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I've been in this country for 6 months now, and the biggest culture shock I've experienced here is how the locals can do whatever they want without any consideration to others.

No matter if they are driving head-on wrong on a one-way street, or breaking the red light, or cutting ques at a restaurant, they always get away with it.

Once I told this one local who cut the line to que up and he replied with "it is none of your business what I do." And the restaurant staff don’t seem to care either. They know if they say something to them, they'll either get sacked for have their visa's revoked.

I am not generalizing against every local, this is the honest truth of what I have seen so far in Dubai.

Maybe not at first, but eventually this sort of behavior will get to you and there is nothing you can do about it.


Vennie

That's life I'm afraid!!

Sounds like France - some nationals there are so rude to "foreigners". To be honest, you get it everywhere in the world. Foreigners will always be second-class citizens compared to the locals.

hmmm i heard local people are very sweet and decent ... why do not all expats declare war and occupy the Dubai? I mean you are in majority .................

the_zooter wrote:That's life I'm afraid!!

Sounds like France - some nationals there are so rude to "foreigners". To be honest, you get it everywhere in the world. Foreigners will always be second-class citizens compared to the locals.

That is not necessarily true. And you're not understanding my point either. I'm not talking about being rude or polite. I'm talking about the fact that they are considered above the law.

The rules don't apply to them. Get my point?

I totally agree with A64Venice. Rules & Laws seems not to apply to locals. But that's something you have to live with.

Or just get a local mate and rules dont apply to you either. I made the experience, that people who hang arround with locals a lot, act like them after a while

A64Venice wrote:

the_zooter wrote:That's life I'm afraid!!

Sounds like France - some nationals there are so rude to "foreigners". To be honest, you get it everywhere in the world. Foreigners will always be second-class citizens compared to the locals.

That is not necessarily true. And you're not understanding my point either. I'm not talking about being rude or polite. I'm talking about the fact that they are considered above the law.

The rules don't apply to them. Get my point?

You're talking about France now, right ?

Funny thing, I got picked on at a random license check near Belhoul hospital yesterday and it was just my luck the hospital I had just been to forgot to return my license after taking a photocopy. 2 other locals who were pulled over were unable to produce their license but got let off with a warning, me on the otherhand received a summons.

Upon questioning the police officer why they were let off and I was getting a fine I received "this is our job and not your business". Yes, the police really do a bang up job at upholding the law here

If that was their attitude, you should have taken their names and badge numbers and reported them to their superior officer for desciminating against expats. They would have soon changed their mind. That's what I would have done.

Chocoholic wrote:If that was their attitude, you should have taken their names and badge numbers and reported them to their superior officer for desciminating against expats. They would have soon changed their mind. That's what I would have done.

The thought had crossed my mind Chocs but after the wonderful day I was having I couldn't be arsed doing anything more than to sign the slip and take the summons. My PRO is on his way to get my ticket cancelled as I type. Seeing as its all in arabic I have no idea whether it has the officer's details.

Nice.

X, you see hate to say it but that's where you made the mistake. If you let them get away with it they'll just expect all expats to suck it up. But if people complain and make their life difficult, they'll think twice about doing it in future.

Also I would have taken the plate numbers of the locals they didn't fine and handed them in.

A bit of anarchy is the only thing that'll make these guys come into line. Also remember that most of the street police aren't nationals, so they give in to the locals who will intimidate them with the 'my mate is....' line.

Don't make it easy for them.

Gotta love you Choc!! Way to go!!

Point taken Chocs and have to admit although I like to put up a fight in these situations I did give in at that point after the dramas I had for the day knowing my PRO would be able to just get it canned the next day.

Cheers for the plate idea - seeing as one was a 4 digit with a double number and the other 5 digit had a tripple number they aren't hard to forget.

Quite true, both officers were Yemenese - one and officer, the other a lieutenant (or what ever rank those stripes represent).

GAB wrote:Gotta love you Choc!! Way to go!!

I sense a case of wrong side of the bed syndrome though jks Choco babe.

notwithstanding that they let the locals go, they were right in giving xrw a ticket since he didn't have his license

terranova wrote:notwithstanding that they let the locals go, they were right in giving xrw a ticket since he didn't have his license

That point is agreed matey but fair's fair. The point I was raising relates to locals being treated outside the umbrella of the law. Fine one, then fine all - regardless of race, colour or religion.

couldn't agree more.

i think i'm going to get in trouble here. over the weekend some fool taxi driver honked at me as i was trying to cross the road. since i was stuck in the middle of the road as there was oncoming traffic i couldn't move. so this guy decides to intimidate me by zooming up to me and braking about 2 inches from my legs. This is while he is making an illegal u-turn mind you. it's not like i'm standing in the middle of the road.

so here comes the trouble part. i move to the side of his car and kick the shit out of his door while screaming at him to come out. should have seen his face!!! hahaha.. he completes his u-turn and zooms off about ten feet then pulls the window down and starts screaming at me in arabic then drives off.

it felt really good then, but now i feel guilty because the poor car didn't do anything to deserve the dents it got from my good ol' italian wooden sole shoes. should have been the taxi guy.

terranova - naughty but nice.

ps. my friends told me never to do that again as the cops could actually arrest me

You see that's just pathetic! The guy didn't even have the guts to get out his car and go face to face with you, he gave himself a safe distance before shouting - what a tiger!

Geez, you are on a roll today!!

Ok...who has been feeding Chocs red meat?

Not going to get the wrong side of you when you have 'got on on you'!

Still, nice to see a bit of aggression every now and then!




Knight

Ok heres my theory

Chocs and Liban have done a deal, similar to the "nice cop, bad cop" scenareo.

Liban is now DF tiger Cat and Chocs is da DF Dont take no Shit Rotweiller.

arniegang wrote:Ok heres my theory

Chocs and Liban have done a deal, similar to the "nice cop, bad cop" scenareo.

Liban is now DF tiger Cat and Chocs is da DF Dont take no Shit Rotweiller.

So you are now saying Liban is a tiger and Chocs is a dog???

Mate, you're brave!!!



Knight

Ahahahaha - Now that's putti ng your foot in it!

eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

She's seen it,

Me hiding, DK tell me when shes gone.

arniegang wrote:eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

She's seen it,

Me hiding, DK tell me when shes gone.

Still here...keep yer head down!



Knight

Ah it's OK, I've chilled out since this morning.

Tis ok DK, we can come out now, she's chilled, but watch out for the bite on the botty.

We behave now Chocs

arniegang wrote:Tis ok DK, we can come out now, she's chilled, but watch out for the bite on the botty.

We behave now Chocs

OK! Now THERE is the best idea for a DF tee-shirt design I have seen so far!

"Dubai Forums: Behave or Chocs will bite yer bum!"



Knight

OK! Now THERE is the best idea for a DF tee-shirt design I have seen so far!

"Dubai Forums: Behave or Chocs will bite yer bum!"



Knight

Top suggestion DK - enter it into Andy's design Comp.