The slaves of Dubai

[billy bob]

Wow, I had no idea this was going on... Modern Marvels should stop making Dubai out to be paradise and start showing the poor b*stards that died to build it....

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html

http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=18588612001

[Skakum]

Wow, I had no idea this was going on... Modern Marvels should stop making Dubai out to be paradise and start showing the poor b*stards that died to build it....

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html

http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=18588612001

I think it's completely different when you are there yourself than what you see and read on the internet... with that said and actually having been there and in most of those surounding countries myself (Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Dubai) most of these reports are pretty false on many levels.

First, is their living conditions being "horrible" along with their pay which from what I saw in the video is actually in most cases better than what they used to have. They talk about their pay being completely horrible and hate to break it to any of you but just about all of the surrounding countries currency is usually 1000 (Theirs) / 1 (Ours) on an exchange rate and some much higher. So the fact that they are getting paid 300 pounds a month is quite a bit... now by our standards in the US of course it's slavery but that's the big problem with these reports... they are comparing apples to oranges and it just doesn't work.

Second, most of these people DON'T have much for education... as in your 3rd grader kid knows more than them. No joke at all. So with that, what they are getting paid is the most money these people have ever made in their lives.

Third, the reporters look so American/UK/British it's not even funny. If any of you have been there you know what I mean when I say this... It's a huge cultural thing for those people to not talk to you.

Lastly, most of those people over there LIE alot! I can give you hundreds of personal expierences from shopping over there and doing whatever. They will tell you everything they think you want to hear, no joke.

Just my two cents on that situation anyways...

[billy bob]

So the 1000+ Indian workers that died there in 2005 are typical and not statistically anomalous?

[Skakum]

So the 1000+ Indian workers that died there in 2005 are typical and not statistically anomalous?

You do realize that you are dealing with prince's (hundreds maybe thousands) and not an uniform of government over there correct? Just think of what a Monarchy system means... look through some history books since you already started with this useless fact...You also realize that they do things in the old school cultural (bible times) way as well? How many times have you traveled over to those countries? Just for your info, Dubai is just an Iraq/Afghanistan with money...

With that said, how much of THAT report do you really believe is true? You do know that Saddam was also alive then too and had alot of influence on very many surrounding countries... How many "statistical" people did he kill for the hell of it?

[Ulrich]

Wow, I had no idea this was going on...

Seriously? I think we need to have a chat at the next GTG.

The article is a bit sensational, of course, but there are some kernels of truth in there:

"It's the Emiratis at the top, then I'd say the British and other Westerners. Then I suppose it's the Filipinos, because they've got a bit more brains than the Indians. Then at the bottom you've got the Indians and all them lot."

The key is to have a job that pays a decent salary. Once you cover housing, everything else is gravy. If you do some due dilligence before you go (so I really do not understand that Canadian woman in the article) and treat it as a temporary project (on average three to five years, I'd think) it's still a good destination. I'd go in a heartbeat if given the right opportunity.

[Doctor Mugen]

omg, DDSracer, I hope you read up about Dubai

I've heard about the slavery bit for the last 2 years now. Probably a neat place to visit on vacation, but not terribly different than the maltreatment of workers in Mexico or the sex slaves of Thailand (& even in the US)

[takeshi]

Even if you want to discount the condition of the slaves I don't think it's unreasonable to call the sustainability (at least from an environmental standpoint) of Dubai into suspicion.

I know there are issues and concerns everywhere you go but I'd certainly do a lot more investigation into Dubai and the UAE before ever giving them any money as a tourist.

[s2k 4 me]

Dubai is actually a very nice city. Very westernized with indoor malls etc. I spent alot of time there when I was in the Navy. I would go there again.

I think 60 minutes or Dateline has done a piece on this.

[Doctor Mugen]

Even if you want to discount the condition of the slaves I don't think it's unreasonable to call the sustainability (at least from an environmental standpoint) of Dubai into suspicion.

I know there are issues and concerns everywhere you go but I'd certainly do a lot more investigation into Dubai and the UAE before ever giving them any money as a tourist.

I heard a piece on NPR about how Abu Dhabi was trying to re-invent itself as a green city though since they know their oil is finite.

[Ulrich]

I heard a piece on NPR about how Abu Dhabi was trying to re-invent itself as a green city though since they know their oil is finite.

That would be the MASDAR initiative. A carbon-neutral city, but I suspect none of us would be interested in living there since they won't allow any cars.

I was always laughing when I was looking at public temperature displays over there. They passed a law a few years ago that work on construction projects must be shut down when the temperature reaches 44 C (or something like that) in order to protect the workers (see Kraemer -- it's not all bad over there). It was a little odd, though, that there were a number of days where the temperature supposedly never went over 43 C, even if that temperature was already reached by 9am (okay, so I give you that one).

[billy bob]

I don't see how anyone would want to visit given that you cant swim in the ocean next to the Burj Al Arab or you will be swimming in all the raw sewage from the city. That's just disgusting....

[Doctor Mugen]

I don't see how anyone would want to visit given that you cant swim in the ocean next to the Burj Al Arab or you will be swimming in all the raw sewage from the city. That's just disgusting....

that is pretty disgusting. I'll stick to Tahiti

[Ulrich]

I don't see how anyone would want to visit given that you cant swim in the ocean next to the Burj Al Arab or you will be swimming in all the raw sewage from the city. That's just disgusting....

They actually have a number of very nice beaches in Dubai, relatively close to downtown, too. If you've ever been to Chicago and spent some time on the beaches along Lakeshore Drive, you can imagine what it's like (and I doubt the water in Lake Michigan is that much cleaner, either).

Seriously, don't knock it till you try it.

[NFR_AP1]

For those folks that have never stepped foot in the Middle East, the UAE is the most preferred location to be. You should never try to judge this situation based on our culture, because you will never understand. Count yourself fortunate to had been born on this continent. But, had you been born over there you wouldn't know any other way. You will throw more money away than those folks over there will acquire in a life time. Count your blessings.

[Doctor Mugen]

For those folks that have never stepped foot in the Middle East, the UAE is the most preferred location to be. You should never try to judge this situation based on our culture, because you will never understand. Count yourself fortunate to had been born on this continent. But, had you been born over there you wouldn't know any other way. You will throw more money away than those folks over there will acquire in a life time. Count your blessings.

But I love to pre-judge things, it's the American way!

j/k

I'd love to go visit there (although there's still about 9 or 10 other places I would visit first before I check out the Arabian peninsula). Dubai definitely ranks very low on my list though for places to settle should I decide to become an expat.