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| Artwork by Tarek Chemaly - Technocrat/Technocrap |
Lately, there's been so much talk of "technocrat" government - every time I hear the word I want to burst out laughing. I have - in my eventful (or uneventful depending whom you ask) life - encountered a few specimens of people which I have come to realize are representative of society:
A 4th year engineering student at AUB once said "we are four brothers at home". Five minutes later, he says "my sister...". Amazed I inquired "but you just said you were four brothers at home"... To which he replied "oh there are four sisters but we don't even register them with the state, they're just girls you know".Someone who was at one point a close acquaintance: "Every time a man humps a woman out of wedlock the throne of God vacillates with every thrust".
Another friend who is so smart and who has a master's degree in biology, does not believe in evolution. When I pointed out that the genesis story would implicate incest in that case, he replied arguing about the "purity" of the genes at the time - still have no clue what that meant.
Notice that these three men, are highly educated, went to universities, I shall not indicate who is who but one of them is homosexual, and one of them drinks against the teaching of his religion (but does not eat pork).
So what does this tell us?
It tells us that, if among the highly educated echelon, social norms and entrenched stories run so deep, and if these people (supposedly called "technocrats") are alleged to change the country and modernize it and basically make new laws which are more population-friendly and initiate a management style which would be more dogmatic, then in essence - we have a problem. Because these "technocrats" are not going to do such a thing.
And in effect, the religious system upon which Lebanon is built basically is not going to go away. So that supposed "technocrat" government everyone is harping about - spare me - this is more "technocrap" than "technocrat".
So what does this tell us?
It tells us that, if among the highly educated echelon, social norms and entrenched stories run so deep, and if these people (supposedly called "technocrats") are alleged to change the country and modernize it and basically make new laws which are more population-friendly and initiate a management style which would be more dogmatic, then in essence - we have a problem. Because these "technocrats" are not going to do such a thing.
And in effect, the religious system upon which Lebanon is built basically is not going to go away. So that supposed "technocrat" government everyone is harping about - spare me - this is more "technocrap" than "technocrat".