Elitist Ignorance

Bu Qatada We Bu Nabeel (The Kuwaiti show in question)

 The other morning I was hanging out with my mother in the living, just chatting and having coffee. I was getting ready to leave the house, and she had MBC1 on, watching a program that would be akin to the popular morning show on NBC, "The Today Show". MBC1's version was called "Sabah El Khair Ya Arab", which roughly translates to "Good Morning To All The Arabs". Well, I hope that's what it translates to as my Arabic better than I'll admit to, but worse than I care to acknowledge. 

As a Canadian/Kuwaiti in denial, I rarely ever watch Arabic programming (Unless it's linked to Naif Al Rashed. Don't Ask.), however a specific news segment caught my attention and for all the wrong reasons. From what I understand, the Moroccan government was expressing outrage at the manner in which Morroccan women were portrayed in several Ramadan programs, including the Kuwaiti "Bu Qatada W Bu Nabeel". As I didn't watch the show while it aired during Ramadan, I can't say much about it from that perspective. However, I realized that within the Middle East there is a rather disgusting elitist mentality in that some Arabic/Muslim nations are better than others. As a funny woman myself, I appreciate and acknowledge comedy. I understand that sometimes regional humor is popular; in Canada some of the best jokes are about life in the Prairies, or The Maritimes, where I hail from. 

My issue with this topic isn't that Kuwaiti TV folk were mocking another country and culture, they 've done it enough to a point where no one cares, but rather how the women of an entire country are pigeon-holed and dismissed as being "promiscuous" for the sake of entertainment. It is both irresponsible and disgusting, and the Moroccan government and public have every right to be upset about this. As a Feminist, I understand and realize how difficult it is to promote the advancement of women in this region of the world, as there is a culture and mentality that are very "old-fashioned" and traditional. Funnily enough, the makers of this show never considered writing an episode detailing how young men from the Gulf are well-known to indulge in all the sex tourism this planet has to offer. Once again, patriarchy and male ignorance cast a shadow on us all.

Trying to drink my coffee but repulsed beyond words,

S.