I can’t believe how things have changed – for the worse – during the National and Liberation Day holidays. I don’t understand how it could have gone from families celebrating national freedom and patriotism (especially THIS year as it is the FIRST year with Saddam gone) to a carnival of teenaged boys terrorizing the streets. It is no longer a national holiday, but a national disgrace.
This was my last holiday on the Gulf Road. We went out on 2 separate occasions and only for an hour each time. That was enough. There were just too many acts of aggression and downright meanness. Senseless acts of meanness. There was no fun. Gangs of roaming young men (lets just call them “hoodlums” because that’s what they were) ran up to cars, pulling on door handles trying to get in (not just ours - but families in other cars). Most of the people seemed shocked and "on alert", and didn’t appear to be having fun. Our own car was rocked by a group of about 10 hoodlums trying to get in. We didn’t have foam. We didn’t even make eye contact. They kicked the doors, they scratched the paint, they shouted obscenities. The police had no way of controlling the crowds; most looked on with disgusted expressions; many of the older guys shaking their heads in disappointment.
These young guys obviously have not been taught right from wrong by their parents (or anyone else). Perhaps they don’t know their own history; how happy their parents, grandparents, and relatives were when Kuwait was finally free in 1991. Perhaps these boys were traumatized by the atrocities that occurred during the months of the occupation and are now dealing with the after-affects. Whatever it was, they were out these past few nights for the wrong reasons.
I have heard that hair removal foam was used in place of the “fun” foam. I further heard that both urine and bleach were used (separately) in the super soaker water guns (as such were confiscated by police). It has gone from fun to malicious criminal intent.
The Kuwait Times reported an incident where a teenage boy opened the rear door of a 4x4 and molested a young girl while her father was at the wheel. The outraged father jumped out of his car and beat the boy in the street. What would you do if in the same situation? I wouldn’t give it a second thought; the kid would be hamburger.
I noticed that as soon as the sun went down, all the women on the streets went home. The cars were all full of families of mostly boys. I couldn’t blame them one bit. It wasn’t safe.
What defense do the police have against these gangs? Rubber bullets, tear gas, water hoses? There has got to be better crowd control than what went on the past few days. If the police can disburse a crowd of demonstrators with truck-mounted water cannons (lets say 3rd-world, hungry workers who haven’t been paid their salaries in six months) then they certainly can stop a bunch of hyped up malicious teenagers committing crimes during patriotic events. Regardless of the nationality, these boys are terrorizing people and it is getting worse.
The authorities should just ban the sale of (and use of) foam all together. It just isn’t worth it. How many people were actually hospitalized? There are no statistics – as usual. This year, it was urine, bleach, and hair removal foam; what will it be next year? Knives?
Really, what a shame.
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22 comments:
hello dg
the last one i went to was in 1994 and it was pretty bad that it convinced me not to go there during these days anymore, you go there to have fun you end up being furious and just want to kill someone, pretty ironic hehe
Exactly what i feel, i wrote about it as well.
actually a few years back the foam thingy was banned, for the life of me i cant come up with a reason why there allowing it now
its disgusting, and someone needs to do something abt it, and its not just for this occasion, its anytime these ppl go out in the street to "celebrate" anything
a couple of years ago, 10 of these hooligans foamed my whole car, then broke the window wipers so that i was stuck couldnt see or move
I avoid 'maseerat' like the plague. For the past 6 days I have been away from this horseplay, staying in the chalet where milder forms of celebration were underway.
No sense of patriotism or appreciation of Kuwait to speak of. Oh well..
theres nothing to do but avoid public places, especially the salmiya & gulf road areas...
Teenagers dealing with the after-effects of the invasion??
I don't think so, My dad was deported to Iraq and was about to get executed for helping foreigners escape, and I have personally experienced the horror from the start till the end, and I mean the whole 6 months! You don't see me throwing rocks or harassing people.
I remember the first 2 years after 1991, during the liberation day, people would drive waving flags off their cars, when I was a kid, I remember waving my hands and making the victory sign with my fingers at a girl in another car, and she would smile and give me the victory sign back... these were the good times. I'm not even Kuwaiti.
Nice blog by the way, please visit mine anytime!!
Well, let me just say nice blog and hey I am American , too! I actually witnessed a horrible scene while I was out with my husnband and kids on the 25th. There was an older Indian man in his Pajero,at the red light, business suit and the lot, and I am supposing he was just trying to get home, cuz he certainly didnt look interested in what was goin on. A teenage boy came up to the car, opened the door, and tried to spray foam on the poor guy. He resisited by covering his face, and trying to close his door. Then the boy called over some of his friends, they held the door opened, while he kicked and spit at the man at least like 4 or 5 times. My heart was broken and my husband enraged. He moved the car over and acted like he was guna hit the boy with the car (only to make him afraid!!), instead the boy came over to our car and tried to open the door on my side. At that point my hubby was boiling, so he got out of the car,ready to grab that boy and God only knows what wud have happened if that kid didnt run away. These ppl target everybody, young and old alike. Where did the respect go?? My husband remembers a whole different way of celebrating National/Liberation Day, and this is not it!!! You are so right by saying its a national disgrace.
Police ? They didn't do nothing other than confiscating a few cans of foam for the records as i saw it . Also some of these ' hoodlums ' will be in that police force in few years .. it's juts a cycle.. No one will be able to stop it..
The next time around the police should publish clearly inth newspapers and on radio exactly what ction they will take on unsolicited acts of agression on publice roads. Foam or water guns it doesnt matter - these men should be put in the clink instantly for a few days.
Anywhere else in the world, that would be called a riot! The banning of the foam won't help, the government and society cannot suppress the people anymore. Instead of avoiding the problem, do something about it! Perhaps a national parade on the Gulf Road, organized by the government, NGOs, schools, etc. This will fill up the streets with a beautiful, respectful way of celebration, keeping the "hoodlums" off the streets, and teaching our children the right way to celebrate. Any inappropriate acts of violence should be answered by tear gas and police intervention.
One day the history books will record the exact moment when foam became associated with celebrating our independence… until then we are left to scratch our heads in bafflement
Teenage boys with overactive hormones running amok for 2 days… maybe if their lives weren’t so empty and repressed the rest of the year they wouldn’t look forward to this “release”.
The funny thing is all it takes is a general announcment from the government that there will be no “parades” allowed. Instead there should be a national patriotic parade with fireworks like the good old days
Chic Politika
"Any inappropriate acts of violence should be answered by tear gas and police intervention"
tear gas? are you serious?
15 maybe more of uncontrollable kids using the inappropriate tools to celebrate, and you're suggesting a tear gas! lets just kill them instead.
yes, tear gas. This is what is used to stop ppl like that no matter what theyre "celebrating." In other developed countried with police forces that are far much more in control than in Kuwait, that is used when there are out of control big groups of "hoodlums" even if it were a "celebration" after a football game! Believe me, I've been there, and it was the only way to stop the ppl from wanting to kill each other from "happiness."
Oh, and I'm sorry, they're not using inapproriate tools for celebrating! They are trying to kill ppl, opening their doors? spraying them while driving! spraying their windshields! Inappropriately grabbing girls?! These are not acts of a "child!" and they're certainly not innocent mistakes. I mean, seriously, someone needs to teach these kids some responsibility and respect, because obviously they're not getting it from their parents.
Anyway, thanks Desert Girl for a great post. It's just unfortunate.
I don't think there is any excuse for criminal behavior. It is like saying, "Oh well, that poor Hawalli Monster couldn't afford to bring his wife here, so of course he was horny and had to prey on a few kids..."
I kinda sorta have to agree with Chica on the tear gas thing. I think the police were relatively defenseless against the types of things I saw - and they were not by any means harmless acts of "fun". Like I said, if the water cannons can be used against peaceful demonstrators trying to get paid, then they should be able to use them on virile young boys as well. Crowd control is just that - control. I didn't think it was "fun" when the boys were ripping metal pieces off my car or kicking at my doors causing damage. I didn't feel bad for them because they have nothing to do in their lives. It would have been really nice to have a canister of tear gas handy. These are the same young men who were spraying bleach and urine. Which do you think is more harmful? Teargas? Bleach?
On a lighter note - has anyone considered the sexual connotations of spraying foam? Hmmm.... projectile white foamy stuff... yes, sexual repression "venting" itself. Its sticky. It gets in your hair and on your clothes (hold the dress, Monica!) Just like putting mayonaisse in a squirt gun and going to a XXX theater.... Maybe if someone wrote to the fearless Tabtabaie and let him know that foam = sex = the devil, then problem solved.
Thats a good post :-)
I cannot agree more with you.
This is one good reason that made me travel during Independence/Liberation days for years now.. Oh I miss the good ol' days!
And now... MORE ON FOAM (think dirty)A form of penis extension.
"How far can you shoot your foam?"
Shake the can rigorously.
Girls can do it too.
Ready, aim, fire.
Skeet skeet skeet skeet...
ok ;)
it's so sad to hear of the destruction in kuwait - my in-laws tend to paint the country in rose colored glasses - could be because they're trying to get us to move there from the US - i'm american - but, my husband's family are all kuwaitis - any feedback appreciated
so sad to hear of the destruction in Kuwait...I am an American living in the US with in-laws in Kuwait who paint a very different picture - trying to get my husband (his family) and our family to move there to open a business???
2009 - knives.
2009 - knives.
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