Job Discussion Forums

[007]

[Cleopatra]

[veiledsentiments]

[Imdramayu]

Can you see me? I trust women drivers much more.

[johnslat]

Dear Cleopatra,

"However, in the eyes of the Saudis, they are ultimately just as disposable."

Allowing for the possibility of rare exceptions, I agree. But then, I suspect that a fair number of Saudi wives are also regarded as disposable, as so many are here in the West.
And, though it may be controversial, I also suspect that many Saudi males, making their evaluation of what they've seen of the West from the media, tend to regard all Western women as - well, to put it as gently as possible - "loose."

[spiral78]

I think that's absolutely true. We had a pack of Saudi gentlemen in Canada who continually hit on their married female teachers, who had taken pains to dress and behave especially conservatively througout the course, in deference to their student's cultural feelings. The fact that the women were in the classroom with them daily seemed to indicate that they were available for other activities, married or not.

Total myth, but uncomfortable social fact in that teaching environment.

[007]

[Cleopatra]

[spiral78]

Yes, 007, that's what he means.

[Mia Xanthi]

I had to laugh at the poster describing the American teachers as trying to dress conservatively for their Saudi male students in the States. I taught Saudi males in the US, and I remember trying to dress in what I considered to be a conservative fashion in order to win their respect. Now that I am over here, I realize that what I considered to be conservative dress would be downright trampy to them.

It wasn't until I moved to the Gulf that I even realized that arms have to be covered in order to be "Islamically correct"! When I was younger, I assumed that if my legs were covered to the calf that I was being as modest as anyone could require.

However, you have to have a little sympathy for the Saudi males. They have nothing by which to judge us, and no experience at all with women. Their whole lives they have been told that it is a woman's responsibility to prevent men from being attracted to them. They come to the States or England and of course they think we are available.

I also feel sorry for the ones who come over thinking that all Western women will fall at their feet. It must be a shock to think that you would be attractive to the opposite sex if only they could interact with you, only to find out that most women aren't even remotely interested in you.

[spiral78]

Mia, I hadn't considered the idea that the Saudi men expected to be found attractive by the Canadian women . Of course, you're probably right....

Those teachers did, in fact, wear clothing that covered their arms as well as legs every day, though the course in question was summertime and it was very warm for Canada...

We actually had quite a lot of sympathy for these gentlemen. It must have been like visiting the moon for them. Unfortunately, the DOS at that time was a woman who really dislikes men (doesn't like women much better, I must say) and she took some pleasure in bossing them around and putting them into situations that were clearly uncomfortable for them. I think it would have been far more sensible and practical to have assigned men as much as possible - probably we didn't have enough to cover the whole course, but at least there could have been a better mix.

All in all, the majority of them really were gentlemen, and they coped as politely as they could in a very difficult situation. The course fortunately ended with mostly good feelings all around. And was repeated the following year

[trapezius]

Interesting/sad/infuriating/disgusting isn't it, that we non-Saudis have to accomodate ourselves to Saudis whether we go to their country or they comes to our countries?

[windstar]

In exchange of money.

[lall]

[Cleopatra]