Job Discussion Forums

[ckhl]

A+. You're so good. So good. Political correctness elevated to an art form.

[stoth1972]

[sarina]

I would echo Stoth72's comments about common sense. Respect for the local culture should be the paramount consideration, not whether you think you can "get away" with it. Ditto for the different experience for women compared to men.

[veiledsentiments]

Funny how nearly all the women on the ME section of the board say pretty much the same thing about dress... while it tends to be the men who try to tell us that we didn't actually experience that which we did... daily...

VS

[stoth1972]

Here, here, Vs.

[RbDib]

That's exactly why packing has become a bit of a dilemna for me. Do I pack the shorts in case others are wearing them and it's alright but I am worried about being culturally insensitive. Who knew that a pair of shorts, flip flops, knee-length skirt etc. could bring me this much "grief" when I haven't even entered the country yet where I hope to be comfortable wearing them!

[twarin]

I feel sorry for all of you. In a country so ostentatious with its two Porsche Cayennes per capita, its hi-tech buildings, indoor Switzerlands, monorails, land reclamation, third-world tea boys on 60 hour weeks/Dh300 per month/15 to a room accommodation - not to mention all the prostitute and maid-beatings, you have to admit that the term 'cultural sensitivity' looks terribly incongruous.

You ought to all take a good look at yourselves, or perhaps canvass the views of your friends back home on how bizarre some of your opinions and expectations have become.

This place is a land of fiction, a synthetic environment with token titles, such as Lecturer, Highly Qualified, Academic Excellence, Professionalism, World Class, Cultural Understanding etc. People like you get your wires crossed when you start to believe in the myths generated by these terms, and when your little fictional worlds collide, you all start to reach for the moral code book and attempt to justify your fictional lives.

Now think about those True Professionals who work for peanuts while helping others such as the sons and daughters of those poor exploited people who serve you tea and wash your car and make your bed and do your ironing. They are the ones with the true cultural sensitivity and understanding.

Get real. Living here is a joke. It is a vehicle to that life you have always wanted to live and that bank balance you always wanted to see.

Long live the Sheikh! For he is a great man. I am sure you all agree.

[ckhl]

I concede...don't bring shorts. I guess it's just one thing Western women have to put up with if they choose to come to the Middle East. Harrassement will doubtless still occur even if they're dressing appropriately. If they can't take it of if they get sick of it or if it stresses them out, they should leave. Remember, no one if forcing you to be here. It's the same for Muslim men in Europe. If they can't leave women alone, there are many flights to Casablanca or Algiers.

[sarina]

To suggest that expats living in the Gulf should "canvas the opinions of their friends back home to check how bizarre they have become" clearly shows that you are using your own cultural norms to judge another culture. Classic cultural imperialism where you "other" cultures according to your own benchmarks.
I can assure you that for the great majority of Nationals, the UAE is not a "land of fiction" - their culture, religion and beliefs are based on a value system that deserves respect.
In every culture, including our great Western ""civilizations"(!!!!! used with irony I can assure you) you will find people who do not live ethically - that does not mean you dismiss the entire culture and use the terminology of "mythology" and "fiction" to describe cultures and civilizations which I would certainly say are older than yours.
You can still have compassion for the situation of maids and teaboys (which is another issue all together), without compounding the insensitivity by attacking Islamic sensibilities, and flouting UAE norms of dress and behaviour.

[Bindair Dundat]

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

[sarina]

Ok. Let's clarify what we are talking about here. My posting was an attempt to stick to the topic - we were talking about respecting UAE/Islamic values re: dress code. Linking this with wider social issues in a fuzzy attempt to justify wearing whatever one wishes is not what I would call effective reasoning.

The treatment of less advantaged expat groups (e.g. the maids and teaboys brought up by one writer) is not the issue I was addressing.

There is no question in my mind, that as guests in this country, we should respect local norms and VALUES regarding dress.

[carlen]

I have just left Abu Dhabi recently, lived there for a year. My school had rules about dress that were quite conservative but nothing my normal range of professional wear couldn't cope with.
As for just getting around you find your own comfit level. Most of the time you socialise with others from the west in clubs, dress is exactly the same as at home. There are a number of clubs you can join that have fenced beach areas and again dress is the same as at home. Apartment to taxi to where ever you are going is the only time when you have to think about it. Again its YOUR comfit level that will dictate this.
I found the air con unacceptable at time so I always got into the habit of carrying something to throw around my shoulders. If I was dressed in something revealing I would throw the same thing around my top to get to where I wanted to get to.
At times when it was really hot I would walk down the road in something that was fairly light weight. It was never the locals that made comment but usually a Pakistan or Indian male. Other Muslim workers who are imported into the country.
The only time I ever felt uncomfortable in Abu Dhabi was when I went down to the public beach down near the Hilton. There were hordes of foreign male workers sitting around watching my every move. No one said anything, no one came near me....... I just didn't like all the stares. If I went down to an aussie beach and the same thing happened I would feel the same.
Honestly, at least in Abu Dhabi clothing is just not an issue. Join one of the clubs on the water and enjoy your self. I had fun when Iwas there.

Cheers,
Carolyn

[twarin]

I saw a middle-aged (45-ish) lady strolling along the Burj Al Arab Beach in a g-string bikini last week. She was rather heavily set, did not fit the stereotype one sees in fashion magazines and I suspect she was a little eccentric. Nevertheless, I saw her as a person seeking expression rather than an expat without any cultural sensitivities. Think for a moment if Emmeline Pankhurst and Emily Davision did not take steps to liberate women - where would our society be today? I do not think any person should have to live their lives as though they are treading on egg shells as some of you seem to be doing. And if you believe the rhetoric in those mission statements and academic visions, we seem to be here to advance this civilization. So tell me, how can you advance a civilization when you hide global truths from them?

Like I said - Fiction. Let's all pretend.

Get a life. Live the way you were brought up to live.

[sarina]

Emmeline Pankhurst was a citizen in her own country. Bad analogy.
I am 100% certain that the mission statements of the institution you work in, are not asking you to advance civilization by wearing G strings!! They are asking you to educate their students, while still respecting cultural norms within the UAE.
I completely disagree that I should live as I was brought up - I am a guest, and as such, I should respect local sensibilities.

Anyway, I'm sick of discussing this. Go to Sharjah, wear your G-string, get arrested and then spout your rhetoric about advancing civilisation.
If you think we are living in fictionalized worlds, perhaps you should find another narrative where the plot suits you better.