"$250 000 for a car??" I was being asked because I live in the West/North, making me an expert on decadence. I admit with shame that yes, cars can cost that much, and that people sometimes pay it. "But my motorcycle cost $25!" The comment was less protest than confusion. I could tell he was trying to figure out how many motorcycles he could buy with that much money.
We're watching Jet Set, which is essentially a show about decadence. The hand-made Bufori car they were showcasing actually costs two-hundred fifty thousand dollars. The real question on my mind, though, is what this man must think the outside world is like when his only real link with it is this satellite, complete with thug rap videos ("What happens to that full-scene tattoo when the hair on his stomach grows back or when he's old or if he loses weight?" "It's a question I ask myself all the time"), Hollywood movies and shows like Jet Set.
During the times of Saddam, satellite dishes were banned, as was the internet. Today, both are available. Though the internet is still prohibitively expensive, satellite television is in almost every home. Having once had only two state-controlled channels, this means that many people are in TV overload. It is an alternate reality into which people will readily immerse to get away from the shitty existence that is life under occupation. The longer I stay, the longer I want to just sit there in front of the TV too, watching anything but the news.
Most people my age exclusively watch music videos (Arabic and English), Hollywood movies and these shows about decadence, with dabs of soccer here and there. As they watch, their eyes glaze over, and I can only speculate on what happens between then and when they snap out of it. Perhaps they are wondering what life would be like if they were driving that car, or if it was their hands on the dancer's semi-exposed tremoring ass.
Turning off the TV is one of the very few advantages of losing power. The loss of power just now meant that we didn't get to see the luxury train cars that can cost $1.5 million. That's 60 000 motorcycles, in case you were wondering. How would you explain that?
tarek