Althouse: "My friends and I have even coined the phrase: 'My Mohammed is different'..."

July 15, 2010

"My friends and I have even coined the phrase: 'My Mohammed is different'..."

Stupid female tourists.

51 comments:

Anonymous said...: How ironic, a bunch of women around our office coined a phrase: "My Mead is the same..."; 7/15/10, 5:47 PM
The Drill SGT said...: The operative paragraph is:

But to a worker in a seaside resort in a country like Egypt or Turkey, the endless stream of half-dressed, unchaperoned women appears like nothing more than a never-ending carousel of rich prostitutes, just there to be exploited.

These women just don't understand the difference in cultural framework. Any Western woman out alone is by definition, a slut.; 7/15/10, 5:53 PM
Synova said...: "Any Western woman out alone is by definition, a slut."

Exactly.

And an honorable man isn't going to present himself to a slut.

I suppose it's possible to unsluttify yourself with a little bit of effort, possibly including more clothing and a chaperon, but sex is right out.; 7/15/10, 6:05 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Having lived in Egypt, I have seen this many times. It is so pathetic and common.

Then again, I suppose the male equivalents are middle age guys falling for lap dancers or when traveling, for Thai and Philippino prostitutes.; 7/15/10, 6:15 PM
Christy said...: Shirley Valentine is my favorite movie for those I-hate-men nights with girlfriends. Hmmm. Haven't had one of those in a while. Wonder if it still resonates?

Works both ways. I have a guy friend who was taken for a similar ride by a beautiful (if too heavily made up) Russian art historian. About 4 times a year they would meet for a week or so, on his dime, at some exotic luxurious locale. He never ever got to see her apartment in St. Petersburg; she was "ashamed for him to see how poorly Russians lived." I gave up asking about her the second time she missed a paperwork deadline for a fiancée visa.; 7/15/10, 6:19 PM
Cedarford said...: Men and their mail order Asian whorebrides.

Lonely Brit spinsters whose pale skinned fatty thighs jiggle as they act and dress like they were 19 again to attract Abdul...

American chubsters alone with their 9 cats and busy writing love letters to black thugs on death row.

Old Lefty-radical fossils like William Ayres writing about how Chicago crime and blacks whomping other blacks brains out with 2X4's is tied to Colonialism.

Which is the most pathetic??; 7/15/10, 6:27 PM
Unknown said...: As The Blonde, she of 8 years' experience in communicable disease, would remind them, the diseases they bring back, courtesy of Mohammed, will be different, as well.; 7/15/10, 6:35 PM
The Drill SGT said...: C4 gave us the good news: Lonely Brit spinsters whose pale skinned fatty thighs jiggle as they act and dress like they were 19 again to attract Abdul...

To the advantage of these women, to your average arab, blonde is good, and fatty thighs may be a turn-on.

death camp thin anorexic models don't appeal to your average Arab; 7/15/10, 6:41 PM
Anonymous said...: Which is the most pathetic??

Racists spouting their drivel in comments on somebody else's blog.; 7/15/10, 6:48 PM
ricpic said...: Never ceases to amaze but millions of people, men as well as women, have no radar for danger.; 7/15/10, 6:53 PM
The Scythian said...: Fucking hilarious article.; 7/15/10, 6:58 PM
Synova said...: "Which is the most pathetic??"

Ayers.

All the others are foolishly looking for love.

(Goes without saying, of course, that everyone did notice the deliberate crudeness of what you wrote.); 7/15/10, 7:06 PM
Anonymous said...: "...He'll let you draw as many cartoons of him as you like!"; 7/15/10, 7:09 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: My favorite line is:

"I doubt they would behave in the same way with the stallholders of Petticoat Lane."

And you know that.

It reminds me of the wisdom found in that much-hated rap music, especially Ice Cube's much-hated observations from his much-hated song Look Who's Burnin':

Verse one:

I went to the free clinic, it was filled to capacity,
Now how bad can a piece of ass be?
Very bad, so I had to make the trip,
And thank God I didn't have the drip.
I was there so a ho' couldn't gimme that,
Just to get twenty free jimmy hats (condoms).
Now look who I see,
Ain't that... yeah, that's the bitch from up the street.
With the big, fat tail,
Who always told Cube to go to hell.
She thought she was wiser,
Now she's sitting in the waiting room, burning like a Heat Miser.
Yeah I see ya,
First Miss Thang, now Miss Gonorrhea.
Man it's a trip how the world keeps turning,
It's 1991, and look who's burning.

Verse two:

Now everybody is a victim, you can go see 'em,
And you'll hear more claps than the coliseum.
Sitting there all quiet and embarrassed,
Whoop, there goes that bitch who was careless.
I remember she wouldn't give the cock,
To anybody who lived on the block.
Now ho', look what you got,
Bring that big ass over for the shot.
'cause somebody is pipin' hot,
Dripping like a faucet, I'm glad I didn't toss it.
Got you a college boy who was worse than me,
And he probably fucked the whole university.
Still wanted him to dick you down, kick you down,
With some bucks, now who got fucked?
With a nigga for the money he's earning,
But ask for some water bitch, and look who's burning.

Verse three:

Yo, it ain't my fault you got the hibbie-jibbies,
But you still try to act like you didn't see me.
So I walk over, and say "hi",
Bitch, don't try to act surprised.
You should've put a sock on the pickle,
And your pussy wouldn't be blowing smoke signals.
Man, this is gonna kill 'em,
Guess who got a big fat dose of penicillin?
They all ask "who?", and I tell 'em "you",
The new leader of the big booty crew.
And after the day, I'm sorry to say,
You come to the neighborhood, you couldn't give it away.
To a nigga, who's out to get major paid,
But you'll have him, pissing out razorblades.
But a bitch like you,
Will be returning with the H.I.V, R.I.P..; 7/15/10, 7:41 PM
traditionalguy said...: The lustful Egyptians are real, and the all dream of having a fling with a redhead or a true blonde. Every woman in their little world is black haired. Desire is what makes the world go round, or at least for a while. The rich oil sheiks send their horny young men to London to learn English and get the red/blonde haired fetish out of their system so they can arrange them a marriage back home. Those guys are indeed using willing English women as courtesans.; 7/15/10, 7:45 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Never ceases to amaze but millions of people, men as well as women, have no radar for danger

This.

Plus how pathetic their lives must be that they think they can find instant romance with swarthy strangers in foreign lands, when there are probably many very nice men at home who would be good lovers and great husbands.

They need to get their brains out of those bodice ripper romance novels.

I grew up for some years in Mexico. (Mexico City and Tequisquipan). I was too young to be affected, but I do remember that my Aunt who was 8 years older than myself, always had to have a Duena or chaperon at all times when out in public (without family). Especially on dates with young men.......awkward.

All the 'proper' young Mexican ladies did this.; 7/15/10, 8:16 PM
Synova said...: I do think that love as portrayed in the bodice rippers is unrealistic, but I blame sexual liberation and the lies it tells women claiming it's the truth more than I blame romantic fantasies presented as fiction.; 7/15/10, 8:45 PM
bagoh20 said...: They get what they want, just not all they want. Sounds like a normal relationship.

They could have really appreciated the experience if they would just think like a predator rather than prey. Cougars should be top of the food chain in any culture.; 7/15/10, 8:46 PM
bagoh20 said...: Has the scenario of a romance novel ever really happened, even once?

WV: devas; 7/15/10, 8:49 PM
grackle said...: There’s those of both sexes and all cultures who succumb to the lure of the exotic. But why anyone would be surprised when it either comes to its inevitable end or turns sour is beyond me. It sounds as though the swarthy ones are the more realistic – not cruel, uncaring or shallow – just more realistic.; 7/15/10, 9:05 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Has the scenario of a romance novel ever really happened, even once

I imagine it might have; and it probably wasn't all the fun it was cracked up to be.

I agree with Synova. The sexual liberation movement just fed women (and men) a pack of lies and unrealistic expectations of relationships. Not so much for literature because romantic/fantasy stories have been around since the Bible and epitomized in Jayne Eyre. The Victorians were actually very erotic people.; 7/15/10, 9:09 PM
bagoh20 said...: I would bet that had those swarthy players acted more honorably, the women would have not been so attracted to them. Being a nice guy is often a quixotic act of faith. The blame for the success of the alternative male strategy falls squarely on women.; 7/15/10, 9:12 PM
KCFleming said...: Althouse's recent post on pick-up artists told the same tale, from the guy's perspective.

I suppose it has ever been thus.

Women are very often attracted to bastards and schemers; I've never understood it. In college, the guys who were absolute assholes to women had their pick of babes. No, that's not news. Just curious, and remains so to me.

I have always felt like a visitor to this planet, a stranger observing. Women notice that; not in a good way. I consider it a sort of birth defect.; 7/15/10, 9:32 PM
HKatz said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/15/10, 9:47 PM
fivewheels said...: One of my neighborhood bars is a British-style pub, and it gets a lot of UK tourists (which seems silly to me, why not go somewhere less familiar?). Sometimes it does seem as if those women, especially when drinking, are a little ... eager. Noticeably. The point being, it might not be just swarthy exotic men.

When I used to read Rachel Lucas' blog, she used to write a lot about the decline and wussification of England. It's not a trend I ever heard or read about anywhere else, really, but maybe it's real. Maybe the women there are just looking for something else.

But as far as unrealistic expectations of vacation romance, to me that also smells like small sample size crossed with cherry-picking for a story.; 7/15/10, 9:48 PM
themightypuck said...: I don't know why it is curious Pogo. There are tons of pretty good explanations for it. Women tend to fall for this stuff less and less the more experienced they are.; 7/15/10, 9:54 PM
JAL said...: @HKatz -- I was wondering if these women have no moral compass.

On the other hand, when I was much much younger (20) I was intrigued by the exotic. But when he (an American brand of exotic) couldn't anticipate an obvious plot device in a movie we went to it was a no go.

The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. And without that we are often frail and foolish people.; 7/15/10, 11:20 PM
Fred4Pres said...: They could have really appreciated the experience if they would just think like a predator rather than prey. Cougars should be top of the food chain in any culture.

That is probably true. But it often does not work that way.; 7/15/10, 11:43 PM
HKatz said...: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. And without that we are often frail and foolish people.
It can be beautiful, as long as the brain is involved.

This is what people have always been struggling with, this tension between wanting a desire gratified and the knowledge of the consequences (which can seem so distant and abstract when the very thing you want is right there).

Plus they're on vacation. People on vacation are more likely to give themselves license to do things that they wouldn't when they're among family/friends/colleagues back home... even if they later take the consequences home with them.; 7/15/10, 11:46 PM
mc said...: Ugh.

Just UGH!

There is a brief sequence in Theroux's "Dark Star Safari" where he mentions the nightly economy on the waters of Egypt.

I kept my mouth shut as a woman spoke of "exotic men" because they would "know how to do it."

Ugh, once again.

People are people, and when I sound racist it is because I know that people across the globe are, to our delight and misery, people.

Western and, more specifically, American women are indeed viewed in the light of their behavior.

Shallow and exotic and able are often confused.

Often they are confused by the most tacky and tawdry Westerners.

While I am at it allow me to add "Fuck MTV"; 7/15/10, 11:49 PM
vza said...: First of all, The woman's tale begins with her going to her guide's room! Come on! Did she read anything about the culture before she went on the trip? When traveling, follow the golden rule: When in Rome...
Traveling in the Middle East requires one to dress and behave modestly. Women do NOT go to a man's room. Even if you follow all of the rules, as we did, women traveling alone are basically viewed as sluts by many of the men in the Middle East. In Syria, a truly wonderful country btw, there were men who were perfect gentlemen, with beautiful, old-fashioned courtly manners. There were also a few who were of the fanatical religious ilk and looked at us, complete strangers, with such disdain and contempt because we were Western women unaccompanied by our male relatives. In a crowded souk, I accidentally brushed up against the sleeve of a robed man, and he acted like I had given him the plague because he had been touched by an infidel woman. Then, there were the starers, which includes most of the men between 18 and 40. They do not simply look. No, they stare and stare and stare. It became so uncomfortable and annoying, I almost NEVER looked a man in the eye for the remainder of the trip, and began wearing Jackie O style sunglasses everywhere! Next, we had the male workers at most of the hotels who tested the door handles to our room at some point during the night, looked through the keyholes,and in general lurked about... STARING! Finally, there were the guys who were the hucksters, who were interested in money, sex,or a Green Card. What they were after was so obvious, a woman would have to be in a delusional state to fall for any of it. I saw some Western women falling for this nonsense and I was deeply embarrassed for and by them.
In spite of all the goofy behavior on the part of a lot of the men in the Middle East, it is a wonderful region to visit. Just tune out the immature men and enjoy the great sites,culture, and hospitality of the people.; 7/16/10, 12:01 AM
Beth said...: "As told to Boudicca Fox-Leonard."

That's the best part of the story.; 7/16/10, 12:06 AM
William said...: Bagoh asks if the plot of a romance novel has ever actually been acted out in real life. The Duke of Wellington's romance sounds like a Jane Austen novel. In his youth, when he was the younger son of minor Irish nobility, he fell in love with the local beauty. He proposed marriage to her, but he was at the time relatively poor and with few prospects. The girl's ward, her older brother, declined the offer. Wellington, heartbroken, joined an unfashionable regiment and went to India. In India, he proved his mettle as a soldier and returned with great fame and fortune. ... During his absence, the young beauty had contracted smallpox. She had lost her beauty and had not married. Wellington had become one of Britain's most celebrated men. He, nonetheless, repeated his offer, and they were wed. It was a serviceable and dutiful marriage through all their long years together.......There are many more books and movies made about Napoleon than Wellington, but an argument could be made that Wellington was the true romantic hero.; 7/16/10, 12:34 AM
Skyler said...: Finally, there were the guys who were the hucksters, who were interested in money, sex,or a Green Card. What they were after was so obvious, a woman would have to be in a delusional state to fall for any of it. I saw some Western women falling for this nonsense and I was deeply embarrassed for and by them.

The dark secret that no one dare mention is that this is how B. Hussein's momma got hitched to a certain gentleman from Kenya. I'm not sure which side of that arrangement was more pathetic.; 7/16/10, 2:06 AM
Anonymous said...: "......There are many more books and movies made about Napoleon than Wellington, but an argument could be made that Wellington was the true romantic hero."

Sorry to burst your bubble but The Iron Duke was always getting some on the side during the marriage.; 7/16/10, 6:23 AM
Paco Wové said...: "...the fanatical religious ilk ... looked at us, complete strangers, with such disdain and contempt...

...he acted like I had given him the plague...

...there were the starers, which includes most of the men between 18 and 40...

...the male workers at most of the hotels who tested the door handles to our room at some point during the night, looked through the keyholes,and in general lurked about...

...the guys who were the hucksters, who were interested in money, sex,or a Green Card..."

truly wonderful!; 7/16/10, 6:50 AM
Adam said...: There was this handsome, sweet-talking exotic guy from Chicago who came to Madison a couple of years ago. He was so charming compared to my soon-to-be ex, a real slob of a Texan, that I was just swept off my feet. I let my well-worn cloak of cruel neutrality slip from my shoulders onto the floor of the voting booth, where Hussein told me he'd always be completely transparent with me.

What a fool I was.; 7/16/10, 6:54 AM
Shanna said...: Wow! That article is a trip. These women are so, so dumb. Have they never heard of a vacation fling? Those things aren't really supposed to last because everybody goes home and that is the expectation at the outset. I can not imagine flying off to some country to sleep with some guy for 2 weeks and considering that the "love of my life".; 7/16/10, 7:15 AM
Shanna said...: During his absence, the young beauty had contracted smallpox. She had lost her beauty and had not married. Wellington had become one of Britain's most celebrated men. He, nonetheless, repeated his offer, and they were wed.

The woman would never lose her beauty in a romance novel, but I agree that's a very sweet story. And one I hadn't heard, so thanks!; 7/16/10, 7:28 AM
lemondog said...: Indeed, by the end of the tour Sonia was hooked, returning to the UK on cloud nine believing that she had found her perfect match. But, when she returned a few months on, consumed by love, she found Samir indifferent to the point of actually ignoring her.

'He made me feel special and important and I was completely taken in'

If Sonia was American she would have voted Obama.

And it would be 'MHD' in lieu of 'MMD.'; 7/16/10, 7:41 AM
reader_iam said...: While part of me had always wondered whether Ali was faithful given that we saw each other so infrequently

You DID?!? And: 9-frickin' YEARS?! WTF?

I have come to believe that such romances between Western women and young Arabian men working in tourist resorts have insurmountable differences to conquer.

You have? Well, I'll be damned.

Stupid is right.

wv: aminessa = love amnesia, or some diplomatic way to say "stupid female tourists"; 7/16/10, 8:31 AM
reader_iam said...: I do like this, at the end:

as told to Boudicca Fox-Leonard

That's some name, innit?; 7/16/10, 8:45 AM
Anonymous said...: I look at that photo of Daphne and all I can think of is "My God, she's getting a hell of a sunburn there."

As for real-life romances, well, there's Peter Freuchen and his first wife, Navarana - assuming that it really happened as he told it.; 7/16/10, 9:01 AM
ALP said...: These women sound like the modern-day version of Jane Digby, the subject of Mary S. Lovell's book, "Rebel Heart", which was published in 1995. Ms. Digby lived a scandalous life in the mid-1800's, culminating in a marriage to a Bedouin young enough to be her son. From the Library Journal review of the book: "For the few who may actually think that the lifestyles of the vain and vapid are anything new, this work is recommended reading."

There must be lots of interest lately in this type of thing, as Ms. Lovell is due to publish her second book on Ms. Digby this October ("A Scandalous Life: The Biography of Jane Digby").

Just goes to show that as time marches on, more and more people can indulge in what only the very rich could do.; 7/16/10, 9:53 AM
ALP said...: fivewheels @ 9:48:

"When I used to read Rachel Lucas' blog, she used to write a lot about the decline and wussification of England."

I LOVE Rachel Lucas and really enjoyed her posts from England. I miss her and look forward to the day she begins blogging again.; 7/16/10, 9:57 AM
Sofa King said...: Typically, the Onion did it first.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/european-men-are-so-much-more-romantic-than-americ,11552/; 7/16/10, 12:40 PM
test said...: Paco, you missed the best tie in:

Paco Wové said...
"...the fanatical religious ilk ... looked at us, complete strangers, with such disdain and contempt...

...he acted like I had given him the plague...

...there were the starers, which includes most of the men between 18 and 40...

...the male workers at most of the hotels who tested the door handles to our room at some point during the night, looked through the keyholes,and in general lurked about...

...the guys who were the hucksters, who were interested in money, sex,or a Green Card..."

truly wonderful!

7/16/10 6:50 AM

You needed to include:
Just tune out the immature men and great sites,.

Huh?; 7/16/10, 3:14 PM
test said...: Whoops, something didn't work right there.

Just ...enjoy the ... culture and hospitality of the people.; 7/16/10, 3:15 PM
vza said...: What's your point Marshal and Paco? Think there was a contradiction there? The topic of the article led me to elaborate on that particular aspect of the Middle East.I don't claim it is the definitive analysis of Middle Eastern males and culture. It was my experience and at times it was annoying, but it was only ONE part of the picture. I could go on for hours about all of the other... yes, truly wonderful features of the region.; 7/16/10, 6:11 PM
test said...: You spent your entire post criticizing the people and culture. Fairly it seems to me, those episodes would disturb me. But then you say the people and culture are wonderful.

Don't you find that funny?

We don't get to define culture as the bits we like.; 7/17/10, 8:35 AM
jamboree said...: I had a very diverse group of friends as a kid and young adult -but they were largely female. They would tell me all the crap about their men's dark side, how they really thought about white women, etc. and I would tell them all the stuff about mine. ( I consistently had to warn them off being too overly charmed by a bunch of tousled hair and glinty Irish eyes, for example... and warn them of the abusive Darkness that the combination of impossible (and now waning) old-timey Catholic standards, an Irish personality with tendencies towards Depression, and Alcohol could produce.)

Still, I am a big fan of the Men of the West as compared to other cultures. I complain because you can't help but want even better than what you have, but I am well aware that we have pretty much the best deal there is to be had out there and it's just getting better with time.; 7/17/10, 7:50 PM