I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard nothing but praise for Dubai. That is, until I came upon this fascinating that reports the good, the bad and the ugly about the Middle East’s “paradise”:
Sinister Paradise
Does the Road to the Future End at Dubai?
By Mike Davis
[i]
The narration begins: As your jet starts its descent, you are glued to your window. The scene below is astonishing: a 24-square-mile archipelago of coral-colored islands in the shape of an almost finished puzzle of the world. In the shallow green waters between continents, the sunken shapes of the Pyramids of Giza and the Roman Coliseum are clearly visible.
In the distance are three other large island groups configured as palms within crescents and planted with high-rise resorts, amusement parks, and a thousand mansions built on stilts over the water. The “Palms” are connected by causeways to a Miami-like beachfront chock-a-block full of mega-hotels, apartment high-rises and yacht marinas.
[/i]
Yes…one can see how this would rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses.
Damn the jobs, this smacks of blatant capitalism and free enterprise!
[quote]"Dubai, like its neighbors, flouts ILO labor regulations and refuses to adopt the international Migrant Workers Convention. Human Rights Watch in 2003 accused the Emirates of building prosperity on “forced labor.” Indeed, as the British Independent recently emphasized in an expos
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Yes…one can see how this would rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses.
Damn the jobs, this smacks of blatant capitalism and free enterprise![/quote]
Yes, kidnapping and torture of Asian and Eastern European women to force them into prostitution is to be praised. After all, it creates jobs.
So does a heroin factory.
Too bad you can’t be reincarnated as a young Russian sex slave. I’d pay money to see it.
Sorry to get this personal TC, I don’t usually. But really, you seem to not possess even a shred of human compassion for others less fortunate than yourself.
Gilgamesh -
Nice strawman, nothing in my post shows a condoning or even an acceptance of treatment or conditions such as mentioned.
My post was not an attempt to white-wash the mal-treatment of these construction workers; but to comment on the agenda of the author and the over-all tone of the article.
There are International Laws and Treaties in place to deal with such as this.
Other than the documented child camel jockeys, who, to my satisfaction, have indeed been shown to be hijacked and treated terribly, what workers have been ‘shang-haied’ and forced to Dubai to work?
Their is mention of Euro-trash gangsters and their antics, but these types show up everywhere the money is easy and the rules are lax.
The mentioned ‘foreign’ workers are there by their own choosing. Its hardly a secret that most of the normal jobs in Arabian countries is farmed out to foreigners. This is no surprise. And word has it that Dubai and Abu Dhabi have the best wages and working conditions of any place in the Hulf area. For this they get the best and pay commensurably.
I shall now invoke Godwins Law:
from the article-[quote]“Sheikh Mo’s architectural megalomania, although reminiscent of Albert Speer and his patron, is not irrational.”[/quote] and [quote]“Yet the future that he is building in Dubai – to the applause of billionaires and transnational corporations everywhere – looks like nothing so much as a nightmare of the past: Walt Disney meets Albert Speer on the shores of Araby.”[/quote]
By the by, it looks like Beckham is not troubled by this desert kingdom. Maybe its the cheap labor available.
[quote=“Dog’s_Breakfast”]Yes, kidnapping and torture of Asian and Eastern European women to force them into prostitution is to be praised. After all, it creates jobs.
So does a heroin factory. Too bad you can’t be reincarnated as a young Russian sex slave. I’d pay money to see it.
Sorry to get this personal TC, I don’t usually. But really, you seem to not possess even a shred of human compassion for others less fortunate than yourself.
cheers,
DB[/quote]DB -
Do see & read my response to Gilgamesh.
My goodness, you have sussed all this from an internet message board. You are quite the marvel!
In a country that has allowed the use of kidnapped children to ride camels for their own entertainment, of course I have no trouble believing that a globally documented phenomenon such as as the trafficking of women for prostitution might happen.
With regards to the foreign workers, I think even our own personal knowledge and experience within Taiwan shows that what one signs up for is not necessarily what one gets upon arrival. Just because it was “voluntary” for them to choose to go overseas to work in jobs that the locals won’t take does not mean it is “voluntary” for them to be treated like slaves and to have their choice to leave removed.
[quote]Gilgamesh -
Nice strawman, nothing in my post shows a condoning or even an acceptance of treatment or conditions such as mentioned.
My post was not an attempt to white-wash the mal-treatment of these construction workers; but to comment on the agenda of the author and the over-all tone of the article.[/quote]
Well you wrote “I can see how this would rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses” I quoted some parts of the article that probably do rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses.
To write “damn the jobs” comes across as jobs at any price. If I have misunderstood what you meant by your post then I apologize.
TC wrote:
So just because they have agreed to work in Dubai that means they lose all rights and can be given squalid conditions to live in?
TC wrote:
[quote]And word has it that Dubai and Abu Dhabi have the best wages and working conditions of any place in the Hulf area. For this they get the best and pay commensurably[/quote].
If they are the best that the worst must be pretty disgusting given that as quoted “the Arab Emirate’s minister of labour was reported to be profoundly shocked by the squalid, almost unbearable conditions in a remote work camp”
[quote]Gilgamesh -
Nice strawman, nothing in my post shows a condoning or even an acceptance of treatment or conditions such as mentioned.
My post was not an attempt to white-wash the mal-treatment of these construction workers; but to comment on the agenda of the author and the over-all tone of the article.[/quote]Well you wrote “I can see how this would rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses” I quoted some parts of the article that probably do rankle the conscious of the collective socialist masses.
To write “damn the jobs” comes across as jobs at any price. If I have misunderstood what you meant by your post then I apologize.[/quote]If this gets messy please pardon - I am not a whiz at formatting.
This is a service industry being created. The people in these permanent jobs - hotels, maintainence, security, food service and supply, management, etc. are the public face of these 2 countries. These ‘workers’ are vital to this image being created. It is in the host countries best interest to have not only the best people, but well taken care of people in these slots. My comment was reflecting the attitude of those who would condemn and halt this entire enterprise without agreesively attempting to remedy the known problems. And that means more than write internet columns and sip cappuchino.
[quote=“Gilgamesh”]TC wrote:
So just because they have agreed to work in Dubai that means they lose all rights and can be given squalid conditions to live in?[/quote]I believe you will see that I suggested exactly the opposite. [quote=“Gilgamesh”]TC wrote:
The quote you use was directed specifically at the conditions of the temporary construction workers. Not at the living conditions of any other non-native foreign contract worker group.
Perhaps you did not notice, there are several different groups being examined in this article.
The ruling elite, the management and service workers, the native citizrns, the ‘foreign contract workers’ - of which the mentioned construction workers fall into a sub-group, and also the terrible plight of the child camel jockeys.
It is incorrect to make across the board generalizations and lump the working/living/pay scale of al of these seperate groups together. That is what you are attempting to do. It is wrong.
As you are wrong with your sweeping, and quite ignorant, jibes at my personal character.
But I understand, it makes you feel good to do it. And that what counts, isn’t it?
[quote=“gilgamesh”][quote]By the by, it looks like Beckham is not troubled by this desert kingdom. Maybe its the cheap labor available.[/quote]How is this relevant?:D[/quote]He’s mentioned in the article as one of the flood of expat Brits who have flocked there for residence. Rod Stewart also, but I doubt he’ll sell his digs in Beverly Hills, Cali. Didn’t you notice?
I am shocked! MT is demeaning Muslims!!! What is this about rape and starvation! I am sure the same thing happens in America as well so get off the Muslims and their camels!!! haha Sorry, I could not resist. It was like a tennis ball arcing itself slowly in my field of vision.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]The quote you use was directed specifically at the conditions of the temporary construction workers. Not at the living conditions of any other non-native foreign contract worker group.
Perhaps you did not notice, there are several different groups being examined in this article.
The ruling elite, the management and service workers, the native citizrns, the ‘foreign contract workers’ - of which the mentioned construction workers fall into a sub-group, and also the terrible plight of the child camel jockeys.
It is incorrect to make across the board generalizations and lump the working/living/pay scale of al of these separate groups together. That is what you are attempting to do. It is wrong.
As you are wrong with your sweeping, and quite ignorant, jibes at my personal character.
[/quote]
I’m sorry but since the articles main focus seems to be (at least to me) about the “foreign contract workers” that is what I am posting about.
Fair enough, there may be many people in Dubai making a fortune but they are not what the article is about. The article is mainly about the exploitation of the contract workers.
I am not sure what “sweeping, and quite ignorant, jibes at your expense” I am making. All I did was ask a question based on your post asking if you thought this situation was okay. You said (at least I think you said) no it’s not so no problem. If you feel that this was an ignorant jibe I am more than willing to apologize and state that it was not my attention to do this.
[quote=“Gilgamesh”]I am not sure what “sweeping, and quite ignorant, jibes at your expense” I am making. All I did was ask a question based on your post asking if you thought this situation was okay. You said (at least I think you said) no it’s not so no problem. If you feel that this was an ignorant jibe I am more than willing to apologize and state that it was not my attention to do this.[/quote]Gilgamesh -
Good show and glad to sort the comments out.
As to the bit above, I owe an apology to you.
That statement was in reference to the butt drippings posted by Dogs Breakfast. He looks to have little to no control over his digital discharges.
The plight of the child camel jockeys was brought to light a few years ago. Quite sad and it spurred quite intensive world spotlight on this. It was stopped for a while, ut owing to the rather high security and insular environment of middle eastern sheiks it probably was only a temporary stoppage.
I have read on Spiegel.de they would replace the child slave riders by robots now. Sigh, that is a nation of progress.
Of course their culture is as advanced as ours. Or didn’t we abandon the child car wash slaves 5 years ago when automated car washes were developped…no?
Just to show what people take for normal in this culture.
