Monday, December 12, 2011

Soceity & Materialism in Dubai

Wondering so much about society, what it used to be & what it turned out to be nowadays. Many would always argue that society used to have a sense of quality & truth. A sense of being genuine & pure, those qualities still exist nowadays to people who still cherish values & for those who never fell for the life of materialism. This society that we live in, yes I’m talking about the society of Dubai lives in a true form of materialism. It reflects on individuals specially the new young generation. Materialism shapes them to grow to be shallow, artificial, & materialistic. This isn’t how our ancestors were, those are not the values & the teachings we grew up with & believed in so strongly. We shouldn’t forget who we are as individuals & fall for materialistic things because items never shape/express you as a person; it only fills in the gap of fulfillment in such retail therapy.

I lived to see those days, the days where most people in Dubai would be so shallow where friendship/relationship will be based on how much money you have. Lets also not forget the looks, that plays a major role in the popular scene, the society here shaped a certain look for being sexy, you should be muscular, have facial hair, wear a polo shirt (that’s apparently in their sureness makes you handsome) drive a G55 (because owning one makes you automatically attractive & chic) etc. It’s the “Typical local” not so special. Brains people its all about brains, values & beliefs. That’s what makes you stand out, that’s what makes you unique. Individuality that is, you shouldn’t look a certain way to have friends, you shouldn’t be in a certain scene or even drive a certain car to be someone better than others.

2 months ago I went to Lebanon for holidays didn’t even want to go but I was pressured by friends. Its not my thing/scene, the amount of the typical local look there is unbelievable. Every single person from Dubai was wearing an Hermes belt, probably every single person I’ve saw wears one, they have that materialistic mentality, that stupid idea that this belt makes me someone better than others. Its all about “Hey look at me I’m better than you” By the end of the day your living for who you are not what you wear. Others believe that it’s a must do circumstance to travel to London, it’s obligatory to be there to feel fulfilled. They run around that place called Harrods because to them that place portrays them as “Royal” & classy. It’s paradise for those who own fancy cars & want to show off; it’s all about who pays the most & who’s better than the other. That’s a true form of emptiness/shallowness. There is more to life than this.

It’s such a disappointment for the society of Dubai to have such shallowness & emptiness in regards to materialism. This society is educated & I’m proud to be apart of this mixture but uniqueness & individuality must come first. That stereotypical Idea of a how they should look should die-out. We are privileged in such country which provided us with such privileges. We should be thankful for that. What happened to seeking uniqueness? What happened to people who compete for successfulness? What happened to being better than others in regards to values & moral? There is nothing wrong in owning a luxury item, I have nothing against it. In a matter of fact there is nothing better than spoiling yourself & having retail therapy. What I’m arguing against here is the sense of Identity & how society in Dubai turned out to be in regards to people who shape themselves based on what they wear & how they should wear in a stunt of imitating others. Individualism is rather like innocence: There must be something unconscious about it.

“Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain't lawful tender for a loaf of bread” Josh Billings.

Love,
SA

7 comments:

  1. Hey I liked this, it speaks the truth but tell me, what are your comments on having an avatar on twitter with one of the worlds most materialistic women in relation to your thoughts on materialism and its effects on friendship... Im not saying she is materialistic, but there is a general notion among society she is perceived as such. Leme know !! Cool blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Materialism in Dubai is completely different than Kim Kardashian's materialistic life, here people get stuff that they can't afford to impress people that they careless for. Kim Kardashian gets all those materialistic stuff for free. It’s a marketing method used by big companies to advertise their merchandise on a popular figure.

    I hope this answered your question.
    Thanks for passing by.

    ReplyDelete
  3. She still benefits from materialism, so shes proliferating the dangerous cycle of materialistic importance in society (her lifestyle for example, a direct effect what you explained as a marketing method) ....your point is extremely valid though :) and abt your love life post, (yes i read your other blog posts) dont worry - you'll totally find her one day and if the one youre interested in now isn't the one... well, there are plenty of fish in the seaaa !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your post on how materialistic ppl are here in Dubai. I am Emirati, and it sickens me to see how everyone is judged by what bag they carry and what designer labels they own.I think being educated and having a brain is what should make me proud, not what car I drive or how much money I have. This post echoes exactly how I feel about the society here.
    Good to know a fellow Emirati brother feels the same way. God Bless!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really loved this post which is exactly what is going on around in our country. But I truly believe that this is only a phase or let me say i wish it is. The shallowness of the new generation and lack of thinking is really annoying. I'd love it if we all compete in education and knowledge in the same way people compete on going on holidays or having luxurious goods. Let's hope things will get better.
    God bless you :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ok. no offense. i've got loads of respect for you, i thought that you were one of those handsome-looking empty headed shittards but you're not OBVIOUSLY! i admmmire you. but tbh, i find it odd that you didn't mention that you yourself is materialistic.. let's face it, i've seen your twitter images,tweets and all and it's full of brand names -.-. Am into fashion myself but the lame part about it is showing off and all! c'mmon you talk about hypocrisy way too much to be one. i understand if you're offended, and i apologize. however, one should be real as much as possible now shouldn't we v.v" xoxox.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Materialism and expectations for both sexes. This is tiring and I feel bad for the new generation. We are diminishing as a society and culture. If we already haven't done so...

    ReplyDelete