True Life – Resist the Power Saudi Arabia – MTV
I have to say, I saw nothing wrong with the MTV episode Resist the Power Saudi Arabia. I did have to use a program called hotspot shield to view it, but other than that, it was… almost like that since I was back in high school in Jeddah… and that was… a while ago, heavy metal bands trying to make it (one even had a music album out, I bought it back then but I forgot what they were called), guys trying to hook up with girls (as it is all over the world), girls trying to have their unique style (the fashion industry depends on that trait/thing/impulse in women). The only unique person was the political activist that tried to get women into government, so I salute him, thank you.
The eruption that happened in Saudi because of the MTV show (checkout how many comments on MTV’s site the other shows have to know what I mean), is not entirely surprising to me, we are part of the world that experienced change so fast, that we do not yet know how to identify ourselves or our national identity… and to be honest I do not think I know if I, or anyone for that matter, can even identify that… or if we even have one.
And there lies… the whole issue… and a whole bunch of other issues down there with it.
Update: ”Many Saudi bloggers (and bloggers living in Saudi) reacted, and most of what they said have been balanced and well worth a read: here, here, here, here, here, and here.” SaudiJeans
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May 31, 2010 @ 14:21:54
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Qusay Fayoumi, Adnan Z. Manjal. Adnan Z. Manjal said: RT @TheReal_Q: New Blog Post:: True Life – Resist the Power Saudi Arabia – MTV http://j.mp/ax2KBZ [...]
Tweets that mention True Life – Resist the Power Saudi Arabia – MTV | Qusay -- Topsy.com
May 31, 2010 @ 14:21:54
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Qusay Fayoumi, Adnan Z. Manjal. Adnan Z. Manjal said: RT @TheReal_Q: New Blog Post:: True Life – Resist the Power Saudi Arabia – MTV http://j.mp/ax2KBZ [...]
May 31, 2010 @ 14:27:27
Thank you,for being insightful enough to properly address the matter,and giving each his right place.
Jun 01, 2010 @ 12:09:50
Thanks Dentographer
May 31, 2010 @ 15:59:31
Now the girl with the abaya issue was, well silly to say the least, I mean it would have been progressive to just not wear an abaya!
And, a side fact, why the abaya is black has nothing to do with Islam (just like segregation, but those two are different issues).
Also the guy who is looking for girls is, well, even beyond silly!
But if those are their dreams, so be it, good for them.
The guy who is campaigning fro women’s rights is a hero. He needs all the support he can get.
We live in a sexist society, and but society I do not mean Saudi Arabia or the Middle East, I mean the girl. The slightest effort to get women equal rights is a grand act heroism. Even if you just stand up and tell your friend to shut up with their sexist comments!
It is no surprise the controversy of this video, but the it does bring “out” the conservatives (aka the ones who held every nation backwards and resist necessary change of any scale).
MTV Arabia told the truth, and the GCC nationals hate to knowledge THEIR truth.
Jun 01, 2010 @ 12:10:32
Adnan, thanks a million man.
May 31, 2010 @ 19:37:23
well said Qusay! it’s all about who we are
Jun 03, 2010 @ 10:45:04
Thanks Duha
Jun 01, 2010 @ 00:20:39
looool
We’re on the same wave length yet again my dear Qusay.
They stated what they believe in. They’re surely entitled to it!
They represent them selfs. Not the country.
There is nothing embarrassing to it. Except the entire Aziz’s part and the exaggerated and partly false remarks by Ahmed regarding customs at the airport.
Jun 01, 2010 @ 12:13:43
Well, it is good we get on the same wavelength sometimes
About the airport, I am not sure about books, but they like to check CDs and DVDs sometimes.
Jun 02, 2010 @ 20:17:51
I found this post so inspiring and perplexing at the same time that I have needed some time before commenting.
Also, I still haven’t been able to see the video. Thanks for the tip about Hotspot Shield. Hmmmmm, how to download it without incurring the wrath of the Domestic Goddess of Light, or the Professional Princes of Darkness? Still working on that part.
I did instead watch 2 True Life Diary productions to get a better sense of what they do. One was “I Have Schizophrenia”, which was realistic enough I had to stop watching it–too much like work. The other was “I’m Looking For My Father” (wonder why that one just popped out at me
)which was very interesting, and better than I expected, but then my expectations were low.
Both of them presented a range of interview subjects even though they were few in number. Eg the schizophrenics included a low functioning serious disturbed young man often non-compliant with medication about to be kicked out of his apartment, working part-time only at a low level job (actually hebephrenic, ie his schizophrenia followed a classic pattern beginning in adolescence, and is more common in males); and a high functioning woman at university (women are affected less often, with later onset than hers, usually in their 30′s or 40′s, and often have higher functioning because of the later onset); and a young man (typical demographic) doing reasonably well with a very supportive family (sometimes the case), and on medication (showing the weight gain that often accompanies it as a side effect, relatively independant of intake and exercise).
In the other episode 3 people also search for their father in varying circumstances and with varying outcomes. One is a biracial child being raised with white mother, white stepfather, and white siblings. Her mother helps her find her African American father. They find him, only to discover he passed away when she was 11. Her reaction is well-handled by the production team, and is genuinely one of immense grief. She does, with the help of her mother, meet her paternal aunt and discovers she has a 1/2 brother who looks a lot like her (one of her issues). She continues a relationship with her paternal family and especially her brother as she goes off to college.
A young man feels he must meet his father who abandonned the family when he was 3 and whom he hasn’t seen since. He finds his uncle right away who tells him his father just moved back to the state, and arranges a meeting right away too. This is plausible because of the circumstances. They have an awkward meeting, his father says he thought of him every day, sent cards and letters he didn’t receive except on his 16th birthday. Mother denies receiving any except that one, but then again Mother wasn’t happy with the reunion idea either, etc…VERY plausible. The young man now feels he can get on with his own life having met his Dad. They have almost no contact afterward. Also plausible.
The 3rd person is a young single mother who doesn’t know who her father is, and whose drug addicted mother has been living on the streets for years. She wants to meet her father because she feels a void, and tries to keep her daughter’s father in her child’s life so that she won’t suffer the same way. She breaks a 7 year silence to call her stepfather in jail to find out more information about her dad. THAT is the real reunion of her father quest (the episode doesn’t pick up on that though) and is very touching (they do show that). Her life circumstances are typical for a certain segment only of African American society (though generally African Americans have higher rates of teen pregnancy, drug addiction, homelessness, incarceration, single mother households, and social assistance).
Overall, then, for reality television (an oxymoron to begin with, as is “True Life Diary”), I found the 2 episodes plausible with a bit of melodramatic music, some obvious edits, and the occasional wish that even with the participants’ consent they would have turned the cameras off or left the incident out. The key seems to be that these are, as the full program title suggests, theme-specific diary episodes of individuals whose life stories touch on some broader issues, but are, of course specific, to them.
In keeping with the diary motif, almost all the episode titles start with “I”. That is one of the things that strikes me as unique about the Saudi episode. By its title it seems to purport to being a documentary, in ways the others don’t. And there’s the rub. In fact, like the other episodes, it is more reflective of the life experiences of 4 young people, seemingly chosen to represent the historic themes of MTV–music, fashion, activism, and sex/love–without the social range of the other programs though. Still their stories resonate enough with broader themes in Saudi society that Saudis have reacted strongly (in comments on the program site, and in blogs) about what the program says, or not, about Saudi national identity (what I initially found perplexing but intriguing about your post).
Saudi is such a young country (1932), though formed of regions with long histories, traditions, and identities, that issues of identity are in the forefront, as they are for other young countries, especially those formed from markedly distinct traditions (like Canada, 1867, English and French), and even more so when they have gone through a period of more rapid change, from tribal to contemporary international affiliations.
Which is a rather long way of saying great post, and I agree with Saudiaspire!
Jun 03, 2010 @ 11:46:39
No one can read into things better than u do Chiara, thanks for the valuable insight as usual
Jun 02, 2010 @ 21:49:59
Qusay, I liked the show and delved more into what they were saying than what their dreams were all about, their goals are just a tiny part of their whole pursuit for happiness, and that what brings the whole debate beside their actual aspirations…identity is an illusive thing, do we identify by religion, nationality, gender, age, etc…? with each of these labels having a wide spectrum of diversity as you can imagine, so individuals are unique and should be identified as such and encouraged to express rather than to conform…
Jun 03, 2010 @ 11:50:15
Thanks Hala, I agree with you, and I saw nothing wrong with the program, these are young individuals showing the world some parts of their lives. The problem with the whole issue is, everyone wants to paint them in their own colors instead of letting them be the unique individuals that they are.
Jun 03, 2010 @ 09:21:50
1st of all, they don’t deserve to live on the land they grew on.
2nd, d’ya think the americans care about that shit episode?
3rd, I just knew the why that make americans respect jews more than muslims.. it’s simple.. muslims sold their culture & religion to strangers.
in brief,,,
let’s supose Fatima/Ahmed (Achmed) lives in America… she/he would be in prison coz FBI would consider her/him a terrorist.
Jun 03, 2010 @ 12:01:00
Checkmate, your comment carried so much hate,
1st who is anyone to tell anybody that they do not deserve to live on any land?
2nd exactly, it is a little tv show, why the whole uproar?
3rd, it is more complicated than that, and I for one do not like grouping all nations and peoples into easy categories and label them as I please. I do not think anything was sold, or anything was bought.
America considers many people terrorist, Mandela was once on America’s terrorist watch list, but I do not think either Fatima or Ahmed would be on those list.
Thanks for your comment. Even though you are an anonymous commenter, with a comment full of hate, I still respect your opinion even when I disagree with most of it.
Jun 03, 2010 @ 15:23:52
I’ve never been to the middle east. I’ve lived in America my entire life, and besides feeling some hatred because of my Mexican heritage due to heavy illegal immigration, my knowledge on the restrictions is limited. But as a woman, a young woman, I didn’t trivialize any of them. In their own way, they were walking advertisements of change and love. Sometimes it takes baby steps. I really liked the girl who was bringing in different colors. If she is able to start the ball rolling in changing, soon women may not have to cover up at all. Watching the show I felt very sad. It’s very different from anything I have ever experienced, seen or read about. Women are walking around completely covered in black…like they’re already dressed to be buried. (However, if this is a personal choice made by the woman I have no problem). But I liked seeing the people’s humor towards the strict religious rules, it just just made me feel confident that the people of Saudi Arabia are ready for a change, and once the government of old men have retired, change won’t be far behind. I wish everyone peace, love, and freedom.
Jun 04, 2010 @ 12:23:50
Sierra, thanks for your comment and welcome to the blog.
The young lady is not the first, when I first met my wife (many years ago) she had a colored abaya on, so it is nothing new.
As for the humor, without it, the world would stop turning, and that goes for all people anywhere in world
Thanks for your wishes of love peace and freedom, I wish you the same and more
Jun 09, 2010 @ 20:52:10
hi all would someone please tell me where i can watch the episode i tried for 3 days to look for it and download it but it’s no use,please i am dying to see it every body told me so much about it.i tried to watch it on mtv’s web site but i can’t since i am in saudi arabia .thx
Jun 09, 2010 @ 21:45:31
i watched the video using hotspot shield.I must say i have never seen a video that is so silly and insulting to saudi arabia the only one who have a trully noble cause is the guy who is fighting for women’s rights.but i wasn’t suprised since it’s mtv arabia that made it.and since mtv arabia is an illumanati channel ofc they will show that saudi arabia and indirectly islam is nothing but unciviliced.aziz is stupid and shallow.fatima seems nice but it’s abit silly that she wants to change abaya to black since a black abaya even is good for not having social differences between women cause some are poor.and to be honest i wear a colored abaya for ages sometimes no one bothers me.but then again it’s mtv arabia so every thing is exaggerated.
Jun 17, 2010 @ 22:40:51
Qusay,
I am sorry to say that I totally disagree with the way the video had to show the world about our country. What the video is talking about is reality no doubt about it… every person who is living in one of the major cities have experienced, or know someone who have experienced or even heard a story about someone who have experienced a situation similar to what the video shows.
My own opinion, why did these youth have to push the message this way? Go public instead of working to overcome the problem within our society? Unfortunately I cannot find any other example than what happened in 9/11. I am not saying that our beloved friends who appeared on the video have any resemblance to the terrorist who humiliated and misrepresented our religion and heritage, I am saying that the aftermath could be the same… look at us now.. including yourself if you would like to visit or go study in the USA for a genuine reason… we have to jump through hoops for us just to get a Visa then we get humiliated on the border and we still do not know if we are going to enter the USA to enjoy its beautiful cities or not.
Now if the Saudi Government decided to do just like what the USA did with all Middle-eastern nationals I would not blame the Saudi Government… politics is more complicated than appearing on an MTV Video and want to be the “Forward to the future machine” that will change our current life… even though I would like to hop on a time machine just to live the same way I have lived in the USA….