The Lebanese Stereotypes
I wasn’t even planning to write this article this soon (certainly not before writing the Stereotypes of bigger nations like France, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Canada, Australia… etc)… why am I writing this article so soon? It is simply because I am on vacation and I am in Lebanon.
So I came to Lebanon yesterday, I had a lovely trip, the seat to my left was empty, and on the one next to it (i.e. window seat) sat a lady in her 30s or 40s from Bangladesh who had been working in Lebanon for 15 years and spoke Arabic very fluently (we still have tourists, YES… nope, not really). I watched “Delivery Man”, a very funny movie. The Etihad cabin crew were sweet and sexy and made my trip lovely by accidentally bumping my shoulder with their firm asses; a bonus service which I really appreciated. My trip was perfect, we arrived to Beirut Airport 10 minutes early and there was no Queue on the arrivals security check and the baggage arrived immediately.
5 minutes after leaving Beirut Airport, my perfect trip came to an end, we got stuck in a traffic Jam in “Ghobeiry”. The traffic jam was caused by a security check on the Airport road.
My dad, speaking in Arabic to one man in the Lebanese Army, after we were stuck in traffic for about 30 minutes:
شو بتنصحنا يا وطن؟
What do you advise us to do “ya watan”?
Military Man:
بنصحك تضلك بالبيت
I advise you to stay at home
My dad:
ابني جايي من السفر, منتركو بالمطار؟
My son has just arrived from abroad, shall we leave him waiting in the Airport?
Military man:
من وين انتو؟
Where are you from?
My dad:
من الجبل
From the mountain
Military Man:
تفضل من هون
Please move forward from here
The military guy had saved us around 30 minutes of traffic. After that, we had to wait around 1 and half hours, during which we saw around 10 beggars, most of them children in the age of 6 to 13, and two older ladies carrying small babies.
2 hours were enough to remind me of the Lebanese horror story and this is not a story like “the American Horror story”, it isn’t about ghosts, witches and dead people. It is a story about poverty, chaos, fear from violence from the outlaws, religious discrimination, corruption, injustice, selfishness, militias and a war zone… a place where there are many rules, many laws, but no-one capable of enforcing these laws. This is the story of my people, the descendants of the Phoenicians, the traders in purple.
So this one is different… This article is not about how the world sees us “Lebanese”, but it is how “I”, a Lebanese who has suffered in the fires of Lebanon, see my people, The Lebanese People.
The population of Lebanon is less than 5 million people (less than 0.1 % of the world’s population) and you would think that no one had heard about the Lebanese people. “The Lebanese Horror Story” started decades ago, so the Lebanese have been immigrating since the early 18 hundreds. This means that people from Lebanese origin living outside Lebanon exceed the population of the Lebanese who still live in Lebanon to our date and hence, the Lebanese reputation vastly exceeds the geographical and demographic presence of the Lebanese citizens who currently reside in Lebanon.
Lebanese girls stereotypes
are they beautiful?
The strongest Stereotype associated with the Lebanese girls is one about their beauty.
Beautiful Lebanese Girl
From Flickr, User: ItzaFineDay
original: http://flic.kr/p/iiuUZ
Stranger: Where are you from?
Me: Lebanon
Stranger: Ohhhh… Lebanon, a beautiful country with beautiful women.
It is true, the Lebanese girls are so beautiful and my conversations with non-Lebanese aren’t the only trigger for this stereotype. Here is a video from the first episode of the first season of “How I met your mother” where Barney Stinson speaks about Lebanese girls. This is just one of many series/movies/songs where Lebanese girls are mentioned.
are they slutty?
Lebanon is the least conservative country in the Middle East and North African region (this excludes Israel, which is in many ways different than the MENA region). So how does the rest of the more strict / more religious MENA region see the Lebanese actresses and singers? How do they see the general public, the Lebanese youth who love life, love clubbing and love their freedom… Let’s just be polite and say “too Liberated”.
so Is true? Are the Lebanese girls slutty?
Certainly not. Lebanon, by the Western / European / American standards, would probably be considered very conservative and it is a tough journey for most guys to lure a Lebanese girl into their bed.
Lebanese men stereotypes
Most non-Lebanese girls I’ve met said two things about Lebanese guys:
1- Handsome: Lebanese guys are good looking and are often in good shape (visit the gym enough to maintain a good body form).
2- Playboys: Lebanese guys are womanizers.
I am not going to judge the first point, being a straight male disqualifies me from judging the looks of Lebanese guys, yet, judging from the behavior of most of my male Lebanese friends and acquaintances, yes, most Lebanese guys are womanizers.
Lebanese can sell you anything
Is it really surprising? again, we are the descendants of the Phoenicians, the traders in purple, the traders of the Mediterranean sea.
Racism
Many Lebanese people living in Lebanon are incredibly racist and most of them are unaware of it.
The most prominent form of racism is that against the poor labor class in Lebanon which is predominantly from Asian or African origin.
Lebanese housewive 1: I am so tiered from work I don’t even have time to sleep.
Lebanese housewive 2 would respond by saying (get a maid)… or something as racist as: get a Sri lankan girl / get a Filipina girl /get an Ethiopian girl…
Since when did the nationality of a human determine his profession?
Here is another form of racism foreign workers endure during their stay in Lebanon, just watch these videos:
Luckily, most families (at least I hope so) do treat their maids properly. However, for some other less fortunate maids, the extent of abuse doesn’t end in racial discrimination, it only begins there. Maids leave the poverty of their own country with hopes to support their families. They usually come from rural areas in poor countries like Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Ethiopia. Sadly, these maids experience another form of torture in Lebanon, they face physical and verbal abuse. The sad part is that the laws in Lebanon can’t be even enforced to protect its own citizens; let alone protect a poor laborer coming from poorer countries.
The Lebanese English Accent
Here is what Russel Peters has to say about his Lebanese experience,
here is what he got right:
- The Arabic accent, in general, is a thick one and many Arabic people (including some Lebanese) pronounce the “P” as “B”
- Some Lebanese love exaggerating their Lebanese experience and habitually undermine other’s achievements (example, Dubai’s Achievements).
Here is what he got wrong:
- The Lebanese education system and English literacy is quite good (compared to countries having English as a foreign Language), so educated people can easily pronounce “P” and “B” correctly despite the lack of the letter “P” in the Arabic alphabet.
The Lebanese typical character
A typical Lebanese character is one that is similar to the Mediterranean character (Turkey, Greece, Spain, Italy… )
- love living in fashion and in style
- superficial and materialistic, i.e. a Lebanese would prioritize luxury over practicality and living in now rather than planning for the future
- Lebanese love to party and are often described as “party animals”. Below is a video, by Richard Quest on CNN, highlighting the night life in Beirut and it also describes the Lebanese way of life, “Live this day and we will worry about tomorrow”
Lebanese are too proud, blindly proud
here is a typical video from a typical proud Lebanese
Just a word of caution, this is the biggest lie that a Lebanese would tell you… “In Lebanon, you can swim and ski on the same day”
here is why it is a lie:
1 – The ski season in Lebanon is in the cold/ rainy season, December to March but due to global warming, it is raining and snowing less in Lebanon Year-to-Year and the ski resorts in Lebanon are closed throughout many days of our cold/ rainy season.
2- During the cold/rainy season, the temperature on our mountains ranges from -10 to 10 degrees centigrade and the temperature in our beaches ranges from 5 to 20 degrees and the water is freezing cold. So unless you love freezing to death, you cannot swim and ski on the same day.
Lebanese expats are usually talented and are frequently successful
Tony Shalhoub, Salma Hayek and Shakira are just few of many celebrities from Lebanese origins who made it to fame. Few days ago I was watching this video on Youtube:
This beautiful girl with the lovely voice looked so “Lebanese like”, so I went further to do some research (stalking). I found out that she is Brazilian and her name is “Luciana Zogbi”. Zogbi is a Lebanese family name and there are around 8 million Brazilians of Lebanese origin; though i couldn’t actually confirm that this girl is of Lebanese origin, I am pretty sure she is. What I am trying to say is that Lebanese are everywhere, thanks to how miserable life in Lebanon is and has been.
Update (October 18, 2014):
I can confirm that Luciana Zogbi is of Lebanese Origin.
This is what she said on her Facebook page:
Luciana Zogbi is a 19 year old Brazilian/Lebanese singer/songwriter.
The ugly face of Lebanon
or should I say the ugly faces of Lebanon? Where do I start? Religions, wars, discrimination, hate, fear, corruption, politics, militias, weapons, outlaws, or unemployment? This part of the blog post is not only about stereotypes, so please bare with me as I speak out my heart.
- All Lebanese political leaders from all religions and political parties are extremely corrupt and are driven solely by their personal interest and benefits.
- Despite meeting lovely individuals and having friends from all areas and from all religions in Lebanon, most Lebanese are living in constant fear of “others”.
- How can businesses thrive in the shadows of assassinations, civil wars, Israeli wars, suicide bombings and corruption? Unemployment is the reason why most Lebanese are leaving their country to make ends meet.
- Lebanon often seems like an ugly version of a religious “Game of Thrones”. A game of religious wars which are continuously fed by the ongoing political speech of hate and false accusation of treason.
- Juristic ineffectiveness and a group of corrupt governmental institutions castrated by a harmful political codependency. Most vile actions such as assassinations and civilian bombings are often attributed to Israel even when these political assassinations are ordered and executed by Lebanese or Syrian or Iranian leaderships. Solid evidence is often dismissed due to lack of authority of the legal institutions.
- Lack of hope for a better future. Lebanon is a political playground of the most dangerous region on earth… the middle east. The future of Lebanon is tied to the most complex problems in the world.
- The Arabic – Israeli conflict
- The balance of power between Russia, China, Iran, North korea vs United states, United Kingdom, France and the west.
- The ever lasting hate between the Shiite and Sunni Muslim sects.
- Forest Arson and environmental destruction, Lebanese people often boast the natural beauty of Lebanon. It is a sad story… The Lebanese soil and its seas are turning into dumpsters. Forests which are centuries old are burning in a matter of few days ; the real estate is devouring whatever survives the fires. “Green Lebanon” is no longer green.
Who are we?
We are Christians, Sunni, Shia, Druze…
We are living each in his own religious kingdom…
We aren’t the descendants of the Phoenicians…
We aren’t Lebanese…
I really love what u have written! simply I’m a Lebanese girl lived all my life in Jordan (a neighbor country) and now living in Korea 😀 I really miss Lebanon with all it’s bright and dark sides ^_^
Thanks for your comment Ahlam.
I find Korea to be one of most interesting places in Asia; Korea is the (new Japan)… rising so fast with its industry and high levels of technology. We have a lot to learn from the South Koreans 🙂
Lol korea is not the new japan! I live in japan and i have been to korea before! Nothing in common except the confucianism that has been the main pattern of all east asian cultures!
I’m Australian, I was fortunate enough to become friends with a young couple who own the local Pizza shop, the young wife is of pure Lebanese descent, although born here in Australia, but her parents and all her uncles and Aunties were all born in Lebanon.
I have never met such lovely, unconditional, accepting, and trusting people in all my 67 years, so much so, their world and their ways have been joyfully adopted by me, to the extent, they are my entire world and joy.
Racism is part of every nationality, it stems from fear and ignorance.
All I can say is that people should treat all others, no matter their colour, race, creed, or where they’re from, the same way those human beings treat them, and they may find themselves in similar delightful company as me.
Loved the article… It’s exactly what I was looking for. I’m of Lebanese/Ecuadorian descent and don’t know too much about Lebanon except for the amazing food! I would like to be more exposed to the culture and form my own opinions, but this was a good outsider’s perspective. A good start, thank you!!
The Etihad cabin crew were sweet and sexy and accidentally kept bumping their firm asses against your shoulder?
It seems your parents did not raise you well.
Keep your disgusting and disrespectful comments to yourself.
The cabin crew you referred to happen to be human beings, not sex objects. I can’t believe no one even bothered to comment on this.
Hi YS,
It is possible that no one has commented on this before because no one has found it offensive?
I was merely describing my trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut :), I didn’t disrespect Etihad’s cabin in anyway… I am sure most, if not all cabin crew would appreciate such compliments to their character (sweet) and to their body (sexy).
Thank you for comment, criticism is always welcome here 🙂
Great article about Lebanon. I’m really glad that YS brought this to your attention. Commenting on women as if they are objects is completely offensive and I was going to make a comment about this myself before I realized she had done it for me.
I will say I am glad i pushed through that part to read the rest, but sadly, I feel like you play on the stereotype that Lebanese men may not have respect for women the way they should.
Just because you have a blog doesnt given you a green card to comment on their “firm asses” (a term i found especially difficult to get passed).
Please consider this for any future blogs you might write – I feel like this could be detrimental to your skill.
-Lebanese Canadian
Thank you for your comment Claudia. I am sorry that you found my description of my encounter with Etihad Cabin crew offensive, it certainly wasn’t my intention and I will surely keep this in mind in future blog-posts.
I know many Lebanese men who are forever loyal and faithful to their wives, and other single Lebanese men who only date or seek a GF with intentions of long term relationships (possibly leading to a marriage), but on the other hand, many single Lebanese men are only interested in casual relationships and are ready to hop on to the next one on the first chance they get. Being a Lebanese man, this reputation or stereotype wouldn’t help me meet a girl in the future, but non-the-less, i have to be honest about it.
In all fairness to Lebanese males, and as an Australian male who is honest with myself and others about what I’m really like, the simple fact is, all heterosexual men on this earth are guilty of seeing women as sexual objects, which is how nature intended, otherwise, how on earth would procreation be possible?
To be offended by any male and relate that to their race, is actually racist, because no two people anywhere on earth are the same, no matter where they’re from.
I started to respond to you, but then I decided that there is no point. If you really think that way then there is no way I will get you to see otherwise.
But in the slight possibility that you can open your mind (maybe even just a bit), I will say this:
Women are for sure beautiful creatures – I can appreciate that point, but guess what? We have evolved from caveman days.
In a world where women are actively seeking equality, you are VERY behind if you are publicly stating your belief of women as sexual objects. You are reducing us to something that should only be ogled and not respected (and on a public forum, to boot).
If that in fact is your intention, then you’re doing a good job. You seem very insecure, but you’re doing what you set out to do, I suppose.
I said he’s playing on the Lebanese stereotype, I didn’t create the stereotype myself so don’t insinuate that what I’m saying is racist – that’s plain silly. And I sincerely hope I am wrong about what I hear about Lebanese men but reading that didn’t help.
My brothers who are Lebanese Canadian understand women are intelligent and respectful beings. Maybe Canada is just more progressive than other countries?
I hope you will learn from this rather than defend it. I really do.
Dear Claudia,
You have completely overreacted to my comments.
You have also made insulting and personal remarks, which for the life of me, I cannot relate to the way men view women, but I guess you just wanted to appear outraged, simply because you’re a woman, and have to be argumentative, snigger snigger, lol.
First of all, I am not a cave man just because I’m not afraid to be honest about the fact, apart from many other things, I also enjoy viewing women and imagining them in a sexual manner.
This does not make me a rapist or a male chauvinist pig, it simply makes me a healthy, functioning, heterosexual male, and once again, it has absolutely nothing to do with where I may have been born, because all heterosexual males the world over enjoy the beauty of a woman, which you want to call turning women into objects.
I’ll say it again, nationality has nothing to do with the way men view women, yet you still named a country in your comment???
I can assure you, even a Muslim woman fully covered has sex appeal, so how you actually think you’re going to change mankind, especially all those things which encourage procreation, is beyond me.
I’ve been on this planet since 1947, and I can assure you, despite all the rhetoric of women’s Lib in the late 1960’s through to the 1970’s, by the 1980’s women had forgotten all about hairy arm pits and burning bras, they’ve now returned to portraying themselves in a sexual manner on TV, in advertisements and in the movies.
You cannot change nature.
Men are attracted to women, and women are attracted to men. These days men are visiting Gyms along with women, and women are still wearing as little as possible to attract men, whilst men are behaving in a similar way to attract women.
So what happened to all the bra burners, the hairy arm pits?
Women chose to put their bras back on and buy razors, oh and women are really using those razors extensively, so much so, I feel they’re trying to appear as 8 year olds, and in my opinion, you, as a female, you should be more concerned about that kind of image, than normal every day attraction.
I hear you, but I feel your issues have already been dealt with and have now been fully rejected by women, otherwise how do you explain the skimpy gear, the plastic surgery, the thousands of beauty parlors; it seems to me women have volunteered for sexual and domestic slavery of their own accord, they have the pill yet they still tie themselves down with children, so if you wish to vent on someone, you’d be better off aiming your venom at your own gender, after all, they’re the ones who’ve retreated from the efforts made for them during the last millennium.
Peace, lol.
I’m Filipino married to a Lebanese girl. Been married for almost 11 years(have 3 girls) and frequent Beyrouth and the community in the mountains by Harissa. And like to tell you my experiences.
When arriving(with my family: Wife, our 3 girls, and I)) at the airport check point exit, the women security asked my wife who are these 3 little girls? She replied that these are my daughters and she said no they cant be, they are Chinese! At first i was like dumbfounded but wife told me most Lebanese people really dont marry outside their race. I don’t know if that is true but seemed evident while among the community. Also we would get stares when holding hands in public which didnt bother since i held her closer when they did.
During our stay we went to Edde Sands resort(with my family and sister in law) in Byblos to swim, got in with no problem but at the swimming pool i notice people looking at me since i was like the only non Lebanese in the pool besides the foreign nannies that remain outside the pool doing their job, looking after the kids. My sister in law told me that she overheard people asking why i was there? Didn’t annoy me but actually made me go close to them and smile.
Also a friend of my sister in law which is a Lebanese male asked my wife why she married a Filipino. My wife was actually really pissed and described what she didnt like in a man by describing a typical stereotypical Lebanese guy which these guys seem to be. I actually came up to them and ask if there was a problem but seem to be frightened. I guess they aren’t use to Filipino talking back or that im not typical size filipino(6’5″ at 215lbs).
Lebanon is a beautiful country. Love the culture, foods, scenery. I had some odd experiences with some people probably because of my race but most of the people there were nice and welcome me with open arms. Love Lebanon and not hesitant to ever go back
What your wife said is very true. Despite Lebanon historically being “marketed” as the western (open minded) face of the Middle East, the Lebanese society is still very far from overcoming religious and racial borders.
The acceptance of inter-racial or out of religion marriages varies greatly based on my factors:
I really respect you for maintaining such a positive attitude amidst such racial mentality ( I am not referring to the stares, this could be simply out of curiosity, but I am referring to the friend who had the audacity to ask such a question to your wife).
If I were you, I would visit Lebanon every now and then for Holidays, It is nice to keep the girls in touch with both their Lebanese and Filipino roots, but I would never consider settling down in Lebanon. Ideally, I would live somewhere in North America, Australia, or possibly Europe.
Thank you for your comment. I enjoyed looking at Lebanon from your perspective.
I have a lebanese boyfriend. And wow. Im so nervous about what will happen 😂 but hey! Thanks to this blog I learned more things about my man’s culture and everything. 🙂
Thanks, its sure is a beautiful country. Visit mostly the mountainside and Byblos. Went to the underground river, so beautiful. The food is one of the best foods i have ever had. Yes i try to remain positive, my wife also prepared me for what might happen and wasn’t going to get anybody spoil our vacation. Plus i have one of the most beautiful Lebanese girls and racism/stares could never get me down!
As for retirement USA is good; I would love to settle down in metropolis city in the Philippines. Europe imo seems depressing. I have been there and always cant wait to go home.
Yes i would visit Lebanon in a heartbeat. Lovely people, culture and the best food…what more can i ask for!
This sort of racism also does exist in the richer middle east, i.e. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Some of it is covert and some if it is in your face.
Yea they never really said anything to my face; maybe due my size. But we would get stares.
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Well written post indeed.
I am Indian guy who often travels to Lebanon for projects and some people assume that I am some blue collared worker.
As a matter of fact I have had some harsh treatments handed over to me while predominantly my experience has been great.
i swear i loved this… I’m Lebanese and everything you mentioned in your article is true. At first, i thought it was quite funny, but the last part really brings out how most Lebanese people feel. Whether they’re in Lebanon or not. And what’s sad is the fact that most of them think in the same way of Lebanon and how it’s being destroyed by the day, but no one takes action.
Some people might read this and say, “Oh so you’re here judging people for not doing anything and you’re not doing anything either.” Well, just to make things clear.. i’m kinda still young to actually take action, but I have plans and hopes for them…
So yeah back to my point, I really liked this article and I hope it kind of opens people’s eyes about Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East.
Thank you for this amazing article. I am a lebanese girl, born and grown there but i could say i have less than 5% lebanese in me because of all the stuff you mentioned. Sometimes i feel guilty i have disconnected so much from my country since i came to the US, but by reading your article, you just read my mind and made my point. There is no need to be guilty because unfortunately , this country has lost all what made it one day, a glorious one.
I liked the article, I liked the honesty of it. The feminist posts had me laughing… our highly sexualized Lebanese culture offends you… our culture is different to the west, we don’t have to conform to your ideals.maybe she has the boiling Lebanese temper and blood… I think every Lebanese migrant hurts to think of our country being divided and destroyed. Our women are beautiful, amazing mothers, fantastic cooks, business minded and capable of.everything that’s why ever Lebanese man thinks of finding his Lebanese female counterpart.true love. Food.is.healthy and.amazing. places like Australia we are looked down on for cultural misunderstanding but I think everyday is wonderful day to.be Lebanese.. love to all my people
Kris, I am Australian, my ancestors arrived here and settled in Williamstown, Victoria, with the very first white people to settle there.
Williamstown is now a suburb of Melbourne, yet despite what seems to have been your negative experience with some Australians, my absolute best, and most amazing friend in the world, is a girl of Lebanese decent.
My beautifully hearted friend is the first generation Australian of her Family, yet I can assure you, as an Australian, I have never, not ever, looked down upon her or any of her relatives, of which there are now thousands living here in Australia.
I have however, thoroughly enjoyed her cultural differences and see most of them as positive for those of us who actually no longer have a culture, because we’ve been here too long, whatever culture our ancestors once had, has been lost to us over time.
Oh and if I do look at my amazing friend, I find I most often look up to her, because she is an inspirational, good living, self respecting girl, whose morally flawless life I respect more than anyone I have ever known in my almost 70 years on this planet.
There are good and bad people in every country, it’s so wrong to throw a blanket of shame over a whole people, just because of the behaviour of a few.
Peace.
please give the guy a break from the cabin crew ass comment. y’all acting like its some crime for a guy to like sexy butts. as we say in lebanon “dont hide behind your finger” :))
Please the Lebanese stereotype page is very bad. I am Lebanese and not everything is true
Please change it because it gives very bad image about Lebano. Hat is not true
Thank you
Thanks for your comment, please be more specific, which points don’t you agree with? I am not trying to make us, Lebanese, look good or bad, I’m just presenting my observations.
A big part of this article, “your observations”, is building a humiliating and negative image of Lebanon. Yes we do have lots of bad things going on in our country. I mean, which country doesn’t..!? But what you’re doing here is just over exagerated things and you’re crossing the line. You’re ruining our reputation in front of the world, instead of improving it. Why not talking about the accomplishments we made? Why not talking about our beautiful traditions and legacies? Why not talking about the qualities that Lebanese are known for? About their kindness? Their generosity? Their eternal love for the life? And that each night is spent in an unique way? But of course not. You should come and tear down our beautiful truth and hide it behind all that negativity.That’s a shame.
Hi Xelya, I wish I could see Lebanon and its citizens through your eyes. I love your optimism and I do encourage you to share more of your thoughts here. Let the world hear our story from your perspective.
Hey, I loved your article and most of the comments. I have a very weird relation with Lebanon. I am Romanian, so most guys as soon as they hear my nationality automatically place me in a certain category. Knowing the language helped a lot in understanding the culture and getting closer to people. I usually go to Lebanon for “rest and recover” holidays, as it is a very convenient destination and no matter the trouble or racism I might be subjected to sometimes, I can’t help myself from having butterflies in the stomach each time the plane lands. What I love about Lebanon? Food, sights, cultures and traditions, the churches and monasteries in the mountains, the fruits, the music, the Lebanese artists (George Khabbaz, Adel Karam, Julia Boutros, Tania Saleh and then all the writers Rabia Jaber, Mikhael Naime, Khalil Jibran, Suhail Idris and these are only a FEW names), Lebanese generosity and kindness, ability of making fun of tragic situation, “funny” political discussions (I say funny because if you look at the matter in depth depression might kick off), their coping mechanism, their professionalism in work and their strive to always look the best. What I don’t like? Well anyway I lived in so many countries that I am used to loving the people with their good and bad sides. The bad sides that one should expect in Lebanon: racism (I am not sure I would love the country so much if I were from another race, many of my colleagues from other races that were duty stationed in Lebanon didn’t like the treatment they received and tried to leave as soon as possible), a bit too much superficial when it comes to looks (loans in order to have that 10.000 dollars wedding dress, surgical operations when there is no need – some artists are really starting to look bad with all these surgeries, obsessions with brands etc), some people might be bothered by traffic (I am used to it and I always enjoy the jokes of the taxi drivers so for me is fine), confessionalism and hate towards different religions, sects and refugees (although I fully understand the economical burden on the country). About Lebanese men? Many of them are real charmers, but a bit immature. However, I am trying my best not to place all of them in the same category. The pressures put on them by the society and the family for sure places a part, they must have a house, car, money for the perfect wedding, help the rest of the family, all this with little employment opportunities. Many of them also go to “whores” and are not really used to relationships (but I know quite a few exceptions). Then they marry someone after few months of dating and as the passion runs out they are left miserable. Wrote a bit too much, but I could talk about Lebanon for hours:) Great country!
You might never reply to my comment, but I’ve just discovered this post. Lebanon seems like California of Middle East haha (besides UAE). I have a question for you actually. I like a Lebanese guy and he’s into me too, but I have a feeling that he’s a player and thinks that I’m easy just for being European. I come from Bosnia and Herzegowina (small, mostly Muslim-country in Europe), am Muslim too, but we’re like the least conservative Muslims in the world, I guess. xD When I saw pics of some Lebanese girls, just woow..I don’t know what he saw in me. I mean, Bosnian girls are pretty too, but Lebanese ones..just wow :O
So, idk, it’s not that serious tho..we’re chatting frequently, but we never met in person. Sometimes he gets little pervy, but not too much, he keeps it classy hahah.
The problem is, yes we’re liberal when it comes to many things, but premarital sex is also a taboo here, and yes, I’m a virgin too. I assume that he thinks I’m not, hence I’m ”European”. xD
My question is.. do you think it could work out? Cause you mentioned incompatibility of different races and religions, but we’re both Muslims, except that I’m white (Slavic). I mean there’s family (un)acceptance too and I understand it, same thing here in Bosnia .xD But we also have that Mediterranean mentality similar to Turkish and Greek. Actually, we’re very similar to Turkish mentality, except that we’re little bit more liberal..so something between Turkey and Greece, I’d say.
Hopefully you find time to read this and try to answer my questions from a male perspective.
Thanks in advance,
XOXO