Arabs and V-Day

Here are various pictures of 3 different concerts with big Arab Divas to celebrate V- Day. Notice two things, the red color, and the ratio between men (who are fat by the way) and women!


I cannot believe that so many people celebrate Valentine day! It is true that so many stores, restaurants, florists, Chocolate Stores and business in the United States make the day look special by offering so many discounts and deals for that one day! I am not against it, it is good that we have a day in which we are allowed to be dorky and not feel so self counious all the time.

I still maintain my policy about how I much rather see a woman with roses and flowers, and not a guy with the same thing. For a woman to be with flowers is like an athlete with medals and actors with an Oscar. I did well, I am hot, and people recognized that and gave me a trophy! The guy with roses on the other hand, he is usually goofy looking, and wake in shame as you look at them, they look to the ground! And you feel they are telling you "Hey, you there with the brown jacket stop staring at me! these are for my wife" do not judge me, "I still like Basketball"

The thing that got me to write this entry was the unbelievable amount of concerts and gifts that take place on Valentine day back home. So many artists make special songs for this day and I mean A-list singers like Ehab Tawfik, Meryam Faris...etc. and every single Arab artist had a concert somewhere either in a hotel in Egypt, a university in Jordan, a stadium in Oman, a public park in Dubai, a restaurant in Lebanon, an arena in Yemen...and the list goes on.

On the other hand, Saudis are not supposed to celebrate this day, like if you wear red, you are busted. But that's not the worst part, the worst part is how the Western media makes this a bigger deal that it is. Do not get me wrong, I am all for personal freedom, but those religious minority in Saudi do nothing more than give their country a bad name! For example, as my friend Jehad noted I think the West wants Saudi women to drive more than Saudi women want to drive! It is obvious that not even Saudi men drive, everyone in Saudi Arabia has a personal driver! so I also want Saudi men to start driving themselves, but I should not be telling people want to do, and that's what people forget, that the reason you want something to happen because others tell you to do something else, but the moment someone else comes and tell you to do something even though you wanted to do this thing (say Saudi women driving) you will be like, open both sides people want to tell me to do something I do not necessarily want. Same argument goes for wearing the Hijab or not wearing it, both passionate sides, forget that it is about the principle not about the act.

I think the reason we sometimes act certain ways is either to defy authority or because we are expected to do so! You lose either way! Because the person that you want to defy has leverage on you and now controls you even though you defy that person. And by doing what you are expecting to do, you are not necessarily doing the right thing...you are going along...you are opting for mediocre!

Back to V-day, those who celebrate the day back home should not do it to be boneheaded, or just celebrate it because, it is what others do. So many individuals back home want to show that they are "civilized", "cultured", or even "upper class" by making a big deal out of this day...they are so wrong. such individuals will be "civilized", "cultured" in my book, by showing up to work on time, but striving to excel at whatever it is they do, and not by going to a concert and wearing red! Such acts are nothing but "peels" of civility.

As my friend shadi says about his coworkers who never been to America or the West, but yet manage to have promiscuous opinions and ideas about social subjects including heavy partying, and when Shadi both American and European educated calls it on such ridiculous thinking, they point fingers at him and label him as a "radical" and "traditionalist" So here you have someone who lived in the West, learned and enjoyed his experience there, being labeled as a traditionalist because he wants to take the best of a culture and marry it to his, and not just take the superficial aspects of the Western culture (drinking is an example)!

Are there many people like those at home? No, they are few, but they matter because they are all over media outlets, very vocal! Do they get anything right? Yes, I like their stands against violent!, but they moment you tell them they are wrong, violent they will be!

I only say these things because I see myself as part of the Arab World, a place I love, people I adore!