What is it about bragging that truly gets on my nerves? I wasn't raised to brag... matter of fact, it was always considered very rude to brag about the cost of items or to brag about what you had/have - because there's always the less fortunate, and, truly, it's just impolite. I don't even like to talk about money, how much I make, or what things cost - even tho I'm questioned like crazy from various ppl on these topics.
I know some ppl here that live on bragging. Don't get me wrong, I know lots of 'em in the States as well, but it seems to have taken on a whole new meaning while living in the Gulf.
This past week I was privy to a conversation and involved, later, w/ someone that could not stop bragging about their diamonds... how much they cost, what they bought, who they gave them to, how many they kept, and an up-close and personal view of the damn things. Now..... I'm not stupid... I do think diamonds are brilliantly gorgeous and so dang purty... but, they are not the end all of all end alls!
Sometimes I find it deliciously entertaining to see someone w/ such transparent class sit and give such details about their finances.... And this is NOT the first time for this person to brag... I hear it weekly, sometimes daily. Seems as though the more I listen, the more I watch, the more braggers I see!! Protect your children, they are everywhere! ;)
But gosh darn it... who am I kidding... I find that, w/ each and every person, I get more and more worked up - like a salivating cat - to hear all the juicy details.... to be shown each item.... wanting more and more info to add to my list of ppl that never cease to amaze me....
INCLUDING....
Those who lie - to your face - about what they're spending and on what. This, my dear ones, is a never-ending story.
These are the ones that love to brag about what they paid on sunglasses, purses, clothes and even shoes but it's all a lie - a big fat juicy lie. They'll pretend that these items were the most expensive and even tell you so - right to your face - but can't anyone see that they're lying? Do these ppl honestly think that everyone is stupid? Ok.. there are those out there who can't tell their ass from a whole in the ground (sorry to be crass)... but the truth bites the big one, doesn't it?!
Is it just me or are there others out there who can tell when sunglasses are fake? What about purses? I'm not saying not to buy these puppies... but just don't lie about the authenticity... don't sit and try to tell me that you have a real Gucci or Coach bag or Louis Vuitton, when it's an obvious fake! Sometimes I feel like grabbing the bag, pointing out the obvious and saying, "see this shit, this is WHY your bag isn't real!" But I don't... I contain myself.
And let's not forget about the sunglasses.... you look at these things and immediately it's rather obvious. When the designer's name is misspelled or part of the emblem is not there, I think that should be the clue. I know a certain somebody who loves to show me their latest Chanel sunglasses.... bragging incessantly about the cost, and as soon as I pick 'em up, it feels as if the *arms* are about to fall off because they're soooo loose, and then the C is half gone or wasn't printed properly on the glasses.... all the while they can't shut their trap about how they have the same pair in three other colors and how expensive they are and for me to try them on ... "go ahead, try them on" (does the madness EVER freakin end??!!!). hmmmm... I wonder if they go around telling everyone the same story and the lies?
What also wears me out are the cheap/knock off perfumes that are so popular around here. I know ppl who love this stuff and swear by it. It gives me a headache as soon as I put it on... and it always, to me, smells like crap after about three minutes. I've tried a couple... thinking I could prove myself wrong, but every single time, it's the same. The fragrance doesn't last and I get a headache within a few secs of spraying that delicious aroma anywhere near me. But there's always some sap that takes a bath in it and if you get anywhere near them, the scent permeates your nostrils w/ a stinging fury and a vomiting rush!
Ok... ok, I can't stop here. What about the cheap watches? These things you can get anywhere and they last for like.... a DAY! Maybe two days, max... but ppl still buy them. And this one certain someone loves to brag about these lil jewels as well... going on about the cost but when you have a lookies... the designer name is misspelled.
It amazed me, when I first moved here, all the knock-offs that ppl buy in this country. I know a few that didn't realize there was a difference or that the purses they were buying were fake (or so they said). I have a question tho - have they ever wondered how they're getting an $800+ purse for BD30.000, ok BD35.000? Have they ever questioned how they're getting a pair of sunglasses that would cost in excess of BD300 for BD3? Wondering minds want to know! I know I do.
I can remember going to Marshalls and Ross and getting panty hose that were highly discounted (remember panty hose??)... it was always because they were not made correctly (imperfect)... sometimes the mistake was so slight that you could hardly tell, but a few times, I'd get a pair where one leg would be longer than the other or tighter than the other and I'd could hardly get them on.... thank gaaawwwd I don't have to wear panty hose any more! :) But you know... I never pretended or lied about the hose. I was one who always wanted to spill the secrets - give up where I found such an amazing deal on the best hose... even tho a loss of blood circulation had turned my right foot blue! ;) I'd still tell ya where I got 'em!
Why does so much have to revolve around money?
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20 comments:
I hear ya tooners. And I'm with ya.
Its very sad and pathetic sometimes. You feel sorry for them, coz you see through their lies but they go with it anyways.
And its not just bragging about what you spend and own, it goes as far as things like housemaids, jobs, hotels they stayed in and countries they traveled to.
I wrote a pots a long time ago about how Bahrainis are by nature born storytellers, they fabricate tales to tell to people around them, seeking attention and self-esteem.
I know people like that. But I'm no 'Bullshitter'. ;)
Tooners, haven't you ever heard the old adage, "You are what you wear," or, even better, "The clothes make the man"?
Actually, there are a number of cultures in the world in which your displayed commercial value is the sole measure of your worth as a human being. Remember, the country where I live (Japan) is the one where it's now not uncommon for upper-middle-class girls to resort to prostitution (typically earning about $500.00 a roll from middle-aged businessmen) so they can keep up with the latest brand name trends. It has also long been the norm for young professionals to wear Armani suits and drive Mercedes cars...while living in cheap apartments and eating nothing but instant ramen. I've heard Italy can actually be even worse, if you can believe that.
I've never understood that mindset.
Wot, a watch which lasts a day or two? I've seen lots of very cheap watches here, but they last as long as the very expensive one. Why did they let the ones which last only a day to be sold on the market anyway.
Ali, the traveling and hotels... I've heard this as well. The jobs thing... I really hear this a lot. You know.. the other day I had someone, who knows WAY better, start questioning me about my salary. In a sly way... but non-stop. Then they started bragging about how much they pay their ppl. I still don't know why the questions started...
I do agree with you completely. I think the stories/lies come from a lack of self-esteem and the wanting of a constant stream of attention.
Moody, I had no idea that girls were selling themselves there in order to buy the latest fashions. Wow.. this brings up tons of questions in my mind. I have seen ppl who live in the projects and drive expensive cars and such... I've never understood it myself either.
Sandra, these watches are really fake, and prob last about a week, max, if that. Sometimes they fall apart as soon as you put them on, but it keeps telling time! ;) For a few days at least. There are so many places that sell these things. Usually the designer name is misspelled and they're cheap quality... but lots of ppl like them. They come in every fashion style and color imaginable to man ;) Why they're sold here... I don't know. I guess there's a large demand.
Saba, I've been seriously noticing how appearances and all this "stuff" make you what you are here. I've seen lots of ppl putting on **shows** for all around them. I've seen some of these private school kids.... phew... how can one ever expect to make it in the real world while living such a fantasy life and growing up in a fantasy world. But, I guess, it's not a fantasy for many of them. But don't you think they are doing it for attention or because of low self-esteem? Or has it become more of a parade of sorts... ??
I'm still sitting here thinking about the girls in Japan prostituting themselves for fashion.
And the things in Italy... yeah, it surprises me somewhat. I would have thought that Italians were more laid back and not so consumed w/ appearances or what ppl thought of them, but I've never lived there, so not sure. This is interesting.
My friend and I were getting ready last summer to go out to a coffee shop in Tunis. I got ready really quick and she took forever matching her expensive sunglasses with her shoes, purse,and clothes. I told her not to worry about it , we were just getting a coffee. We were going for coffee and talk, not a fashion show.
She replied,” I know I know , but I am a newlywed. What would people say if I dressed too casual on my honeymoon?”
Leilouta, my younger sis was really bad when we were younger. Whenever we were about to go someplace, it would take her forever to get ready. We'd get into arguments about it... but I always waited while yelling that we weren't going to a beauty contest and she'd ignore me.
My in-laws are like this. It takes them, the women, forever to get ready. (I don't go to weddings because of all of this crap) If they tell you to be ready at 6, know it's 7 or 7:30. And everyone is always so made up/dressed up... but not me, and then I get comments about it. I was once asked if I wore dresses. And yes, everything has to match here. It wears you out!
I miss Ross, Marshall's and TJ Maxx. Here in the UK it's TK Maxx; I went there once and it truly IS rubbish sold on those racks for way too much money, even if it is discount. I rummaged around for ages and left empty-handed.
At least at the US ones, once I do eventualy find a fault, only I know about it and it's not usually toooooooooo bad.
I don't care for labels. I prefer quality. I see fancy people with their 800-quid Louis Vuitton bags, and aspirants with their 10-quid knock-offs, and I just laugh at them all. Forget the logo, I just get, say, a leather bag that is luxurious without announcing it.
And also classic clothes so I don't have to get a new wardrobe every season, infused with a handful of trendy items to liven things up a bit.
What I like about current fashions is, anything goes.
Rant over :P
ruthie said if you're unhappy, you should come home to us. i agree with her, but if you do find happiness in your life, don't think bad of us for trying. we love you. you shouldn't let yourself be bothered by other ppls materialism. that's what causes destruction and unhappiness and you're better than that. don't be consumed by it
what a sad little creten you are. so sad for you foreigners, with your sad little websites... it is tough being white trash among bedu trash isnt it.....i wonder,what it is that makes your pretend to be something, when indeed you are nothing...
one may wish to gain a substantial perspective of a foreigner in the middleeast, instead, there is only tripe, crap.rubbish.trash...
do you sleep well at night..!!!
First, did you get any formal training in English? Did you pass any of your spelling bees or grammar tests? Just wondering.
I think I must have touched a nerve.... the truth hurts doesn't it?! Or are your fake sunglasses on too tight because you seem delusional!
Why not leave a name? Or are you a coward on top of being a fake?
Gosh, you've caught me on such a good day! Yeah for foreigners in the ME!!!! yeah, yeah, yeah
everything about you says poor white trash, trying to make ourselves out to be more than we are??
tsk tsk...so sad... tell us your real name, or do you think we can't figure it out from your IP address???? so silly, so naive... trust me, your boss is already aware.... so are we. you whitey go home, you are, afterall, trash...
Funny how something as TRUE as the topic "braggers" can bring out such venom in a person! Interesting... to say the least.
Shows the real makings of the person.... wouldn't you agree? Such a fine upbringing you've had... class... a fine specimen.
I'd bet you have some of those fake sunglasses in your handbag right now, don't ya!?? Come on, you can tell us!
I don't think self-esteem has much to do with it unless it's collective self-esteem not individual. It doesn't matter how self-confident you are, you're not going to get any service in most places in UAE if you look scruffy.
By the same token if your car looks old or beat up they don't renew your license or registration until you have it fixed up or buy a new one. They don't want old cars on their roads - just like all the nice places don't want dodgy-looking customers ruining the climate of wealth & ambience.
I never actually met anyone who lied about owning brands. I do know many Emiratis who are deeply in debt precisely because they wouldn't be caught debt in anything fake at any social gathering that includes other Emiratis. They've already spent their retirement & when they can't work anymore they will be left penniless when the banks get done with them. I don't understand how this doesn't scare them but it seems that they can't think further than next week's wedding party.
With the oil-boom in the early 70's the stereotype of the wealthy oil-rich Gulf Arab came into being. They believed it & everyone believed it of them. At the time it was true mostly. Most GCC Arabs were catapulted into instant wealth. But things have changed a lot since. There have been 2 Gulf wars, there is national debt, oil prices fluctuated, life became more expensive etc...And yet as a culture they feel this compulsion to act like nothing changed, to keep up the appearance of having unlimited funds at their disposal.
I don't know what it will take to cure a social illness of this scale. Probably a new generation. I think this generation is too firmly in denial.
Don't egg this anonymous person on. It's just a troll desperate for a crumb of attention.
no one should be courteous with those who have nothing but vain minds and cheap talks...
they r everywhere coz they have audience.
once they feel shut off they'll stop blowing their trumpets
Don’t mind the morons :)
you guys.... thank you for everything you've said, and for sticking up for me. it means more than you can imagine.
saba, this wink and smile is especially for you! ;) i couldn't have said it better.
loulou, i was thinking about your post last night and, really, i think that there are tons of cars that should be taken off the roads here. many are way too old and it's a hazard to your health and the environment. i think it's great that dubai is doing it - if it's for the right reasons.
and i agree w/ olivia, it isn't all about the brand. why go into debt buying the latest and greatest if it's only gonna be out of style w/in six months or so. adding pieces here and there is a great way to spice up your wardrobe.
Yeah sweetie, ignore the TROLLS! They have nothing better to do and nothing (obviously) constructive to say. Hell with 'em!
Heaven help you, I have a new chant in my head, and it is all the New American Idol's fault!
"TROLL PATROL!!" (It's rediculous how I crack myself up!)
And LouLou, thank you for your comment. That WAS very good and very true indeed!
hahaha, we all know people who are all about appearance.
Myself, I look like I just crawled out of the northern bush after a month of logging & trapping. Street bums have more fashion sense than I do! I take pride in it!
I own everything I have & owe very little money to anyone.
As for the nasty anon, they are like junk mail, you don't really exist unless you get some.
I love designer purses but alas, can't afford them. I think most of the people who buy the fake ones know they are getting a fake, but what I hate is when they try to pass it off as the real thing and pretend they paid three grand for a $40 knock-off.
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