SEGHAYER Every now and then, close friends of mine ask me to share my personal insights concerning whether certain social phenomena or tendencies exists in Western societies and in the US in particular, since I lived there for over a decade. My answer has always been, with great assurance based on my own observation and humble perspective, that all phenomena including those equated with social, political, economic, and educational spheres do indeed exist in every society on the globe. The only difference is the degree to which they exist. Let me elucidate further by discussing a social phenomenon that we have here in the Kingdom, that is, contradiction, or to put it better, a double standard attitude. I am sure that people would agree that it exists everywhere on the planet. However, it is more noticeable in our society and is more apparent in what Saudis say and do. Usually, we state our firm belief about an issue, but do not apply on the ground what such a belief requires us to do. Consider what a large number of our intellectuals, for instance, call for and then how they react if they happen to be part of the issue under discussion. Sometimes I hear them stating eloquently that “in our society we are able to hold diverse opinions”. However, when someone disagrees with them about an issue, they instead try to shout that person down even if their opponent has solid justification for his or her stand. I often hear many of my colleagues state that they encourage their students to share with them what they think about the classes they teach, or that they encourage their students to feel free to disagree with them when they have different views. It is, unfortunately, sad to say that this is not at all practiced in reality. Moreover, students often do not take their professors' statements seriously and often avoid including themselves in such discussions simply because they are afraid that doing so may lead to adverse consequences. Another example of our contradictory behavior is evident in what we do within the borders of the Kingdom and our behavior when we travel abroad. A large number of Saudis behave in a way that is totally different from or contradictory to our deep-rooted values and beliefs. If you happen to question a person about why he or she does something that is totally against his or her own beliefs, the answer you might receive is: “I just do”. These are just a few examples of the manifestly contradictory behavior that exists on a large scale in Saudi society. The contradiction that arises between what people believe or say and what they do indicates that people who behave in this way do not respect themselves, and consequently they lose confidence in themselves. The way to escape from this negative social dilemma is to always do our best to act upon what we say. We should always be mindful of practicing what we preach. (The writer is a Saudi academic who can be reached at [email protected]) __
