I’d rather see kids go to concerts than hold guns and fight
Few days before the Creamfields concert got cancelled, I was asked by someone on Twitter to join some Facebook event asking to postpone the event because, and I quote, “Not only does the event itself signify a striking indifference/ignorance/carelessness towards the overwhelming and unfortunate incidents in the country, but it also disregards the more general danger that surrounds crowded areas and traffic conditions.”
My answer was plain and simple: Should we close down Gemmayze and Mar Mikhail pubs and restos as well? How about Hamra? Kaslik? Jounieh? Batroun? Byblos?
Going back to the cancellation of this long-awaited event, the online community was split yesterday between those who were outraged by the news, and others who were complaining that there are far more important issues to be upset about. To be honest, the frustration that was manifested by Creamfields enthusiasts is not just about the event itself, but about a certain lifestyle that is imposed on us, whereas we are forced to stay home and wait for the next car bomb to explode or the war to finish.
The truth is, we are sick of wars, bombings, assassinations and stupid sectarian clashes. We are sick of Lebanese groups interfering in other countries’ affairs, we are sick of foreign countries sticking their nose in our issues, we are sick of officials speaking on our behalf while stealing and doing nothing, we are sick of events getting cancelled because of the incompetence of some people and the deep-rooted corruption in most of the country’s institutions.
We kept partying in 2006 even though Israel was bombing us, then in 2007 and 2008 amid the political assassinations that were taking place, and we will keep partying and living life to the fullest not because we are brainless or don’t have our priorities right, but because we have the right to do so.
Yesterday it was Creamfields but it could have been Fairouz, Coldplay, U2 and many other names, and we could have had different generations frustrated and expressing their anger over Facebook, local radios or TVs, so this is not about a bunch of kids like some are portraying it. Funnily enough, a lot of people who were arguing that our political problems are more important that an event are the same who complain constantly about politics and how politicians and officials are ignoring their everyday needs.
All in all, you can’t prevent car bombs in Lebanon by banning parking lots and more importantly you won’t be doing Lebanese a favor by asking to postpone concerts and events. We need happy events, we need to spread some positive energy and we need to keep enjoying life despite what’s happening around us.
That’s why this isn’t about Creamfields only, and the F*** Yous that Gino expressed yesterday, and that I agree on, were overwhelmingly well received and widely shared.
“we kept patying in 2006″
That is our problem and thank you najib for implicitly revealing it.
All we do is party and we think it is our answer to everything around us.
Look, we are so strong and we love life that we keep partying even when bombs and war tore us apart.
” We need happy events, we need to spread some positive energy and we need to keep enjoying life despite what’s happening around us.”
If we stick with this mentality, there will be no more life to enjoy.
I pity myself and the lebanese people for this shallow mentality.
Najib and all of us, yeah! lets keep partying, its our lebanese way of escaping the bitter reality.
The solution is a coup, a revolution where we take control back from the politicians that we criticize a lot but vote for in the end
We can then stop foreign interventions and corruptions and at least TRY to straighten up this country.
Then, and only then, we can party.
John,
I am not saying we should party ourselves out of problems and forget what’s happening. The point I raised was that Lebanese don’t like to be forced into a lifestyle that forbids them from having fun and enjoying life and we definitely dont need people asking to stop everything and staying home. It’s a culture thing more than any other thing.
I have another take on the whole situation we Lebanese put ourselves in by bringing back the same people and I feel very bad the Cedars Revolution ended the way it did.
I am not here to make a revolution but I try to advocate through the blog and I’ve done so on many occasions accountability and transparency and I ask readers to judge representatives and ministers regardless of their political affiliation and based on what they are doing.
This is the most I could do at this point and I’ve been noticing a positive feedback on such posts, so let’s hope it picks up and social media and the internet make a change in the mentality of the upcoming generations.
Yeah your right..but the people need a voice to follow..it can’t be random and even reaching out to the youth is very difficult because they are not organized in one specific thing. Seeing as you and a few other blogs probably have the spot light lets see what you can do other than report. Since your cause is straight forward then maybe there needs to be initiative. I’d like to see you start organizing some projects that can help Lebanon. The government is not going to magically give us what we want every time we need it. There need to be committees and organizations that ask the government for money for city projects and funding, get the money and make sure it is used properly with receipts and open envelopes for the public to see. After all both officials and public are part of a functioning government.
I agree with Najib, live and let live.
If the Lebanese were to stay indoors they would have been jail-housed for the past 30+ years.
Kudos to the Lebanese for knowing how to always turn lemons into lemonade. Keep on living !
Thumps up for Najib
I saw that blogpost about the Lebanese being “brain-dead” over the weekend. It’s an older post; I don’t know why it would now (or ever) be touted as “the truth”. Aside from being furious and disgusted, I actually feel sorry for the blogger — miserable! But I don’t feel sorry for you guys because you are fighters and you fight with your brains, not without them! BRAVO! You keep going, doing, writing, experiencing, advocating, revealing, enjoying even though you experience the same worries, inconveniences, and serious concerns as everyone else there does. KEEP IT UP! LEBANON NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LKE YOU!