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In a fitting (GN thought so)reply, to all the criticism heaped on Dubai by the international press, todays GN carried this article

Dubai: Angered by the Western media's negative publicity of Dubai, a team of like-minded Dubai-based expatriates has decided to express their sentiments by distributing free souvenirs such as T-shirts and badges that read myDubaimyhome — in support of a place that they say has become their temporary home.

The team pooled funds and got the souvenirs made. Speaking to Gulf News, the team members said the souvenirs will be distributed to like-minded people to spread a sense of belonging to Dubai, a place that has given them an opportunity to build a safe and secure life for their families and themselves.

Prateek Chaudhry, an Indian expatriate who initiated the idea, said he was angered by the Dubai-bashing by the Western media. He said: "Dubai did not call anyone to come and live here. We chose [to live in] Dubai and so in my opinion when things go wrong, we should all chip in, instead of standing on the periphery and opting to keep quiet. I am an Indian and I was driven to tears when I saw the live footage of the Mumbai attack on television.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/gener ... i-1.566641

So I raise a rather valid point,

1. Is the international press being over critical of Dubai?
If yes, then where does one draw the like between fair, responsible journalism and scathing emotionally driven attacks?

2. It's often said, if you don't like it here then leave( the article implied so)..but but but, C'mon Dubai is an export driven economy. Oil in lieu of wealth. So in justification if anyways sitting at home I'm gonna pay off an oil exporting country then it only makes sense I follow my money right? Does that make any sense?

I think it is 20% fair, 20% responsible journalism and 60% emotionally driven attacks.

how many of those group members will have the right to stay in Dubai if they got fired from their jobs tomorrow?

How can you call Dubai your home, when you can be forced to leave if you lose a job and dont get another ?

BlackburnRovers wrote:how many of those group members will have the right to stay in Dubai if they got fired from their jobs tomorrow?

How can you call Dubai your home, when you can be forced to leave if you lose a job and dont get another ?

Boy you are something ! you do know that if stay here with no job you will be whats called aaaaaaaa oohh yaa homeless. what do you wana do here if you don't have a job ? no really ?

black whatever, in order for you to understand those ppl action, you have to know what's loyalty and appreciation means. not to Dubai but to everything around you where ever you are, but sadly you and others understand loyalty only if there is a pay coming out it.

why is that guy mentioning the mumbai attacks whats that got to do with living in dubai?

Dubai doesn't get any worse or better treatment than any other country.

Hypocrisy wherever it is will gain media interest.

Well this is a modern take on loyalty...* did some one say subservience? Hush There * Yes, so where was I, ahh yes loyalty, I mean nothing wrong with being thankful and appreciative. Everything cannot only be about money. Besides half of them would probably be living on a pittance back home, living an existence akin to a frog in a well; here they enjoy relative luxury, operate within a cosmopolitan setup, they don't ask for much, they prefer being oblivious, so what's wrong with that. Term it as loyalty and move on.

On a more serious note though a positive attitude is definitely a lot more constructive than blind pessimism. And I like the logic so long as one can put into perspective what being a professional here entails, he or she will be prepared.
Putting into perspective simply means be aware of the rules, stay within ur means, don't get carried away with all the glitz and glamor and most importantly never take anything for granted, and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Misery Called Life wrote:Well this is a modern take on loyalty...* did some one say subservience? Hush There * Yes, so where was I, ahh yes loyalty, I mean nothing wrong with being thankful and appreciative. Everything cannot only be about money. Besides half of them would probably be living on a pittance back home, living an existence akin to a frog in a well; here they enjoy relative luxury, operate within a cosmopolitan setup, they don't ask for much, they prefer being oblivious, so what's wrong with that. Term it as loyalty and move on.

On a more serious note though a positive attitude is definitely a lot more constructive than blind pessimism. And I like the logic so long as one can put into perspective what being a professional here entails, he or she will be prepared.
Putting into perspective simply means be aware of the rules, stay within ur means, don't get carried away with all the glitz and glamor and most importantly never take anything for granted, and I'm sure you'll be fine.

A lot of people have no one but themselves to blame, but there are also cases where there is too much greyness on what is and isn't legal.

So UAE kid were you getting food boxes ready for those indian, bangla and pakistani workers who weren't being paid by your cousins? That really annoyed me, basically police frightened to go after the owners.

People sometimes take criticism the wrong way and it gets lost in translation, sometimes we saying stuff not to put the country down but to make the place better.

ANY country that does not have a free press should (in my opinion) be rightfully targeted for criticism.

That means you Dubai (UAE). But actually, I would agree that in some quarters the media attention has been overly critical. If your problem is Human Rights abuses (slave labour), then China and SE Asia are more potent targets. If you have a problem with boom and bust economies driven by toxic debt investment, well hey, the USA started this lovely economic crisis.

I guess a lot of people don't understand that the UAE is a third world country in that it's very young and it doesn't provide the civil/cultural support that a modern country should. Anyone who's ever been through the Labor Department's appeals process will confirm that.

Is Dubai a nice place to live, you bet. Is it a pain in the arse, of course. Would I rather live back in the UK, not bloody likely.

uaekid wrote:

BlackburnRovers wrote:how many of those group members will have the right to stay in Dubai if they got fired from their jobs tomorrow?

How can you call Dubai your home, when you can be forced to leave if you lose a job and dont get another ?

Boy you are something ! you do know that if stay here with no job you will be whats called aaaaaaaa oohh yaa homeless. what do you wana do here if you don't have a job ? no really ?

black whatever, in order for you to understand those ppl action, you have to know what's loyalty and appreciation means. not to Dubai but to everything around you where ever you are, but sadly you and others understand loyalty only if there is a pay coming out it.

Sighh.....

When I was a teenager, I loved this place, and would get offended at any criticism of it...I would be the one singing 3ishi biladi when other Emirati kids my age would be laughing during a football game.

I considered it "home"

Then I graduated from the USA and came here to look for a job, guess what, when I didnt get one in 3 months on a visit visa, I had to leave, and couldnt return unless I stayed out 1 month like a refugee. My dad had a good job, yet he was told rules were he could not sponsor me.

This repeated once again, when I had to leave , and rules did NOT ALLOW ME to live with my own family.

That was when I became a bit cynical. All my love for this place was unreturned as I couldnt stay here as a resident with my own family unless i had a job. Fine, thats life, but you cant expect someone like me to develop 100% loyalty for this place, when we are considered disposable the moment we dont have a job

Now I have a great job by grace of Allah, but I have vowed never to repeat my mistake of thinking this place is "home". I may love life here,

To answer your questions;

1) Why would I stay homless here?

Never wanted to. My family had a big place, but as I was over 18, I couldnt stay with them unless I was visiting.

2) I never equated pay with loyalty. All I want is stability.