Bilahmar Escarpment, Asir. January 2016
[from FB post: April 2, 2018]
The Flip Side
One thing that has mystified me here in Saudi Arabia is the number of Saudis returning from overseas (read: the West) who have become anti-Western. It begs some questions. Why would you go to a place if you didn't like it and its people? Why would you study something that you hated? Why would you force yourself to live through so much unhappiness?
Perhaps I have found some answers to this question.
Imagine you go to a new place a bit tentatively, but hoping for the best. You truly have some interest in the whole adventure. Upon arrival you find that people there have a predetermined idea about you and your country that you simply cannot escape. Blame it on the media, blame on what you want, but ultimately Saudis are faced with "you are just a terrorist/religious fanatic" every day. If they aren't terrorists, then why aren't they doing something about it? etc, etc, etc. These young Saudis are probably resilient for awhile, but eventually they just get worn down and finally, even if they are having an overall good time abroad, come back thinking F...k the West and its people. They had enough and are angry mainly because something totally beyond their control defined their very existence no matter who they actually were.
Now let's look on the flip side of it: my life in Saudi Arabia. All Saudis "know" about the West -- in fact they kind of feel like they are experts (in American culture at least). After all, they watch movies (at home) probably even more than Americans. So then they have this image that I am a womanizing, gay, whisky-drinking, a-religious being. Almost all conversations with Saudis quickly move to alcohol or sex. It is just assumed THAT is all I am about. At first, you kind of laugh it off. Later, you get tired of it. And finally, well...you had enough and you are just angry. "I am not like people in the movies!" I can say it till I am blue in the face, but the West just keeps cranking out movies filled with sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Why don't I just "stop" this export of entertainment media that does NOT reflect my society at all? It all sounds a little bit familiar doesn't it?
Realizing this helps me make peace with some of the bizarre comments and proposals made to me in these five years in Saudi Arabia (my future book lies in these tales, I am certain). If I am tired of being the focus of attention on all things "immoral", don't you think a Saudi would be tired of being equated with all things "terror-related"? And how much control does anyone have over PERCEPTION anyway?
Lesson learned: there is always a flip side and it can be hard to accept.
How do we (can we) escape stereotypes if we had a hand in creating them? That is a puzzler!!
NB; the photo represents the issue. Would you ever believe that is Saudi Arabia? Or is it all just sandy desert and camels?
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