Have you heard about the kettle calling the pot black? Well, it's all in this comment which popped in my inbox a few minutes ago.
Zain writes:
Maybe you're just butt ugly and guys don't really give a shit if you're sweating or tired or whatever... seriously, your comments are so racist... if you want to know what rude is, spend a day in New York City, London or Paris. You've probably never left Bahrain and thats why you feel the way you do... Above that, living in a flat in Bahrain you will always encounter people of all classes, no matter how "up market" you claim it to be, because the upper class here, LIVE IN HOUSES with BIG GARDENS. So if you are judging a race by a bunch of no bodies living in flats on top of eachother like sardines, its almost like judging a whole country by spending a day in community housing. Seriously, get an education. RACIST lady.
I won't comment here on my looks, class or travels, because some of those were bestowed on me by the Almighty, and others I have earned through hard work and dedication.
What hurt me in this comment is the condescending manner in which people in my Bahrain look at their fellow Bahrainis, particularly those not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Overnight, the simple humble Bahraini has become materialistic, with Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci (not that I am not a sucker for them, but that is something between me, myself and I to come to terms with when I grow up) replacing manners, education and simply being human.
Girls check out how other girls are decked and their friend-worthiness is judged by their Jimmy Choo and their Rolex collections. The make of car you drive opens traffic jams for you and the hairdresser who irons your unruly mane gives you your status in a society which lives its life, oblivious of the suffering of the masses - the poor Bahrainis, who drive a Datsun, who's only brush with luxury is a fake LV and who live stacked, one on top of the other, in government apartments.
The comment I got above drives home this point and I am not generalising for I have lived all my life in Bahrain, not counting the lovely four years I thrived in Canada and the four-five pilgrimages I make to wherever my free time, work commitments and fancy take me annually. I encounter Bahrainis daily, Bahrainis living in debt because they need to drive a Lexus and get their daughters Chanel shoes! I see Bahrainis who take loans and buy phones and television sets on instalments because we have turned into a society in love with images - no matter how unrealistic they are.
This young woman, who has never seen beyond the tip of her nose, has said that all the Bahrainis living in flats in Bahrain are "nobodies living on top of each like sardines." And then she has the audacity to call me racist!! I won't even dignify that with a response.
Perhaps in our next Cabinet reshuffle, Ms Zain Al Thawadhi should be given the housing portfolio, to ensure that every Bahraini lives in .. what did she say.. oh .. "HOUSES with BIG gardens." And if she does turn down that offer, she can come and work in my BIG garden so that I can give my gardeners Arshad and Mani a much deserved break!
