Society, You Crazy Breed

Having lost the last ounce of hope we still had for a respectable band to come and perform in Lebanon, a couple of my friends and I decided to go to the NRJ Music Tour last weekend; we figured it would be the next best thing. The advertisements had been on the radio and TV for a while, and it sounded like it would be a pretty cool event. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.

I honestly refuse to believe that this is what our society has come to. The place was full of teenagers, even though they were supposed to be only part of the target audience. Half of them were under the false impression that they had just landed from France, the other half from the States. I did not hear one person talk in normal Lebanese Arabic; I don’t understand when our language became so incomprehensible for everyone.

We got in, and at some point started wishing we hadn’t. Halftime past the concert, teenage guys were taking off their shirts and dancing around. Not one guy was without a cigarette or a drink, and all of them making out with their girlfriends. Too much PDA for my taste, if you ask me... My friend felt the urge to frown at one of those couples and say “beddna nrou2 ya khalteh, eh?” The saddest part is that these teenagers were pushing each other all around, trying to move ahead in order to cheer for “artists” shaking their booties, giving the finger as an idea of entertainment, and asking them if they were “f****n’ enjoying their mother-f****n’ night”! What’s up with the cursing when you have 12-year-old-s watching you?? At some point, kids started jumping from the teen section which was specifically equipped with extra security, to get into the dance floor zone, which is where most of the people were. When the security guards saw them, they ran after them, caught them, and threw them back into their section, closing the metal gates behind them. I swear it looked as though juvenile delinquents were trying to escape from prison, but were getting caught and thrown right back in. The whole thing looked like a zoo. Oh and we were also lucky to witness what my friend referred to as “the inappropriate attack of the sweaty MILF”: a 40-something-year-old woman was dancing alone, but made her way through 10 minutes later, hooked up with a couple of teenage guys and started dancing with them.

I must say that this adventure created a serious concern for me. I am now terrified of the thought of having children, and raising them in such a society. I would definitely do my best to bring them up the way I see fit, but what about when they go to school, and get acquainted with all kinds of people? What about when they become teenagers and start to want to go out and explore new things? I would hate to become one of those obsessively overprotective mothers, but this experience definitely made me better understand that perspective. I remember when I was that age, I used to be asleep in my bed at 12 AM; I did NOT use to be out at some party, drinking, smoking, and making out with my boyfriend.

Where are these children’s parents anyway? Do they not care? Did their kids lie to them and tell them they are going to sleep over at a friend’s, and then went to the party instead? Or do they simply think it is okay? Because none of these options is fine! This society is officially a degraded and corrupted one, with no principles or values, no limits or standards. These kids are always angry, rebellious, and trying to grow up way too quickly; if only they knew… If only someone would tell them they should enjoy being kids for as long as they can. In my opinion, if this is the generation which will be leading the country, we are headed towards a disaster and we can kiss our society goodbye.