Don't vote Petra!
- By: Qwaider
- On:Thursday, January 18, 2007 7:38:40 PM
- In:Thoughts
- Viewed: (8114) times
- Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
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Rated 4.5/5 stars (224 votes cast)
Ok, someone is going to call me crazy or something, but I am so sick and tired of this feverish competition with everyone and everything trying to prove that we are the best at something or another. And to do that we resort to some obscure company, somewhere in the world to decide Petra is a Wonder of the world or not!? This is exactly like putting the carriage in front of the horse. And this is just another episode of the never ending Arabic embarrassment that started with Superstar! A piece of junk television show that is called "Superstar" and when you win they call you "Superstar" but are Superstars something that is only produced by Superstar!!? American Idol, or any of these junk TV Shows!? I don't think so
Ok, there are two problems here, the first one is these companies/shows/attractions whatever declaring that someone is a superstar! Says who!!? When did we start paying attention to many of these media folks that care about nothing more than their ratings, their ad-campaigns and money in their deep pockets!
The second problem is Karazonism! Yes absolutely karazonism is a phenomena that swept the Jordanian culture. And was absolutely uncalled for. Yes, granted Diana Karazon does have a beautiful voice. But is she the success that a "Superstar" could be? Not by a far stretch! Not even close .. Not even 1/1000 of what someone like Omar Abdallat (as much as many people hate him) has done. And ON HIS OWN! Yet he's not a superstar! Nor is she, sadly.
A little bit later when our home grown superstar, met her match with world wide superstars. The REAL deal, not one that had the whole nation rally behind to win. She was blown away to smithereens, and after all the disastrous failures, she remembered that she's fat overweight and needs to lose weight to get the appeal back!!? Her songs are all failures and all her work is barely being heard or even noticed. (By the way, I liked her more when she was fat overweight, she looked better)
Worse yet, she resembles every parent's worst nightmare. She wins, her parents get a divorce, her father is kicked out by his now all wealthy/connected/influential daughter. The mother goes haywire, the other sister wants to become a singer ... if you look closely or if we really had paparazzi in Jordan the dirty laundry list would have spanned miles
I vividly recall how people were being called names, and considered unpatriotic or even traitors JUST for saying that they like some other singer more. (remember??)
I see it all happening again here, some obscure company, trying to become famous/rich and plays into these dirty tricks to self proclaim the new 7 wonders. Not only have we sheepishly followed, but we're rallying ALL national resources to these efforts. To have Petra "Elected" a world wonder!
What kind of nonsense is that!? Do we need some company to declare one place something or another?
Next year the contest will be to "elect" a new Mecca! And maybe a new Jerusalem. Since anyone can just decide to do this and collect votes and next thing you know. The new Mecca is in Antarctica! I hear it's nice there this time of year.
Anyway, on the lighter side, Petra had it's chance the first time and blew it. She shouldn't shoot for title one more time :)
Fadi: الله يرحمها و يجعل مثواها بعليين و يجمعك معها بالجنة بعد عمر طويل
بلوجر بالعربي: looks very good
Noura: Different home, but same longing and nostalgia .. it seems we are chasing a mirage , Beirut of my dreams does not exist nor the people i miss .. i don't know if my gains were worth the losses ? I 
price waves repeat: The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken 
Sara: You can say that again!God Bless🕊
ياسمين حميد: كما هي طبيعتنا نحن العرب، عند الانتقال بين منصة وأخرى لا نحتفظ بالأولى بل نتركها ونهجرها. الأمور عندنا خاضعة ل
Qwaider: These possessions are meaningless as you said, but it's still painful to let go :( May Allah grant you all you wish for and unite you with your loved ones
Nicolas: The rapid increase in intelligence within this generation is responsible for completely unforeseen phenomena that academicians are not prepared for.Some of these classic TV shows remained 
Verbal Alchemy-
TheGrace / النعمة-
Laila-
unon-
7usam-
Adel Najeh-
aya-
Dima-
Firas-
Hope-
Jad-
Khalaf-
Khalidah-
manal y-
Naryat-
Nas-
OmAr-
Opairah-
Petra_Wadi Mousa-
Rebecca-
Reem-
scorpion-
The Observer-
yabco-
Yazeed-
Jumana-
Beti-
globalorama-
hamede-
Hamzeh N.-
Iman-
kerr-
Maioush-
Mohanned-
natalie-
Saned-
secratea-
SweetAdmin-
zaid m-
Fadi:الله يرحمها و يجعل مثواها بعليين و يجمعك معها بالجنة بعد عم%
بلوجر بالعربي:looks very good
Noura:Different home, but same longing and nostalgia .. it seems we are chasing a mirage , Beirut of my dreams does not exist nor the people i miss .. i don't know if my gains were worth the losses ? I
price waves repeat:The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken
Sara:You can say that again!God Bless🕊
ياسمين حميد:كما هي طبيعتنا نحن العرب، عند الانتقال بين منصة وأخرى لا نحت%
Qwaider:These possessions are meaningless as you said, but it's still painful to let go :( May Allah grant you all you wish for and unite you with your loved ones
Session=
Memories....
Can you mention (off the top of your head) three other wonders of the original wonders?
This competition, legitimate or not, adds NOTHING to a place like Petra, in fact its the other way around they are trying to Hijack the magnificence of that place.
Let them vote. I voted, and I encourage every Jordanian and non Jordanian to vote for Petra.
Our goal should be to win in everything. If there's a competition that we entered with or without our own choice we should strive to win, and we should support each other. Why? Because being winners is never a bad thing.
It seems that the problem you have with the American Idol-like shows is that they claim monopoly over getting to say who's worthy and who's not. That is not even the case. The fact that the show has a generic name (Super Star, or American Idol) means nothing, and you know why? Because most people have enough intelligence in them to learn to deal with magnification in marketting names and ideas, and I'm sure you understand that, it's just that you've probably forgotten it. If you actually watch American Idol (which I happened to watch for the first time last night and greatly enjoyed), the judges do advise certain people to pursue stardom through other means, like sticking with their bands, or focussing on their other talents.
Back to Karazonism, remember, as Jordanians it will feel great to support each other. Even if you don't agree with the concept of this "new world wonders" contest, how much would you or the world stand to lose from the simple act of voting for your country and wanting to make it a winner in just a competition? Because that's what it is; just a competition, and we have the chance to be winners. So why not do it?
Now if you haven't voted already, come on and get rid of this kashra on your face and go vote :D
lets say someone with more resources managed to vote Petra out somehow, would you or any person no the face of the planet think any less me Petra? i don't think so. the fact that someone like Wil Chang made it better than some of the so called idols speaks volumes on that.
it's not a patriotic act to vote. if something is Jordanian doesn't mean that it's the best or deserves to be treated as such.
now i'm not saying Petra is not a wounder i love it and it will always be a wounder for me. but i don't need some company telling me or the world they are considering whether it's a wonder or not based on public multi vote
I agree with Hamza N. inta sho mza3lak?
Jordanians know how great petra is, but the rest of the world (or at least most of it) doesn't. So if we, as jordanians, vote, we allow that "company" to release the results worldwide where thousands of people will learn about petra and add it to their list of places they need to visit. This result will put jordan on the map, improve tourism, etc... superstar doest.... Your analogy is just weak.
So by saying "don't vote for petra" is just plain silly. Rallying ALL national resources!? tawwel balak?! haha..
Can you name 3 of the original world wonders? (not Google them, of the top of your head) Most people don't care!
I'm not upset about it, I'm upset about the way we are FLAT OUT manipulating the results (by rallying the whole country behind it) it's just a method of corruption but the limited vision of people so encased in their little cubes in Jordan doesn't allow them to see it!
Anyway, that's a different matter altogether. So with the same "weak" reasoning, someone, anywhere can vote Petra off! OR decide Amman is in the wrong place. Hell with this kind of voting we can have a show and vote that you never existed!
Rallying the country's resources for Petra, Karazon, even myself is the wrong thing to do!
Very few people will think less of a place if that place doesn't win in this competition. However, a significant number of people are going to think more highly of a place that wins, and a much more significant number of people are going to learn of new places thanks to this competition, and that is what I'm interested in. When I voted for Petra, I wasn't trying to "defend" the precious site from losing, I wasn't trying to "prevent" a touristic disaster, which is what you seem to think is the main reason people would vote. The reason people vote is because they know what good will come from winning. They are people who love to win this competition, not hate to "lose" in it.
Nothing disasterous will happen if Petra doesn't get selected, but a great opportunity will be missed and it is that opportunity that people don't want to miss, and I think you should not miss either while you get too held up on whoever the hell it is who blessed this contest. It doesn't matter. The fact is, this is a world competition now and it is accepted by everyone. That's over and behind us now, what's ahead of us, is the chance to be one of the new known sites in the world, and inshallah that will happen.
Stop complaining man, fok hal kashra, and go vote for your country. I met many people who don't know where Petra is. There's something to gain from this whether you wanna admit it or not. People will want to visit and it will be better for the country, why do you not want something better for your country?
Do it :D Come on, do it :D
What opportunity are you talking about!? God, this inferiority complex is killing everyone and everything with value! And Jordan has an abundance of it. Inshaallah it will happen but don't hold your breath and REALLY don't over expect much. If we do do win because we RALLIED the whole country, then we really lost but we didn't know it!
It has nothing to do with my country Hamza stop saying that. It's not patriotic duty that you're doing and sending 10JD to a poor family is a million times better than voting.
I doubt we're going to gain more than what we would if we had good Ad campaigns around the globe, for the same amount of resources it's going to cost us to rally the nation and brand something as "National" when it's absolutely not.
I want what's best, and I think truism would benefit much more from many thing other than this stupid contest! With more guaranteed outcome
In two years from now, when Petra has won, and the tourists are going there in millions per month and the treasury of Jordan has a surplus from this venture, I might apologize for not seeing "the big picture" but till then... I think we're just going through another phase of our lovely inferiority complex!
Why not focus their energy on something else rather than telling people to vote. Like promoting Petra and Jordan through commercials broadcasta around the world. I seem commericals promoting the Bahamas almost everday, but commercials or not people flock there by the millions. When was the last time you saw a commercial or advertisement convincing people to visit Jordan. I have yet to see one! NOT, ONE! I think we have other more important things to worry about then some silly competition. How about education, the environment, the state of affairs, or how we're going to solve the water shortages we seem to face year in and year out. Those should be at the forefront of everything the nation does.
Simply the opportunity to have Jordan be mentioned any time somebody talks about the 7 world wonders. What better promotion or advertising do you want?
It's not patriotic duty that you're doing and sending 10JD to a poor family is a million times better than voting.
Is it extremely unimaginable to you that some people are actually capable of doing both? What the hell is it gonna cost you to go vote for it? Your money? Your dignity? Your honor? What are you gonna lose? And is "giving 10 dollars to a poor family" the only "patriotic duty" that you know? Why not vote and then go give your 10 dollars?
I doubt we're going to gain more than what we would if we had good Ad campaigns around the globe
We've already had ad campaigns around the world mostly funded by the government and I guarantee you they've costed more than whatever was spent on publishing ads in Jordan's newspapers to support this one campaign, not mentioning the fact that Jordanian newspapers probably donated the space for those ads themselves thereby offloading some of that budget from the government. Also, what way of advertising your country offers the return on investment that getting one of your touristic sites be recognized as a world wonder will get you?
In two years from now, when Petra has won, I might apologize for not seeing "the big picture"
Win or no win, you are missing the point. The point is that it probably has taken you literally dozens of times more effort and time to write this post and these comments than it would have taken you to simply go and vote for Petra, and all for what? God knows; because you have yet to present one good reason as to why having Petra win a spot among the world's new wonders, no matter how ridiculous you thought the idea actually having people of the world answer a poll to decide that was, would be a bad thing. Forget about what you're gonna get or not get from it, the fact is, it takes nothing to vote for your country, so go vote and stop being such a baby!
Don't try to teach me what patriotism is, this sort of manipulation is unacceptable. You may have your own ideas and I have mine and I don't see any good really coming out of this IF in fact Petra wins. (and I hope it does)
You don't get it ... do you! This is just someone's list of so called "world wonders". The company is striking riches at the cost of the millions who are paying thier hard earned money to vote in such nonsense. The fact remains, world wonder or no world wonder the majestic Petra is always going to be an amazing attraction and people will still flock from all over the world to see it.
Again you miss the point, it's not about how little the effort it is to vote, but about the ideas behind it. Who is anyone to say, that Ragheb Alameh is less of a Superstar then Diana Karazon is because he wasn't selected by that panel.
I'm not being a baby, I'm standing by my conviction and neither you nor anyone in the world has the right to question that, and I do expect you to show some respect to other people's opinions, not only mine. You are free to advocate what ever you want but my personal decision is mine and you have absolutely no right to question it or brand someone with being a baby.
I can easily think of few names to describe your behavior but I'll prefer to face your points with logic and facts. And what more do you need than me actually considering that I might be wrong, but I will wait to see the results to actually go down that path.
Another things I'm trying to say is that whatever the outcome for this whole charade, Petra will still be a world wonder, a little statement from John Doe, adds ABSOLUTELY nothing!
Voting is free. http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=351&L=0
This is just someone's list of so called "world wonders"
Not really, the list is determined by people's vote. So it's not "someone's list". They have made the means available for people of the world to revisit the set of world wonders, and it's free.
Who is anyone to say, that Ragheb Alameh is less of a Superstar then Diana Karazon is because he wasn't selected by that panel.
LOL, who ever even implied that? That is only a thought that exists in your mind. Seriously, do you think the people who created the "Superstar" show want you or anyone to think that no one but those who win their competition deserve to be labelled superstars?
The fact remains, world wonder or no world wonder the majestic Petra is always going to be an amazing attraction and people will still flock from all over the world to see it.
That is not something that I dispute. But I already said, there are people today who do not know what Petra is or where it is. Having it become recognized as a world wonder will increase the number of people who visit it. Tell me what is wrong with that? You know what is: absolutely NOTHING.
I'm standing by my conviction and neither you nor anyone in the world has the right to question that
What conviction? That Petra is already a wonder of the world? Nobody here ever disputed that or questioned it, so no need to go on the defensive over nothing.
If you really believe that Petra is a wonder of the world, then the world is waiting to hear from you, and is offering you a chance to have your Petra be officially recognized as a wonder of the world. So what are you waiting for? Go tell them what you think, and vote.
Again, I stated a number of points why I think this is a bad idea, one of the most important ones is the waste or resources, the waste of time and energy. The manipulation of the votes because suddenly it's a patriotic duty.
People still don't know where Alexandria is to know where the Alexandria lighthouse is. 60% of Americans couldn't identify Canada on the map. And you honestly believe someone is going to pay attention to one company's find!? You really made me laugh!
And yes, the company will make tons of money just off of the ad campaigns they're getting for free supported by emotional crowds and governments! Not to mention the revenues from SMS, and those 10$certificates
Because no matter how muc we hate this kind of competition, we should acknowledge the benefits of winning. Having Petra being elected to be one of the 7 new wonders of the world where every single person around the world has a chance to speak his voice is something that cannot be ignored. The hype, the media, the award, all will open a better eye on Petra and its charm. The voting we are doing now is an investment. It is an investment for our country and for our people. The awards means more highlights on Jordan, more tourism, more money and better living conditions to us.
Let us put our feelings aside and vote for ourselves.
As for Diana Karazon, I do like her songs. She did win the superstar, and did gain a good amount of success afterwards. She is still young and not mature enough to excel in this field. We are not lebanon, we lack the expertise in music industry. She is struggling to keep her success, and I think she is doing pretty good so far. Her voice is great, it is her best asset, whenever she goes astray, she knows that she has her voice to stand on again.
I see your point totally. And I am very supportive of anything for the nation. But upgrading these matters to becoming religious and patriotic duty is what I am against.
As I said in the mammoth comments above, In two years I might discover that I was wrong and apologize.
Diana Karazon, doesn't have the mentality of an artist, or a star, let alone a superstar. In most of her interviews she throws an Asala on people and keeps repeating things like "Meen ma kan ykoon" ... oh really!?
I loved her voice, and many do. But she's just not superstar material. She won .. you know how.. exactly!
I think you have comprehension problems.
I am willing to bet that no one who knows about this new poll can even name the company or the people who are behind it. All people know is that today there is a new worldly poll that is asking them to decide what they want to recognize (as citizens of the world) as the new world wonders. Whoever set it up has made sure that you can make your opinion counted for free. You don't have to pay a single penny.
When this is over, it's going to be in every newspaper, on every tv channel, in every magazine, and every news web site, and on every blog. That is how people are going to hear about it. It's going to be in every trivia book, on wikipedia, in the encyclopedia, in books, on billboards, simply everywhere. And that's how people are gonna know about it.
The amount of time and effort that you've wasted on this post and these comments is literally tens of times more than it would have taken you to go and vote, and it actually cost you more money.
But hey, if every Jordanian out there thinks like you do, then you might be right, and maybe it does take a lot of resources to convince the Q-like population to do something as small as voting on a freakin free poll on some web site!
My likes look at your likes and think, may god have mercy on the mentalities that are natural born dictators! Who are YOU to come and shove your cliches down mine or anyone's throat? Who appointed you the Petra's advocate or gave you the future vision to become Mr Know how it's going to turn out!
Fact is, after how many years now? People barely remember Diana Karazon, worse yet, no one ELSE in the world knows that name! Even worse they don't know the names of the people they voted to because it's irrelevant!
Comprehension is a two way highway dude. And with all your intelligence you didn't read what I said about "We're not talking the same wavelength". I guess that slipped your omnipotent wisdom huh?
I waste my time, resources and energy the way I deem fit. Not any one else's and I fail to see how that is your problem
When you post something, expect others to share a different view than your own ... having a different view doesn't nullify your own ...
Q, is this how you treat a dialog/discussion? No one is forcing his opinion on you...the counter argument happens to be a very logical one, so why can't you be up to a mature dialog!
and if you were not biased you wouldn't have said that. You even insolently come and say I'm unable to have a "mature dialog". Thank you Iman, but you're totally biased and the counter argument may or may not be accurate, the fact is, there are many people who think this Karazonism is not going to fly
By the way, I myself will go right now, and vote for Petra