Since we've had a retreat and numerous discussions centered on social justice I thought that this article about Dubai would be an interesting read.
The article is slightly long, but I do really think it is a worthwhile read.
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Nice article (and really long)
ReplyDeletevery interesting.
ReplyDeletethis is an interesting article.
ReplyDeletemy first reaction is shock at how insensitive the people in dubai are to the slavery that supports their lives
my second (more considered) reaction is to wonder what the equivalent to the dubai slavery is in our own lives.
after more consideration, here's some food for thought...
ReplyDeleteDubai is the epitome of a debt-driven world. Hopes and dreams built upon promises, and nothing more. The rich/wealthy/hopeful go to party, and otherwise 'live the good life'. Many flock to this desert oasis in pursuit of the good life, or the better life (or at least the mirage of it... isn't that the argument used by the Dubai man himself? Dubai as a model-state that the rest of the Islamic world can aspire to in the name of regional stability). This 'good life' is the burden that the less fortunate (literally) bear. The excess has spilled over into the environment, and the state of Dubai shows no restraint, or willingness to sacrifice their present, for their (and their children's) futures.
After reading the article though, I couldn't help but get a feeling that it sounds eerily familiar... (to be continued)
...(continued)
ReplyDeleteIn Civilization, (the game), to have a quick and successful military campaign, you have to have the next technology level, essentially bring guns to a sword fight, and that's what is happening here on a economic scale: conquest. With war, there is no human rights, for example take history, even us as people to start. All of our ancestors at one time were serfs/slaves, which mindset is very much ingrained into the human condition, the need to rise above a certain status and to achieve something. In this context, greater the accomplishment, the more people suffers as a result. Take America, behind the great economic achievements of the 20th century was countless number of abused immigrants. We recognise them now, but how long were they also "hidden" before something was done? And was sole purpose of doing so really ever about human rights?
But I think I'm digressing from the article, and the question I want to ask is do we really want to save the abused people, not so much as giving them better conditions as rather improve their overall social status? Juxtaposing the natives to the aliens reveals such a close degree of seperation. From the stories told by the natives, if the country had not gone through this development, they could very well be the ones waiting for a handout and a passport. These desertlites, after 30 years of rapid economic growth, rose above their condition and became part of the problem, became the perpetuating source that keeps other desertlites invisible, so then given status, wouldn't the current slaves do the same thing?