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Beirut is the Best, But Let’s Stop Hating on Dubai
Everyone in Beirut has an opinion about Dubai, everyone. Some people love it; most people hate it. Some say it’s the funder of ISIS; others say it’s a beacon of the future. As for me, I think all the haters should stop hating.
Look, I get it. Alcohol doesn’t flow in the streets of the UAE, certainly not like in Lebanon. And alright, they technically still operate under some semblance of sharia law there. Nothing is perfect.
But can we please stop saying that Dubai is a fake city? This is the go-to complaint that everyone uses whenever you question why he/she doesn’t like it. But c’mon. What metropolitan city, to some extent, isn’t fake?
(Image via imgur)
I have to admit, though, I said the same thing the first time I visited Dubai. After spending about four months living in Beirut I decided it was time to venture out and see the world, so I went to Dubai. Coming back, I told everyone: “It’s just like Disney World, for adults.” I hated it the same as everyone else in Beirut.
Then I went back. That’s when I realized something; we all hate Dubai because we’re jealous. Once Beirut was the cultural, banking, and business center of the region. Once Beirut was becoming everything that Dubai is becoming and we can’t quite get over the fact that it isn’t anymore. We’re all pissed that the UAE has all the money and positive attention while we have shitty salaries and bombs going off in the suburbs.
Let’s just admit that if the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab had been built in Lebanon, we wouldn’t stop bragging about them. Let’s just admit that if Lebanon had the oil wealth of the gulf, we might be sending a probe to Mars, giving away free cars to safe drivers, and building absurd island formations too.
But the fact is, Lebanon isn’t. You know who is? Dubai is.
Whether we like it or not, Dubai represents the future of civilization – diversity, technology, advancement all merging together to create an entirely new kind of city, a new kind of culture. Yes, it has its problems. Yes, it doesn’t have the mountains of Lebanon, it doesn’t have the natural green, it doesn’t have the Mediterranean and it doesn’t have the crazy driving. But that doesn’t make it fake.
For sure I would say that Lebanon is my favorite country in the world. For sure I would say that Beirut is the greatest city. But that doesn’t mean we are better than Dubai; it just means we are different.
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