"Lebanon" & "Beirut" related terms used to describe something negative

[Rabih]

Every now and then I come across an article with reference to Beirut, or another word related to Lebanon, being used to describe something bad and negative.

The word "Beirut" is usually used to refer to a situation of chaos, mayhem and/or devastation.
The term "Lebanization" is used to refer to a torn & civil-war plagued country.

I get upset when I read this! these people clearly still have the image of civil war in mind when they think about our country.
Also, western media plays a major rule in associating us with war and primitiveness!

I honestly don't know what we can do or where to start from to change this perspective! We brag about our liberal and democratic society but all that doesn't mean much if others have been brainwashed to dehumanize us and think of our beloved city as a war zone.

I've started this thread so that we share articles like that and discuss them. I figured that it's better to acknowledge this phenomena rather than leave it go by unnoticed, perhaps we'll change a couple of perspectives along the way!

[Rabih]

Here's the first article published today: Mon Oct 26, 2009 by Ulster Herald of Omagh, Northern Ireland



Fireworks hotspot 'like a scene from Beirut'
By Michele Canning


PSNI Officers outside Omagh Bus Depot on Thursday afternoon. JBUH15


"IT has resembled something like Beirut here."

That's the view of one Omagh trader on the firework hotspot at the town's bus depot. Police in Omagh are cracking down on firework abuse at the known hotspot - where some 2,000 schoolchildren gather daily. Already, police patrols are operating around the depot, and at the other known problem area, Scarffes Entry, to try and curb the annual problem. But Wednesday, say traders, was one of the worst days when fireworks were being set off in the crowd, as thousands wait to board buses.

"It was like a scene from Beirut here yesterday (Wednesday). It's the worst I've seen it. The fireworks were being thrown into the crowd. The number of children and adults that were standing about, well it was just very dangerous," said Jim Sharkey, who works in Book Stop, beside the depot.

Young students making their way onto buses told the TyroneHerald that only a small number are engaged in throwing fireworks. One teenager told us that a firework had been thrown in the direction of a policeman.

The PSNI has said it has received a number of complaints about nuisance in both known hotspots and hope that a step-up in patrols will curb the problems.

However, it does appear that there has been fewer incidents than in previous years, a combined result of a police presence and education. The bad weather and mid-term break is also expected to contribute to fewer fireworks incidents.

PSNI Inspector Clive Ballantine said young people need to realise that when they chuck a firework it's effectively an offensive weapon.

"The situation is not as bad as it has been in previous years but then the supply is less than it was before. But it only takes one firework to ruin the day of an elderly or a young person.

"At the minute we are top of the situation and those areas are on our radar. But there will always be occasions when incidents occur."

The Inspector added, "What may be seem like a prank to some young people could actually amount to carrying out an assault or causing criminal damage. Those involved in this type of behaviour will have to face the consequences.

"We hope that with the support of parents, schools and local community groups we can work to help make Halloween safe and enjoyable. I would ask parents to make sure they know the whereabouts of their children and to make sure that they are not engaging in any criminal activity or damage to property."

[LeB-iT]

well that's pure ignorance and shows the journalist's 'professionalism'...We could say something resembles London from WWI, it would sounds as stupid as this sounds to us!

[lebnani]

Hmmm.... See I agree with Rabih. Whenever I say I am from Lebanon, or that I was in Lebanon this summer, I first get a face that is somewhere between concern and pity, and then the question. "How is it down there" they are not referring to the weather I assure you. However..........

I was last talking to my tv repair guy, and I had told him about my trip to lebanon and after getting the face and "How is it down there?" question , I replied with "Oh very good, fantastic nightlife, beaches, amazing drinks and drinking open people" and then he asked aren't you guys always at war, I said " Noooo, No...its been a while.. our last war was in 2006" (ignoring ofcourse any military events that happened in 2008 thinking that he is an outsider and doesn't need to know about that). And he burst out laughing in my face, he said "that isn't too long ago".

And it was then I realized that no it wasn't too far away. How could I defend my country against being portrayed as a war ravaged, conflict ridden place, when it never is conflict free. I figured out, because we are always under conflict, 4 years of non conflict to us is an eternity, but reality is, 4 year is nothing and not enough to erase the image of 15 years of civil war, approx 3 israeli wars, and sporadic civil conflicts.

Think of the countless headlines and images that are projected by sensationalist stories of war, civil, and political conflict. We just have not had enough positive/success stories to counter the several thousand negative images and stories accumulated over the past 40 years.

You never hear about lebanon being one of the only economies to grow during the recession, or as being the most liberal in the region. It is stories like the kibbeh, hummus, and tabbouleh record breaking, the stories of tourism, films like caramel etc.. that project a good image of lebanon. We need a good PR machine to properly market lebanon to the rest of the world.

But again my issue, how do you Market Lebanon as Peaceful when it isn't?

Also in response to the article above.... how many times have you been going about your day in Beirut when Fireworks go off and you think its gunshots.... is this article really untrue?

[melkart]

LMAO I've had exactly the same conversation, except it was with the IT guy at work! They still repair tv's in Canada? Isn't it cheaper to just buy one LOL.

[lebnani]

not when your tv repair man is a poor asian guy, and your tv is a gigantic mother fucking flatscreen. For $100, I think buddy cut us a good deal.

[NorthPole]

LOL. In Poland Mexico (or sometimes Beirut) are words used to describe a total mess / laxity (but they are written in lowercase then to underline their metaphoric sense)
Mexico or Pernambuco is used also to describe total lack of organization, a business mess, a business rush etc.
And yes, when ppl see pictures of street battle, the first thing that comes to their mind is "is this in Beirut again?"

[Rabih]

Today from Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Just a few weekends ago, he said, around 150 youngsters had congregated one Friday night in Low Street. Even during the school day, young people showed a lack of respect for their surroundings.

He added: "It's bad at lunchtimes – there are groups of five or six kids who will walk along the pavement together and not even step aside to let people past. It's sad when you go up onto the High Street at around 1.40pm and see the mess of litter – it's like Beirut."

Macduff councillor Sydney Mair said he was working on proposals to create a youth drop-in centre in the town where young people could meet up out of the cold and chat to their friends.

http://www.banffshire-journal.co.uk/...in_centre.html

[jader3283]

I posted a comment on their website bashing the editors stupidity.

I think we all should, when we get the chance, becasue this denounces lebanon's image significantly.

[melkart]

At least Beiruti's have good teeth! Can't say the same about them Scotts especially ones from Aberdeen!

[Ramy H]

Carrying on from the post in Questions about Lebanon...
I was looking up information about BeerPong origins.. and I found this:

A while back we posted an article on the official rules of Beer Pong. Overall the response was good. However, we kept getting comments and emails from individuals who claimed the proper name for Beer Pong was Beirut. Here is one such comment:

“I really wish the legit drinking websites would stop calling it “Beer Pong”. It’s Beirut, dammit. For those of us that play Beer Pong, to mix up the games is blasphemy. Check this out to get more information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_pong” (At least he called us legit)

I rank these people right up there with the hippies that tell me cutting down trees is murder and that I shouldn’t eat meat because animals have rights too. They can all go straight to H E double hockey sticks. I’m an American and I will play Beer Pong on my table made of wood while eating a raw steak. But I digress. This post is about why Beer Pong is not called Beirut. Here is an exhaustive and thoroughly researched list of these reasons.

1. Beirut is a city full of terrorists in Lebanon. There is no such place called Beer Pongadelphia. There is only the game, Beer Pong.

2. If you Google Beirut, the only thing that shows up for several pages are entries about the aforementioned terrorist breeding ground and the Myspace page for a band called “The Beirut Band.” You actually have to search Beer Pong + Beirut to get results of other ass hats calling Beer Pong Beirut.

3. No girl would ever brag to her friends about a one night stand with the dorm Beirut Champion. That’s like saying you had sex with the president of the Glee Club.

4. Every time someone calls Beer Pong Beirut, Chuck Norris kills a Lebanese baby. In Beirut.

5. If this were an SAT question it would be: Beirut is to Stephen Hawkings as Beer Pong is to Tony Hawk.

6. People who call it Beirut are just trying to be as cool as the college kids who say “Le Mis,” or “Poly Sci.”

7. Beer companies don’t sponsor “Beirut” tournaments.

8. If you call Beer Pong Beirut, you’re probably a Freshman.

9. The even call it Beer Pong IN Beirut.

10. Calling Beer Pong Beirut is like calling a guy “pretty.

Taken from:http://www.thedrunkpirate.com/2009/0...called-beirut/

He published it in March 2009... kinda sad how ridiculously ignorant this guy is.

[NorthPole]

"10. Calling Beer Pong Beirut is like calling a guy 'pretty'."
This one sounds sensible (if you want Beirut to be perceived as "Paris of the East" ).

[Rabih]

Today from Florida, US

Cocoa Village sees more action: Restaurants move in, expand close to heart of the Village
BY PATRICK PETERSON • FLORIDA TODAY • October 29, 2009
...
Even other businesses are benefiting from the restaurant boom.

"Two years ago it looked more like Beirut than Cocoa," BadBirds Gallery owner John Kalinowski said from his perch across from Thai Thai at 318 Delannoy Ave. He's added an employee to do framing for his shop. "There's a whole lot more to come and see here now."

And as the neighborhood has flourished, a convenience store is also thriving...

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...es+more+action

[LeB.Fr]

How do you find these articles Rabih??

[Rabih]

Good question lol I have a habit of news-googling "Beirut" every morning and sorting the results by date

[NorthPole]

Does this addiction have a name?

BTW, the negative context of using name "Beirut" has quite long tradition (probably at least some 50 years). You will not fight it by posting to portals and TVs. Maybe better way would be keep peace in Lebanon longer than some 10 years and advertise it internationally as a cool place instead?

[Rabih]

Originally Posted by NorthPole

BTW, the negative context of using name "Beirut" has quite long tradition (probably at least some 50 years). You will not fight it by posting to portals and TVs. Maybe better way would be keep peace in Lebanon longer than some 10 years and advertise it internationally as a cool place instead?

Your sarcasm is out of place.. This is a very sensitive topic -at least to me!

[NorthPole]

Originally Posted by Rabih

Your sarcasm is out of place.. This is a very sensitive topic -at least to me!

It was not sarcasm at all (I'm not good at sarcasm, especially toward someone who is rather victim of the situation than provoked it). I know my "proposal" is out of this world, but I just wanted to point that most people are not interested in the real source of all the Lebanese wars, nor "who stroked first"; what they see is just pictures of war torn Beirut. You can advertise Beirut professionally and put millions of $$$ on it, but once TV stations will show another down town clashes, people will forget all the ads from the country of 1001 nights and will start use bad picture of Beirut again and again. You cannot fight it (believe me or not, there are still many ppl in Western Europe believing there are polar bears attacking ppl in Poland).
You know, I will always say "I believe, one day Lebanese will stop fighting and start talking regardless of who / which country will try to stop it", even though few last generations showed no long lasting will to make it reality. Lebanese are not stupid and the overwhelming majority will make the day to come sooner than you think (with G-d or devil's help, I don't care).

[Rabih]

In case you haven't heard of the infamous Beirut building in EngleWood, Florida USA
*******

'Beirut building' is toppled after 20 years of wrangling
By CHRIS GERBASI Correspondent
Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009


A construction company uses a crane to tear down the infamous and unappealing "Beirut Building."

ENGLEWOOD - With an initial thud on the roof from demolition equipment and then a breakthrough that brought cheers, the concrete "Beirut building" slowly started to come down Friday.

A group of about 50 residents and Charlotte County officials, many with cameras, watched the beginning of the end to the longtime Englewood eyesore. The crumbling four-story shell of a building, covered by graffiti, had stood unfinished at 1460 Maryknoll Road since 1988. The owner gave up a court fight against an unsafe building notice last week.

"This is a very big day for us," said Dixie Sewell, past president of the neighboring Lemon Bay Breezes condo association, which started the effort to demolish the building in the 1990s.

"It's been so bad looking at this building deteriorate over the years," she said. "You can't imagine how happy I am today."

Mac Horton was a county commissioner when Sewell first brought complaints to the board. Some of his colleagues at the time were not familiar with the structure.

"I said, 'It's the building that looks like it's in a war zone. In fact, it looks like it belongs in Beirut,' and that's how the name started," Horton said.

Seemingly everyone in attendance had their own memories of the place.

"I've lived in Englewood my whole life. I was 5 or 6 when this building went up and it was a big deal," said Connie Cavaleri, who works at the next-door Edgewater Center office building, 1460 S. McCall Road. That part of the project was completed, but the twin building behind it never was because funds ran out.

"Since high school they've been talking about getting rid of this building," she said. "It's looked like this as long as I can remember."

Other area residents made a point of catching the demolition.

"I would've taken a day off work just to see this," said Jim Troop, who has lived about a mile away from the site for seven years. "It's nice to see an eyesore gone."

The building's saga began with a building permit in 1986, and the county issued notices of an unsafe building in 1998, 2002 and 2007. The county was in litigation with two different owners over much of the past nine years.

What the future holds for the site is anyone's guess.

"I'd like to see it in a natural state along the crick," said Dennis Walberg, who has lived nearby for 10 years. "So many boaters use the crick, and kayakers, it'd be nice to have it as a green area again."

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...-of-wrangling#

[Ramazzotti]

in France, when they say: c'est Beyrouth = a bloody matter ...