I live in Dubai for years. It’s an interesting mix of people, but the population skews towards Southeast Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines - that makes up about 75% of the population) once you step out from the hotels, malls and galleries. It still feels artificial (well, it is, everything is built here, except the desert) and there are only two narratives about the place: we are the world’s greatest place (the government and true believers - they do exist) and the hell-hole one. The truth is in the middle.
It’s volatile and transitory, but with good infrastructure and security: there are little protection (of jobs, environment, mental health, you name it) but physically very safe. People come and go and the permanent population is about 15-20% (locals and lifelong expats). So there’s always new blood and new hustle, but very little shared values or narrative, except the “oh, you’re new here.” This is probably why there’s not a lot of recognizable culture.
Not sure about the light - the mix of the fine desert sand and pollution makes for an interesting filter. The sunsets are great though .
Thoughtful comments, thank you. I’ve written elsewhere about the labor issues and other things; for me it is a city that feels vibrant right now due to some of the recent migration and re alignment of the world. And good point re sandstorms I tend to over look those ;)
Disappointing. I'm a huge WITI fan but this has me considering unsubscribing. Dubai is a hell-hole of human rights violations. Was this post paid for by the Dubai tourism board?
No, it's not. I spend a lot of time there and will write what I want. I find a lot of the "hellhole" comments come from people who (i) havent spent any time there and (ii) quickly buy into the thinly veiled Western racism against must of the region, hiding behind arguments like these. There is an intelligent debate to be had about labor, standards, and progress in the UAE (as well as important issues like authoritarianism, surveillance, etc). i was simply writing about a place that i have been enjoying, and feel free to unsubscribe.
Re: slavery. As a foreign person working here, I have the same rights as an employee as I’d have in the US. My visa and healthcare is tied to my employer. There is no Medicare / Medicaid, no government pension - just like the US, as I believe most of it was modeled after that. There’s no unemployment benefit (the govt is starting to introduce something to the most vulnerable though), you can buy insurance on the market if you want. The only thing I couldn’t do is form a union or protest against the government.
I live in Dubai for years. It’s an interesting mix of people, but the population skews towards Southeast Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines - that makes up about 75% of the population) once you step out from the hotels, malls and galleries. It still feels artificial (well, it is, everything is built here, except the desert) and there are only two narratives about the place: we are the world’s greatest place (the government and true believers - they do exist) and the hell-hole one. The truth is in the middle.
It’s volatile and transitory, but with good infrastructure and security: there are little protection (of jobs, environment, mental health, you name it) but physically very safe. People come and go and the permanent population is about 15-20% (locals and lifelong expats). So there’s always new blood and new hustle, but very little shared values or narrative, except the “oh, you’re new here.” This is probably why there’s not a lot of recognizable culture.
Not sure about the light - the mix of the fine desert sand and pollution makes for an interesting filter. The sunsets are great though .
Thoughtful comments, thank you. I’ve written elsewhere about the labor issues and other things; for me it is a city that feels vibrant right now due to some of the recent migration and re alignment of the world. And good point re sandstorms I tend to over look those ;)
Disappointing. I'm a huge WITI fan but this has me considering unsubscribing. Dubai is a hell-hole of human rights violations. Was this post paid for by the Dubai tourism board?
No, it's not. I spend a lot of time there and will write what I want. I find a lot of the "hellhole" comments come from people who (i) havent spent any time there and (ii) quickly buy into the thinly veiled Western racism against must of the region, hiding behind arguments like these. There is an intelligent debate to be had about labor, standards, and progress in the UAE (as well as important issues like authoritarianism, surveillance, etc). i was simply writing about a place that i have been enjoying, and feel free to unsubscribe.
Funny to have read this first https://www.profgalloway.com/the-mother-of-all-pivots/
Money can buy anyone ,or anything .
“It is a place where, I would imagine, someone landing in California in the 90s might have felt.”
Somewhat more slavery than California in the 90s, though, no?
Re: slavery. As a foreign person working here, I have the same rights as an employee as I’d have in the US. My visa and healthcare is tied to my employer. There is no Medicare / Medicaid, no government pension - just like the US, as I believe most of it was modeled after that. There’s no unemployment benefit (the govt is starting to introduce something to the most vulnerable though), you can buy insurance on the market if you want. The only thing I couldn’t do is form a union or protest against the government.