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My antisocial tag to the social #Top50Jo

By: Qwaider

On:Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:04:44 AM
In:Thoughts
Viewed: (5657) times

Currently 4.6/5 Stars.
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Rated 4.6/5 stars (109 votes cast) Thanks for your vote!

I hate to be the one pointing out the pretty obvious but just as many people have made just about every Jordanian expat feel like crap for missing out on the great things about Jordan. How about a little reminder for the top 50 things that make Jordan a crappy place?

Sorry in advance, not meant as an insult for anyone, no purchase necessary, void where illegal, must be 18 years or older to participate.

Everyone know how much I love Jordan, but just for fun, I decided to play devil's advocate this round. So bear with me

Here you go... My top 50 reasons why Jordan is not all that great of a place to live in...

If you go out on a date, every other guy that passes by is your date's cousin
Nonexistent Jordanian "opposition"
Internet censorship for sites like Arabtimes (which I don't personally like or support, but begs the question, "what else is blocked?")
People like Toujan Faisal and Laith Shubailat end up in Jail (Or worse, beaten up by Anonymous)
Death toll due to (avoidable) road accidents
Worst television programming
Building acquisition by force
Taxes, taxes, taxes
Customs on just about anything
Lebanese radio announcers
cheap imitation Lebanese accent
Soccer teams
Garbage fed sheep (that surprisingly taste good!)
Jordanian border crossings including Airports
Non existent industry
No real research in any Jordanian university or institute
Radar traps
Traffic Law
Orange
Mokhabarat
Royal Jordanian
Jabri
Abul Abed Coffee (but not Abu Eissa)
Smoking everywhere
Any governmental request"Mo3amaleh"
Wadi Araba treatment
Treatment of (Arab) foreigners
Treatment of domestic helpers
Taxi drivers
Bus drivers
Sewage, instead of drinking water
Slow internet
Expensive... EVERYTHING.
Cold winters
Hot summers.
Improportionate income vs living expenses
Hummus Poisoning
Shawarma poisoning
Fahd el Fanek.
An illiterate moron can be elected as a representative of the people!
Tribalism
Lack of water
Horrible discrimination for services supplied to citizens in different areas of Amman, and outside of Amman
Poor roads
Poor history of Women's rights
Honor killings
But worse, laws allowing honor killing
Human rights violations
Government corruption
Publication laws
Wasta!

I can go on to a few hundreds at least, but I think these are enough...

Turns out, the great things are personal, while the bad stuff are extremely general, however, I hope this doesn't ruin your appetite for our amazing Jordanian Jameed, Kunafeh and thrice roasted peanuts.

Despite all of that, Jordan remains near and dear to all of us, we love it more than life itself. There is no other place on the planet I would rather be in. Simply because, it's HOME, she's our mother and a child loves his mother regardless of all her flows

Again, I sincerely apologize for popping anyone's bubble

Memories....

#1
Dee
Said
On: 1/26/2010 1:43:16 PM
SpamScore=[2]

THANK YOU for this post, as soon as i suggested we start with what needs to be fixed about jordan and then later make a list of what has been fixed instead of saying general things that can be loved about any place you live in like you said i was told to take it one day at a time, and then when a certain person started pointing out such stuff that are not so good about jordan a big number of people told him to not be so negative and pessimistic! weird! thanks again for the post..

#2
Nas
Said
On: 1/26/2010 2:39:55 PM
SpamScore=[-0.01]

God...as much as i abhor responding to this stuff, but what the heck, it's been a slow week.

The point of this exercise, if you will, wasn't to ignore all the bad stuff and it wasn't to ignore all the things that need to be fixed and it wasn't to turn a blind eye to any of that. In fact, living in jordan means living and complaining and criticizing and observing and experiencing ALL of those realities day in and day out. Some of us even blog about them, and many debates and conversations are initiated around them..thankfully.

the idea..which was spontaneous, unpredictable and just snowballed...was to merely take a break from all of that crap just for ONE little day, and list things we actually like about jordan and what it means to live here.

it wasn't about being patriotic and singing hashmi hashmi (although i do love that tune) - it was about remembering who we are and more importantly, remembering what it is we are fighting for - at least those of us who have chosen to fight, change, create, impact, shift, and build.

i was actually impressed by the thread because being jordanian i knew that some would show up just to point out the obvious to everyone. as if they were going to enlighten everyone. as if everyone was living in the dark. what was impressive was the fact that for once, positivity prevailed in a country that is drowning in negativity. like qwaider said above, one can probably go on listing hundreds of bad things in jordan or in any other country. but listing the good things (for once) is much more difficult and it was impressive to see people submit thousands of tweets. it showed just how much we are starving to remember the good, and the fact that it inspired others in the region to launch their own hashtag shows how much the arab people are all dying to remember the positive in a sea of cynicism.

again, this was just a small break from reality, and those of us who live here, especially with everything that's been happening recently - deserve to have that break and remember.

I just thought that needed to be cleared up.

Thanks to everyone who joined.

#3
Qwaider
Said
On: 1/26/2010 5:55:04 PM
SpamScore=[-43.39]

Dee
You're welcome. I didn't mean to sound like the salmon swimming up the stream. But I guess there's no escaping that.
I know what you mean

Nas,
Thank you for your comment, I guess there's no way to make this go bad. State the good, and you give the "feel good" thoughts. State the bad, and you come up with a manifest for things we might want to improve, which is also good
To be frank, I think I had an easier job. Stating the obvious, and I bet most people knew all of these things. Some would be capable of compiling lists way longer.
We all need to be reminded of the blessings that we have and join and support each other through tough times. Perhaps sharing moments of triumph will help with that. It's obvious that people are fed up.
Thanks again for your comment, and I do apologize if my post sprinkled salt on any open wounds. I sincerely do. But these are the wounds we all share, they hurt us all

#4
One
Said
On: 1/27/2010 11:51:15 PM
SpamScore=[-0.01]

Can You add:
People who link your patriotism to how perfect you think Jordan is!!!

#6
Julie
Said
On: 2/1/2010 6:33:11 PM
SpamScore=[-0.02]

How Jordan wiped out 15-20,000 Palestinians during black september.

Oh, sorry, you wanted bad things about Jordan.

#7
someone
Said
On: 2/11/2010 12:29:55 PM
SpamScore=[1]

this is the most mature blog about the subject i read so far..

hope that these #Top50Jo:

- reach the other side of the population, those who dont have internet and/or cant speak english. this is the most thing i hate about jordan: the segregation.

- get translated into actions to improve the lives of those who deserve it, not those who have the money to make there life even better and get even more money!

@Julie: don't be hatin'