Greetings from Lebanon. I’m new on the team and grateful for the opportunity to come here and vent!
I guess it’s hard for someone like me to ever really feel at home… Though I’m comfortable back in the US (I know what to do, where to go, what to expect, etc), I can’t help but feel like a black sheep. Even before 9/11 – when people thought I was Puerto Rican – I knew I was steadily swimming against the mainstream and that I needed to watch my back. After “sand niggers” became the most despised people in the US, that feeling intensified greatly. I think the only reason the US seems like home is because I’ve become so used to it.
Things here in Lebanon are different… Despite all the negative aspects of this country, it feels like home. There’s the family, the ridiculously good food, and all sorts of other comforts and familiar things that make a place feel like home, but there’s also something else… It’s hard to explain, but any other ‘American alien’ should be able to relate, especially one with an Arab background.
But it’s not all good…
Lebanon is a peculiarly fucked up place. A 15-year civil war ended without any closure. Serious issues were simply swept under the rug as part of the “no victor, no vanquished” solution that’s made losers out of us all. It’s been the Lebanese way of ‘fixing’ problems since the country’s creation to the present day. We’ve just recently come out of another crippling political deadlock, which culminated in armed clashes that left dozens dead, and reminded us that we still sit on the precipice of civil war.
Again, things were resolved under the same old banner. In reality, none of the underlying problems were solved. It’s like medicine that only treats the symptoms of a disease, allowing it to lie dormant and reemerge deadlier than before.
The root of Lebanon’s disease is the tribal mentality that’s so prevalent here – society is sharply divided along religious and ideological lines. There are dozens of political parties, each with their own idea of what national interests should be. The country’s sectarian democracy was created to ensure that Lebanon’s various sects have a say in how they’re governed, but sadly, this shitty system of government has only helped to entrench rival factions and enflame sectarian tensions. As a result, no national sense of identity has ever been forged. Politicians are only concerned with what affects members of their respective tribe who in turn swear blind allegiance to their masters. The vast majority of these political leaders are former warlords or they’ve ‘inherited’ their power – most have no business wielding any administrative authority whatsoever.
Most Lebanese people are obsessed with local politics. The news is virtually devoid of substance and consists of little more than who met who and what they said about each other. The country is destined for further problems unless the fundamental causes of its sickness are addressed. Yes, the Lebanese are a tribal people (who could teach Iraqis a lot about sectarianism), and no, this is not something that can be resolved overnight. To even have a chance at making things better, the current governmental structure needs to be discarded in its entirety. The uneasy marriage of religion and politics needs to come to an end… after that, things should start falling into place one way or another.
The situation now is probably worse than it’s ever been. Despite the numerous sects and political parties to whom people still swear allegiance, Lebanon’s lines of demarcation today are strikingly similar to those in the US (either you’re black or white, conservative or liberal, with us or with the terrorists). Most people here march under the banner of “March 14” or “March 8.” I’d like to wipe my ass with both of them and that makes me an outcast on either side of the fence. So even here, where it feels like home, I’m going against the grain…
I’ll soon be back in my other home, buried in paperwork and perpetually unsatisfied. Until then, I’ll enjoy the family, the food and the fun here. I’ll take in the sights of the scantly clad women flaunting their assets to anyone with a foreign passport. I’ll leave before the sickening sense of nausea drives me crazy, and I’ll return before I can forget how it feels to truly be Lebanese.
Related posts:
- Lebanon: On the Edge, Again.
- A Boy’s Broken Home
- Just Like Back Home
- Lebanon…this is getting worse
- That’s the Problem!
The situation now is probably worse than it’s ever been. Despite the numerous sects and political parties to whom people still swear allegiance, Lebanon’s lines of demarcation today are strikingly similar to those in the US
Joke?
Most people here march under the banner of “March 14” or “March 8.”
March 14th is dead. The last nail in it’s coffin was the Samir Kuntar debacle. Their isn’t any faction in Lebanon that is “Western backed” any more. And the demise of “March 14th” makes reference to “March 8th” irrelevant.
I’d like to wipe my ass with both of them and that makes me an outcast on either side of the fence.
No it doesn’t. It makes you just like 60% of Lebanese. The ones who believed (or pretended to) in March 14th, but no longer do.
You arrived in Lebanon just in time for a long hard ride. Coincidence? If I was Lebanese I’d be trying my damnedest to get the hell out with my family, right about now.
Posted by programmer craig | July 27, 2008, 11:40 pmAwesome! Can you get me a date with Nancy Ajram? I’ll settle for Haifa, but I’m not gonna be happy about it.
Pull some strings…
Posted by Yusuf | July 28, 2008, 12:13 amAre you insane, yusuf?
http://tiger31.jeeran.com/Nancy_Ajram0329.jpg
http://images.askmen.com/galleries/singer/haifa-wehbe/pictures/haifa-wehbe-picture-3.jpg
Or just blind!?
Posted by programmer craig | July 28, 2008, 12:39 amPC you don’t know anything.
Haifa is a big doll.
Nancy is waaay cuter.
Posted by Anonymous | July 28, 2008, 6:24 amAn argument between fools.
They’re both over sexualized fantasies bought and paid for with Saudi money, nose and all. As far as their music, it’s fair to say their vocal range is rather limited, compared to singers chosen for their voice, not their bust size. Nevertheless, what they have accomplished in the last ten years is more effective than all the bombs America has dropped in the Middle East.
And in some ways the sacrifices they made to get to where they are shine a light on the Arab culture of female repression. Haifa was sold into marriage at 16 and has a child that was taken away from her when she decided to have a career.
Posted by uday | July 28, 2008, 7:21 amPC, while I have no choice but to agree with you about Haifa, your assessment of the political climate in Lebanon seems rather skewed. Could it be you’re basing your claims and numbers on what you’re hearing from Lebanese expatriates?
March 14th is not dead – all you have to do is see one Lebanese newscast to figure that out. And sadly, people here are still stuck in the 14 vs 8 mentality (even if they are slowly dying). While the alliances in both coalitions will soon unravel, that has not yet taken place.
Posted by Kalash | July 28, 2008, 8:18 amYou are insane. Nancy is WAY hotter than Haifa.
Posted by Anonymous | July 28, 2008, 11:41 amNancy sings better than Haifa, Haifa is seriously off-key half the time. But Haifa is definitely more attractive.
Posted by ally | July 28, 2008, 1:35 pmOh yeah, and..
Welcome to the blog, Kalash!
Posted by ally | July 28, 2008, 6:46 pmOh hay a succinct post on Leb politics that doesn’t make me want to tear my eyes out gg.
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