The dark side of Dubai

[Artemis]

Good read. It's a long article, but worth it.
Lots of stuff I really had no idea about like the servant class.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 64368.html

[ant]

This is really terrible. I had no idea about a lot of this stuff. My brother-in-law once worked on a design for some atrocious looking bridge being built there. I wonder now if the firm he worked for had known about the abuse of the workers that ultimately built it if they would've still worked on the project. Probably, cause I'm sure it was a big payday.

Personally I find the opulence of Dubai off putting. I don't really like to see people spending ridiculous amounts of money on things simply for status.

[kv]

damn..world is a fucked up place

[Jasper]

Yeah, this seems to be in line with other things I've heard about Dubai. Seriously fucked up shit. Nobody should be pumping cash into a place with such a fucked up lack of human rights. Not to sound hopelessly naive, but if corporations had any morals, they'd refuse business with Dubai unless certain reforms were made.

[Larry B.]

Thank you for posting this article, I've learned some things

[Hype]

This is a brutal and beautiful sentence: "Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history." Really well written.

[wally]

That was a good read, thanks for posting. It reminded me of a story I saw a couple weeks ago on HDNet.
Unfortunately you don't have to go halfway around the world to find what appears to be a pretty similar situation.
http://www.hd.net/blogs/an-american-nig ... er-8-2011/

[Matz]

very fucked up, pretty ugly world we live in and this is just the beginning, it will get much much worse

[Larry B.]

Unfortunately, it's been pretty much the same for the last 5,000 years. Only difference is that now we have Fleshlight.

[creep]

i finally read this. when i was there in 2004 there were high rises going up everywhere and they were in the process of building the artificial islands. i heard stories when i was there about the labor that was brought in to build the buildings. i just got a bad feeling about the place. i was lucky to get out of the country because my passport was stamped that i had left the country so they said i was in the country illegally. i spent a few hours being questioned in the airport. i finally boarded a plane just to be pulled off it to get questioned some more. it was the best feeling ever when i was on a plane and it actually took off.

i took a total of three pictures when i was there.

the first is a yacht that was being built for one of the dudes that ran the country.



the second was a sign at mcdonalds



and the third was a bathroom. they don't use toilet paper there. they use that water hose thing so there is shit water all over the floors.

[guysmiley]

What a fucked up place. You know if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Which, I'm amazed so many people fell for these promises of riches. Research a place before you go somewhere too. That toilet sucks too creep. I don't think I would want to visit there.

[Larry B.]

Sure... washing your ass is a lot less hygienic than removing remainings of shit with pieces of paper.

[guysmiley]

Sure... washing your ass is a lot less hygienic than removing remainings of shit with pieces of paper.

there's a better way of doing it. Its called a bidet....

[Larry B.]

Of course... I guess it's unpractical to have a bidet right next to every public toilet

So, question: if instead of paper or hose you find a bidet, would you use it? having in mind that 40,000 users have washed their bungholes there before?

[guysmiley]

Of course... I guess it's unpractical to have a bidet right next to every public toilet

So, question: if instead of paper or hose you find a bidet, would you use it? having in mind that 40,000 users have washed their bungholes there before?

They have them built into the toilet in most public restrooms in Japan....so......?

[guysmiley]

It's amazing how a conversation about Dubai's fucked up con scams turned to fecal hygiene.

[Larry B.]

[creep]

Sure... washing your ass is a lot less hygienic than removing remainings of shit with pieces of paper.

with that setup it is. where do you think the poo remnants are going when you use that thing? all over the bathroom stall and all over you. do you really think you can aim that thing at your ass and have the water end up in the toilet. trust me the bathroom stunk and there was water all over the floor.

i've said it a million times here. baby wipes are the best things ever.

[Hype]

Authentic Arabic Taste.

[LifeIsLoud]

My aunt and uncle from New Zealand lived in Dubai for a few years. My uncle worked at the airport which they were expanding. They told me that they ALWAYS had their passports ready in case they had to get out quickly.

[Bandit72]

I have a friend who lives and works there at the moment for a company call MaxBox. I mailed him the article. Obviously he loves it there as he doesn't see the other side. I've only been there on a stopover on the way to Australia so didn't really have chance to experience it first hand.

As for the toilet thing, that's quite unhygienically amusind. In Thailand you're not even allowed to flush paper away because the sewage system is so bad, so you end up with bins full of shitty paper

[Hokahey]

This is a brutal and beautiful sentence: "Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history." Really well written.

Maybe in terms of syntax, because other than that it's ridiculous. Neo-liberalism is not a term used in the United States, but as I understand it, it refers to laissez faire economic policy. That being the case, to say it may be "crashing - at last- in to history" is both ridiculous and clearly shows the agenda of the author.

They lure you in telling you it's one thing – a modern kind of place – but beneath the surface it's a medieval dictatorship."

Neoliberalism, or midieval dictatorship?

Clearly it's the latter.

Wanting less government interference in to business operations for the sake of easier start ups etc. is in no way comparable to a slave state with no legal means of retribution for breach of contract.

To compare Dubai to "neo-liberalism" is absolutely disturbing. It reeks of propaganda.

In fact, the government is complicit in all of this. They are INVOLVED in what is happening in Dubai.

That's the opposite of "neo-liberalism!"

Furthermore:

This is the best place in the world to be young! The government pays for your education up to PhD level. You get given a free house when you get married. You get free healthcare, and if it's not good enough here, they pay for you to go abroad. You don't even have to pay for your phone calls. Almost everyone has a maid, a nanny, and a driver. And we never pay any taxes. Don't you wish you were Emirati?"

He says the lack of political freedom is fine by him

I could go on and on about how terribly misinformed the sentence you seem so fond of is a gross mistatement. Disgustingly so.

[Hokahey]

I can't resist:

"Most companies are owned by the government, so they oppose human rights laws because it will reduce their profit margins. It's in their interests that the workers are slaves."

Who has their hands ALL OVER Dubai? The big wonderful government. You know, just like the good ol regular American liberals (We. Are. The 99%!") want!

[Hype]

[Pure Method]

I think in this case it would be more helpful to think of neo-liberalism as the opposite of protectionist policies. In that sense, Dubai, which has lured scores and scores of large, high-profile international/multinational corporations, can be said to be oriented towards the 'neo-liberal world economy'.

I have a semi-related question for you Hoka, and I am curious for your response and eager for you to drop some knowledge. I often hear the claim (actually, you yourself may have said this, but I'm not sure) that governments are not supposed to pick winners/losers in the economy. I would argue that governments are best served by catering to and preparing their populace for the country's competitive advantage. Rather than say: "all industries should be given a chance" shouldn't we say "this industry is the most profitable/sustainable for our future, and we will pursue it aggressively"?

Flame away.