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Let me give you an example of how much some countries revere the West, to the point of obsession. Saudi Aramco is the largest oil company in the world. It's ba

by Cyph0n 10y ago

Let me give you an example of how much some countries revere the West, to the point of obsession. Saudi Aramco is the largest oil company in the world. It's base of operations is in Dhahran, a city in the eastern region of KSA. Aramco employs a ton of foreigners and of course want their employees to be as comfortable as possible. But this is difficult to do given KSA's strict culture. So what do they do? They build their employees an American-style suburban town outside of Dhahran proper, with its own schools, supermarkets, theatres, and so on. Women are allowed to drive within the town, and can wear whatever they want. The town is basically outside the jurisdiction of the Saudi religious police. This is just one example. Go to Dubai and you'll see similar things. Foreigners are sometimes respected at the expense of other Arabs or Asians, and it can become discriminatory in some instances. So next time you throw around such accusations, please think about it first.

LoSboccacc 10y ago
it was not an accusation, but you seems as sensitive as blind to the issue. > Women are allowed to drive within the town picking out an exception to show tolerance is quite disingenuous, isn't it? > Foreigners are sometimes respected at the expense of other Arabs or Asians, and it can become discriminatory in some instances. yes and that's because of a culture promoting conformism to one standard instead of tolerance of all. you're not bringing forward an example of tolerance, but extreme conformism, which kinda gets back to the original point: they manage to be intolerant even in their mimicry of western style of life. again, it's not about how one dresses, that's just extremely superficial to think. it's how you demand conformism, and it doesn't matter it's the hijab or the bikini, the crucial point is in the demand itself.
- Cyph0n 10y ago
  No need to read between the lines, mate. Your argument is that non-Western countries don't respect Western tradition and culture, while the West does. I provided two counterexamples that demonstrate non-Western countries who are willing to accept Western values, and I can provide more if you like. Back to the hijab. No one is demanding that Westerners wear the hijab or whatever. All Muslim women are demanding is freedom to wear the hijab without being discriminated against. No one needs to build a Sharia city in America LOL
icebraining 10y ago
That sounds like an investment in recruitment, like an SV startup having free sodas. It doesn't necessarily imply respect, only business sense and a fairly "flexible" approach to laws and customs.
- Cyph0n 10y ago
  Like an SV company offering free sodas? Really dude?
  - icebraining 10y ago
    I'm not saying the changes aren't profound, just that they might as well be made out of respect or out of a need for hiring people they can't find locally.
    - Cyph0n 10y ago
      There is an abundance of talent in the Middle East, not to mention Middle Easterners working abroad because of lack of opportunity back home. Look, I've lived in the UAE for 14 years, and I can tell you that this is what's happening. It may sound counter intuitive, but that's how it is. The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there.
      - icebraining 10y ago
        If they had local talent available, why go through the expense of building a whole new town? I mean, respect alone doesn't justify burning money like that. The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there. I don't know what media you're referring to, but I'd say that around here, Gulf countries are more likely to be represented as lackeys of US imperialism, and also as a place where our soccer players and managers go to make money (for example, the new manager of Al-Fujairah is my compatriot).
        10y ago
conjectures 10y ago
Or looking at it another way, they created a ghetto outside of town in which foreign practices can be ignored as they won't pollute wider society. The minimal necessary evil to get what they want from the foreigners.
- Cyph0n 10y ago
  You can look at it however way you please. The reality is that they built an entire town to satisfy their Western employees. In case you didn't know already, there is already way more than enough talent in the Middle East. It's just Arab executives usually think that Westerners = more skilled. In the UAE for example, there is an "unspoken" pay ladder that depends on your nationality. Keep in mind that each of these gets a different salary for the exact same position. 1. UAE citizen 2. Western national 3. Western passport holder, but Arab 4. Same, but SE Asian 5. Arab 6. Southeast Asian Source: lived in the UAE for 14 years.

by Cyph0n 10y ago

LoSboccacc 10y ago

it was not an accusation, but you seems as sensitive as blind to the issue. > Women are allowed to drive within the town picking out an exception to show tolerance is quite disingenuous, isn't it? > Foreigners are sometimes respected at the expense of other Arabs or Asians, and it can become discriminatory in some instances. yes and that's because of a culture promoting conformism to one standard instead of tolerance of all. you're not bringing forward an example of tolerance, but extreme conformism, which kinda gets back to the original point: they manage to be intolerant even in their mimicry of western style of life. again, it's not about how one dresses, that's just extremely superficial to think. it's how you demand conformism, and it doesn't matter it's the hijab or the bikini, the crucial point is in the demand itself.

Cyph0n 10y ago
No need to read between the lines, mate. Your argument is that non-Western countries don't respect Western tradition and culture, while the West does. I provided two counterexamples that demonstrate non-Western countries who are willing to accept Western values, and I can provide more if you like. Back to the hijab. No one is demanding that Westerners wear the hijab or whatever. All Muslim women are demanding is freedom to wear the hijab without being discriminated against. No one needs to build a Sharia city in America LOL

icebraining 10y ago

That sounds like an investment in recruitment, like an SV startup having free sodas. It doesn't necessarily imply respect, only business sense and a fairly "flexible" approach to laws and customs.

Cyph0n 10y ago
Like an SV company offering free sodas? Really dude?
- icebraining 10y ago
  I'm not saying the changes aren't profound, just that they might as well be made out of respect or out of a need for hiring people they can't find locally.
  - Cyph0n 10y ago
    There is an abundance of talent in the Middle East, not to mention Middle Easterners working abroad because of lack of opportunity back home. Look, I've lived in the UAE for 14 years, and I can tell you that this is what's happening. It may sound counter intuitive, but that's how it is. The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there.
    - icebraining 10y ago
      If they had local talent available, why go through the expense of building a whole new town? I mean, respect alone doesn't justify burning money like that. The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there. I don't know what media you're referring to, but I'd say that around here, Gulf countries are more likely to be represented as lackeys of US imperialism, and also as a place where our soccer players and managers go to make money (for example, the new manager of Al-Fujairah is my compatriot).
      - 10y ago

conjectures 10y ago

Or looking at it another way, they created a ghetto outside of town in which foreign practices can be ignored as they won't pollute wider society. The minimal necessary evil to get what they want from the foreigners.

Cyph0n 10y ago
You can look at it however way you please. The reality is that they built an entire town to satisfy their Western employees. In case you didn't know already, there is already way more than enough talent in the Middle East. It's just Arab executives usually think that Westerners = more skilled. In the UAE for example, there is an "unspoken" pay ladder that depends on your nationality. Keep in mind that each of these gets a different salary for the exact same position. 1. UAE citizen 2. Western national 3. Western passport holder, but Arab 4. Same, but SE Asian 5. Arab 6. Southeast Asian Source: lived in the UAE for 14 years.