@ Nic Ironically you touch on the fake rosy pictures Qatar presents to the world, but overlook the fake rosy picture of the average Qatari's life based on the article, which goes to the root of what I was saying in my previous post.
I think we both can agree that the way the country is setup restricts ones ability to freely express their opinions, but I am also sure you can't deny that these petro dollars are also the same reason why Western governments are willing to overlook abuses to their own citizens when in such nations, as I have stated on here before, Western govts do nothing when their citizens are arbitrarily detained for years in the GCC, but will make a huge fuss if an enemy such as Iran/Syria were to even detain a Westerner for a few hours. So if even these 'protectors of democracy' are unwilling to assist their own citizens who are subjected to human right abuses, how reasonable and objective is it to expect the local population to openly speak up? Furthermore, taking into account these considerations , how objective would it be to compare Qatar to places like Hong Kong, Tokyo, and so on?
As for the whole notion of Qataris rejecting foreigners and not wanting to mingle, well if you were to compare the attitudes of Chinese people in a rural town in China to that of those in Hong Kong in respect to a large influx of foreigners, I am sure we both can agree that there will be a great difference in their opinions and willingness to accept the situation. Remember that in less than a decade Qatar has managed to quadruple its population, a country that was once known for its isolation from the rest of the world, a situation that other Qataris have no voice on, whether they agree or disagree to it. I assure you there are several Qataris who would be more than willing to show expats around the city and invite them to participate in events that are a part of the local culture. It would be ridiculous to presume the majority would not be willing to do so, you have to keep in mind that unlike China, there is no way of distinguishing which ones would be more 'rural' in mentality, and those that wouldn't, for they are all based within the same city, thus a preconceived expectation of what the local population's opinions of your presence will be simply cannot apply to a place like Qatar where locality can't even be considered as a relevant factor.
So yes, such one-sided articles that paint a rosy picture of the life of the average Qatari are not innocuous, all they do is exacerbate the issues facing Qataris who are unable to voice their opinions on the lack of proper health care, education, and whatnot, and it doesn't help when some expats state this article does truly capture the essence of what is going on in Qatar, when you have yourself acknowledged the destructive factors that come with petro dollars. If you are aware that Qatar is willing to "paint rosy pictures" of itself to the rest of the world, you should also appreciate that it would be likely that the situation of a lot of Qataris are also concealed under this painting, from people such as my friends who graduate from top universities and find nowhere willing to train them adequately, to those with more serious issues in respect to basic needs one should expect in a nation as wealthy as Qatar. Maybe jealousy would not be correct word for some of you, but certainly a lack of objectivity.
@ Nic Ironically you touch on the fake rosy pictures Qatar presents to the world, but overlook the fake rosy picture of the average Qatari's life based on the article, which goes to the root of what I was saying in my previous post.
I think we both can agree that the way the country is setup restricts ones ability to freely express their opinions, but I am also sure you can't deny that these petro dollars are also the same reason why Western governments are willing to overlook abuses to their own citizens when in such nations, as I have stated on here before, Western govts do nothing when their citizens are arbitrarily detained for years in the GCC, but will make a huge fuss if an enemy such as Iran/Syria were to even detain a Westerner for a few hours. So if even these 'protectors of democracy' are unwilling to assist their own citizens who are subjected to human right abuses, how reasonable and objective is it to expect the local population to openly speak up? Furthermore, taking into account these considerations , how objective would it be to compare Qatar to places like Hong Kong, Tokyo, and so on?
As for the whole notion of Qataris rejecting foreigners and not wanting to mingle, well if you were to compare the attitudes of Chinese people in a rural town in China to that of those in Hong Kong in respect to a large influx of foreigners, I am sure we both can agree that there will be a great difference in their opinions and willingness to accept the situation. Remember that in less than a decade Qatar has managed to quadruple its population, a country that was once known for its isolation from the rest of the world, a situation that other Qataris have no voice on, whether they agree or disagree to it. I assure you there are several Qataris who would be more than willing to show expats around the city and invite them to participate in events that are a part of the local culture. It would be ridiculous to presume the majority would not be willing to do so, you have to keep in mind that unlike China, there is no way of distinguishing which ones would be more 'rural' in mentality, and those that wouldn't, for they are all based within the same city, thus a preconceived expectation of what the local population's opinions of your presence will be simply cannot apply to a place like Qatar where locality can't even be considered as a relevant factor.
So yes, such one-sided articles that paint a rosy picture of the life of the average Qatari are not innocuous, all they do is exacerbate the issues facing Qataris who are unable to voice their opinions on the lack of proper health care, education, and whatnot, and it doesn't help when some expats state this article does truly capture the essence of what is going on in Qatar, when you have yourself acknowledged the destructive factors that come with petro dollars. If you are aware that Qatar is willing to "paint rosy pictures" of itself to the rest of the world, you should also appreciate that it would be likely that the situation of a lot of Qataris are also concealed under this painting, from people such as my friends who graduate from top universities and find nowhere willing to train them adequately, to those with more serious issues in respect to basic needs one should expect in a nation as wealthy as Qatar. Maybe jealousy would not be correct word for some of you, but certainly a lack of objectivity.