pig. I won't mention those as the list is too much for this crumbling keyboard.

I will list three examples that have stories based WITHIN the country. and point out the truth from fiction.

The first is not technically a movie, but makes up a good 50 miutes (close enough). The two part American Dad: Stan of Arabia. This in particular is a constant reoccurring subject of chain spam mail, always detailing of how the west is feeding the world hate propaganda. And after watching it, I fully agree. I don't really care of what defenders of free speech supposedly spew with Saudis not having a sense of humor. Joking is something you can do with your best friend, and Fox isn't really what you might call a friend of KSA. Criticise all you want, but base it on truth.

Verdict: The show is complete and utter BS

Next: The Kingdom, the movie starring Jamie Foxx about a CIA team sent to Riyadh to aid in an investigation. The movie does correctly portray the locations and some behavioural aspects of the culture, but its dramatization just goes nuts with some extremely violent scenes.

Verdict: %75 accurate (unless our media are masters in covering things up)

Finally, a little known movie released in 95, Human Cargo, tells the story of an American contractor that traveled to Jeddah in the 70s to build a multi million dollar contract with a Saudi sheik. The culture, as well as some local is spot on (based on my recollection of that period). Although the country did develop, most of the culture remains somewhat the same (corruption).

Verdict: This movie was so powerful that I was cursing the Saudi and rooting for the American by the end....And that does show how cinema is indeed a tool of change, and why it will never be a part of KSA.

The Saudi Theory of Constrainted Views STCV

There is obviously some reservation is the way Saudis of both sexes perceive those from the West, and visa versa.

But why is that? there should be some reason, basis for they way things are they way they are.

For the most part, the common stereotype goes like this:

Saudi men perceive western men as immoral party animals who worship money.

Western men perceive Saudi men as rich retards who are violent and dangerous.

Saudi Women perceive western woman as nymphos who cant wait to ride.

Western women perceive Saudi women as oppressed drones with culty tendencies.

Saudi men perceive Western woman as easy lays whom go crazy over their endownessness

Western women perceive Saudi men as filthy sexist pigs whom shouldn't be allowed outside a cell or mine.

Saudi women perceive Western men as bloodthirsty rapist plunderers.

Western men view Saudi women as weak pets that have no backbone.

So who's to blame, it is clear that the collective view comes from somewhere, most often it is the media, from both sides. Playing on the fact that fear sells. But that needed a basis. And just as Pearl Harbor was a starting point for condemning all that is Japanese in US media, there had to be a catalyst for the portrail of Saudis as they were in movies and TV.

The following is a basic graph showing the links between the four groups, and while Saudi and Western men can familiarize themselves and slightly break through the hardened stereotype shells (as well as Saudi and Western women). The media will prevent the full picture from being shown (that's barbed wire if you were wondering).

Portrait of Bigotry - Don't Let This Pass

Freedom of speech is said to be a necessary right. Hate speech is said to be a punishable offence. Where to draw the line....where to draw...or not draw the comic?

Comics have been a powerful visual conveyor of ideas, so that is why they are used to promote agendas, like the jackass from the Denmark newspaper claiming to uphold the freedom of speech.

But Saudi papers aren't exempt, they need to understand that respect is mutual, and having some radical nutcases defaming and insulting KSA and Islam is not an excuse to go down to that level and degrade other religions (such as Judaism) or nationalities (such as from the far east).

AlWatan newspaper published this cartoon as a commentary about the first case of swine flu being bought to the country by a Filipino nurse, it is degrading and racist. And we should all join in condemning it just as the world condemned the Danish cartoons of yesteryear.

It is with our power of words that freedom of speech is held as a constructive tool, not a publicity stunt that every gomer and hick use to garner the attention and love of the right wing nuts/extremists.

Link to the cartoon