Bahrain: The Never-Do-It-Yourself Culture · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

We start this week with politics, an ever popular topic in Bahrain. Babbling Bahrania takes issue with what she feels is the woeful state of Bahraini politics:
As usual, we quabble over peanuts whilst the powers that be enjoy the meat and potatoes. Those who chose to participate in the government-scripted political production, demonstrate naivety at best, stupidity at worst, claiming at the outset that it is better to have peanuts than nothing at all. Must we always go through this arduous political ding-dong? We just keep waiting for the next blunder, make a little hoo-ha, pundits spew the same articles, and the people continue to live in stagnation.
Manaf Almuhandis is concerned with possible corruption in the government's Traffic Directorate. He describes an incident after a short drive to his local gym:
When I pulled over at the gym's car park, another car, which was following me pulled next to me. The driver got out and walked towards me. He said hello, I greeted back. Then he said that a pebble flew from my rear tire and hit his windshield, cracking it. And now he wants me to pay for it!

To be frank, I don't know if he was telling the truth or lying. I heard many tales of guys with cracked windshields doing this to strangers trying to guilt them into paying for the repairs. Even if this did happen, it's not really my fault, I cannot control pebbles in the road nor do I know of anyone that can. I abided by the traffic laws in my 3 minute drive and that's it.
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[endif]I told him I can't help him and he said he'd complain to the traffic police. “Suit your self,” I said. I didn't think the police would be interested in such a trivial complaint. Boy was I wrong!
Following a series of phone calls from various people at the traffic department, trying to push him to pay a fine rather than go to court, Manaf wonders if there's something behind all this:
I started to think that this might actually be a scam. Someone with friends in the traffic department are scaring people for BD10 ($26) a pop. Good income. No paper work. Who'd know?
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[endif]I am not saying that this is the case, but it makes you suspicious doesn't it?
Mahmood is also disturbed – and amused – at some official behaviour, after seeing a report in a local paper:
…a girl who attempted suicide has had her stomach pumped and rather than try to understand the problem so they can resolve it, their idea of a solution is to take her to a police station to sign a pledge to not attempt suicide again!
Yes, folks, that’s the deterrent which a girl intent on ending her life is going to pay heed to, a pledge not to do it again.
H. at The Straight Forward Times looks at Bahrainis’ preference for paying other people to do small tasks for them:
No, we can't possibly be arsed to get off the excessively cushioned sofa to get ourselves a glass of water. Apparently, we cannot afford the blood circulation that comes with it.
Hiring maids is like plastic surgery. If it is for necessity, it is justifiable. If it is for vanity, it is totally uncalled for. But, it is really almost never of the former. We don't hire a “helping” hand, because that would imply us being involved in whatever that needs be done. We never, really, hire experts as advisers and novices as assistants. We hire them to fill in for our function and presumed purpose.
I am sure you all know what I mean. This, Never-Do-It-Yourself (NDIY) culture.
The Girl With No Face goes even further; she thinks Bahraini men are lazy and inconsiderate when it comes to their behaviour and physical appearance and yet have very high expectations of women:
me: “but guys go around proudly scratching their balls while farting!! with hairy, sweaty armpits, furry backs, hairy arms and legs and they don’t even bother to shave every other day all the while thinking they’re gods gift to women.. AAAAND they give us shit when we have one little hair out of place on our eye brows!!! and we are supposed to pretend that we don’t eat!! we never burp!! have naturally perfect eye brows, perfect skin, we never fart, we piss perfume and we don’t even have a friggin’ poop chute!!!!”
More from Bahrain in a week!