Daryl Champion
Daily Star staff
20-January-2004
Blessed with a unique history but confused by a trend-obsessed culture, a reflection on national identity is in order.
What right do foreigners have to arrive in Lebanon, or any other country for that matter, and begin to tell its citizens how to think and behave? Precious little, one would think.
In discussing the traits of a people, discretion and courtesy should – no, must – be observed, or one runs the risk of being run out of town.
Lebanese of all persuasions are proud of their country, despite the devastating civil war. They are also proud of their “culture,” no matter which of the country’s 19 official sects they belong to. The attachment of Lebanese living abroad to their country and the number of Lebanese expatriates who return home is extraordinary.
It is a love affair, at least it is for those not among what seems like the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese living here whose singular ambition appears to be to abandon a sinking ship. A tottering economy, high unemployment, chronic underemployment and deep disillusionment with the state and politicians are all taking their toll.
There is little point in trying to deny reality, or in trying to conceal it from the public. Herein lies an observation anyone coming to this country can hardly fail to make after only a short time here: Appearance is all, no matter what the facts may be.
Some readers may be familiar with a joke about this that did the rounds a few years ago. It was a graphic of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, labeled “before,” juxtaposed with a Mona Lisa – “after six weeks in Lebanon” – with a face plastered with makeup, tackily dyed blonde hair, a lip job and bulging, silicon-implanted breasts. A caricature? A stereotype? No. The image didn’t go far enough to be categorized as a stereotype – it could not show the skin-tight leather trousers or the leopard-print cotton-elastin and matching knee-high stiletto boots.
Seriously, however, there are far too many examples of this sort of fashion in Beirut, at least too many to dismiss the image as total exaggeration.
Men have a similarly well-developed sense of narcissism, but in their case, they focus on their car, and in many cases, have illusions of grandeur based on a case of mistaken identity – they think they are Michael Schumacher. You know what they say – an obsession with big, shiny cars (and guns) often indicates shortcomings in other, more personal aspects of a man’s anatomy.
What drives this preoccupation with image over substance?
Deeply rooted, traditional concepts of honor and shame and patriarchy transposed on modern life and perceptions of fashion and trendiness figure highly in any explanation. Put simply in contemporary terms, swaggering, egocentric macho men are a problem – just ask any intelligent Lebanese woman who is not plastered with makeup and who has not had a lip job and is not holding up massive, silicon-enhanced breasts.
Perhaps it is better left there … who is an ajnabi (foreigner) to tell the Lebanese about themselves? We foreigners have enough of our own problems to sort out. In any case, the Lebanese have, no doubt, made great strides in self-understanding and society-building as a result of a brutal civil war, right?
Actually, there’s nothing “wrong” with any of the above-mentioned behavior in the absolute sense – if you like it, why not do it? But is it really “you?” Is it “Lebanese?” What is being Lebanese, anyway? It is, indeed, one of the great questions facing this country and its people – everybody in all of Lebanon’s 19 sects. Is it even desirable for “Lebanese” to be homogeneously defined?
Valuing image over substance is not a uniquely Lebanese trait by any means, but it does appear to observers to be prevalent here. Many, many Lebanese are well aware, and sharply critical of, this trait. Its ramifications are not confined to the social sphere. Combined with wasta – the informal system of personal relations based on the mutual granting of favors – a preoccupation with image predisposes the state, from the highest-ranking political figures to menial bureaucrats, to base decisions across-the-board on the wrong premises for the wrong motives. It’s no way to run a country.
Perhaps wasta can be explained a little for those readers who are not familiar with Lebanese ways.
The word “wasta” in the Arabic language is derived from the verbal root “to be in the middle” [or intercession]. A person in a position to intercede on behalf of a relative, friend or business associate is expected, to use his wasta to help secure whatever the latter’s goal may be. Examples of such intercession include obtaining an audience with an influential third person; the granting of an exclusive agency, permit, license, financial grant or scholarship; the provision of financial, legal, educational, personal or other official documents, whether authentic or forged; the provision of employment regardless of suitability; and official or unofficial legal or physical protection.
Such favors are granted on the understanding that at some time in the future, roles may be reversed and the patron extending wasta today may tomorrow need to call on a return favor from his erstwhile client. Providing favors for family members in particular is regarded as a duty. Loyalty to family, friends and the informal favor mechanism generally override institutional loyalty and loyalty to the state and to the broader society.
Wasta is not only prevalent in state institutions, but in the private sector as well. It’s no way to run a business.
What are the results of the cult of the macho man, obsession with image over substance, and wasta?
What was that about some economists giving the Lebanese economy perhaps one more year before it collapses? You don’t need to consult an economist – ask the people on the streets and the shopkeepers and service drivers. One Lebanese friend of mine runs his own small business, works in excess of 80 hours per week, and struggles to put more than $350 in his own pocket at the end of each month.
If it’s not productive to weep, then you might as well get a smile out of this. Remember the Lebanese Mona Lisa. The “before and after” image spread over the internet and was even seen posted in the window of my local internet joint in Achrafieh – before he went out of business. A healthy sense of humor and being ready to take a hard look at yourself are essential in mustering hope for the future.
The path forward is a difficult one, economically, socially and politically, but fortunately there are signs that not all is lost. Enough of this, I’ve got my own problems to address.
