The dark side of Dubai - The Independent Article

[sinophile]

After reading this article I'll be laughing in the face of anyone who criticizes the US for its public policy.

The dark side of Dubai

Dubai was meant to be a Middle-Eastern Shangri-La, a glittering monument to Arab enterprise and western capitalism. But as hard times arrive in the city state that rose from the desert sands, an uglier story is emerging. Johann Hari reports



On my final night in the Dubai Disneyland, I stop off on my way to the airport, at a Pizza Hut that sits at the side of one of the city's endless, wide, gaping roads. It is identical to the one near my apartment in London in every respect, even the vomit-coloured decor. My mind is whirring and distracted. Perhaps Dubai disturbed me so much, I am thinking, because here, the entire global supply chain is condensed. Many of my goods are made by semi-enslaved populations desperate for a chance 2,000 miles away; is the only difference that here, they are merely two miles away, and you sometimes get to glimpse their faces? Dubai is Market Fundamentalist Globalisation in One City.
I ask the Filipino girl behind the counter if she likes it here. "It's OK," she says cautiously. Really? I say. I can't stand it. She sighs with relief and says: "This is the most terrible place! I hate it! I was here for months before I realised – everything in Dubai is fake. Everything you see. The trees are fake, the workers' contracts are fake, the islands are fake, the smiles are fake – even the water is fake!" But she is trapped, she says. She got into debt to come here, and she is stuck for three years: an old story now. "I think Dubai is like an oasis. It is an illusion, not real. You think you have seen water in the distance, but you get close and you only get a mouthful of sand."
As she says this, another customer enters. She forces her face into the broad, empty Dubai smile and says: "And how may I help you tonight, sir?"

[pascalywood]

I have a friend whos been there during his decompression phase. He was at the only pub in there (at the airport) and needed to take a piss. He went to a place and there were 2 doors, one with a man sign and the other door had a woman sign. He went into the men's room and realised there were only holes in the ground and no toilets. So he took a leak anyway. An imam bursted in a few minutes later shouting. That wasnt a bathroom but a place where muslims wash their feet before prayer. He pissed in one of the foot bath. No need to say that he ran very fast.

[Mu-Meson]

Sounds like hell on earth. Quite the eye opener.

[Johnny_H02]

I have a friend whos been there during his decompression phase. He was at the only pub in there (at the airport) and needed to take a piss. He went to a place and there were 2 doors, one with a man sign and the other door had a woman sign. He went into the men's room and realised there were only holes in the ground and no toilets. So he took a leak anyway. An imam bursted in a few minutes later shouting. That wasnt a bathroom but a place where muslims wash their feet before prayer. He pissed in one of the foot bath. No need to say that he ran very fast.

LOL this made my day

[sinophile]

I have a friend whos been there during his decompression phase. He was at the only pub in there (at the airport) and needed to take a piss. He went to a place and there were 2 doors, one with a man sign and the other door had a woman sign. He went into the men's room and realised there were only holes in the ground and no toilets. So he took a leak anyway. An imam bursted in a few minutes later shouting. That wasnt a bathroom but a place where muslims wash their feet before prayer. He pissed in one of the foot bath. No need to say that he ran very fast.

OMG that is the funniest story. I'm crying laughing.

[PeterRJG]

I have a friend whos been there during his decompression phase. He was at the only pub in there (at the airport) and needed to take a piss. He went to a place and there were 2 doors, one with a man sign and the other door had a woman sign. He went into the men's room and realised there were only holes in the ground and no toilets. So he took a leak anyway. An imam bursted in a few minutes later shouting. That wasnt a bathroom but a place where muslims wash their feet before prayer. He pissed in one of the foot bath. No need to say that he ran very fast.

That's a classic!

[TOWguy]

Funny, I was in an Irish pub in the Dubai airport in 06 coming home on leave and it had urinals and toilets. Expensive beer but it was worth it. The bathrooms had a normal door, normal sinks, urinals and toilets. When was he there? As I recall there was only one Irish pub there.

[Gleipnir]

A very interesting article- thanks for posting.

It is terrifying to see the levels of complicity involved and how each group seems to need to prioritize their own experience and how this inter-relates to create such a trap.
Of the many points of interest, this was something that stood out for me:

And then he smiles, coming up with what he sees as his killer argument. "When I see Western journalists criticise us – don't you realise you're shooting yourself in the foot? The Middle East will be far more dangerous if Dubai fails. Our export isn't oil, it's hope. Poor Egyptians or Libyans or Iranians grow up saying – I want to go to Dubai. We're very important to the region. We are showing how to be a modern Muslim country. We don't have any fundamentalists here. Europeans shouldn't gloat at our demise. You should be very worried.... Do you know what will happen if this model fails? Dubai will go down the Iranian path, the Islamist path."

Hilarious story by the way, Pascalywood.

[Givati575]

good stuff

[budgie]

I have a friend whos been there during his decompression phase. He was at the only pub in there (at the airport) and needed to take a piss. He went to a place and there were 2 doors, one with a man sign and the other door had a woman sign. He went into the men's room and realised there were only holes in the ground and no toilets. So he took a leak anyway. An imam bursted in a few minutes later shouting. That wasnt a bathroom but a place where muslims wash their feet before prayer. He pissed in one of the foot bath. No need to say that he ran very fast.

There are plenty of other pubs in Dubai apart from the "Irish" bar at the airport. And while the toilet facilities are all adequate with proper stalls and crappers if you want them maybe your friend stepped into an ablutions room by mistake. I really don't know about those.

As for the plastic fakeness it's quite true. Dubai isn't "Hell on Earth" - at least not for middle-class western expat workers - but three years was quite enough for me. Still I'd like to swing by in about five years time to see how those projects turned out.

[koalorka]

Dubai is a superficial parasitic entity. Third World cesspit with a thin First World veneer.

[ggk]

i know one thing about dubai.....its expensive

[Derbedeu]

Interesting article. Dubai has always fascinated me with its many wondrous constructional projects and general opulence. But at the same time, I always couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. They always seemed to be building and expanding, yet they still haven't established themselves as a financial center, nor do they produce anything. I cant help but think that as soon as the oil runs out Dubai will become the biggest ghost town in the world. And if the article is to be believed about the appalling human rights there, it'll serve them right.

[Mikhael]

Interesting article. Dubai has always fascinated me with its many wondrous constructional projects and general opulence. But at the same time, I always couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. They always seemed to be building and expanding, yet they still haven't established themselves as a financial center, nor do they produce anything. I cant help but think that as soon as the oil runs out Dubai will become the biggest ghost town in the world. And if the article is to be believed about the appalling human rights there, it'll serve them right.

Maybe read more facts and less imagine things and write them down. Oil revenues in dubai sums about 5% of their gdp.

[Derbedeu]

Maybe read more facts and less imagine things and write them down. Oil revenues in dubai sums about 5% of their gdp.

Already noted

However, oil revenues is what enabled them to go on a splurge in construction and a remodeling of their city as a financial and touristic center. The only problem is that this recession has shown how bankrupt this model has been (especially at their excessive pace). Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirites. And considering that they were bailed out by Abu Dhabi, their richer neighbors (in terms of oil ~85% of UAE exports), one cant help but wonder what will happen when the UAE as a whole runs out of oil or the rest of the world finds an alternative to it. Besides, I don't think that Dubai is environmentally sustainable in the long term.