This summer, newspapers and magazines in London were full of stories and images of Arab millionaires who sparkled their wealth with the loss (and sometimes amazement) of passers-by in the western part of the British capital. Young royals and sons of oligarchs show their super-cars only in noticed magazines, Arab young women go to luxurious department stores, such as Harrods and Selfridges, covered with diamonds and jewelery, wearing a fashion look that is suitable for walking advertising of luxury brands to suit the number of logos printed on each head scarf and purse.
Westerners, who, like everyone else, understate and define elegance in simplicity, feel a sense of shock when confronted with such sights and wonder why Arabs love to brag !!!
To answer this question, we must consider this question from three different points of view: cultural, religious and historical.
Cultural reasons
The more oriental you are doing in this world, the more you notice the boasting culture. You do not even need to leave Europe to meet face to face with a demonstrative attitude to luxury. Think of Italy ... have you seen an Italian lately? They are also covered with company names from head to toe ... Well, maybe Italians know how to be more presentable, bearing brand names, but this does not diminish the fact that they like to brag. Spaniards, Greeks, Russians, Turks, they all share the same cultural attitude. To be clearer, the trait does not boast only in France, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries.
But why do we only notice the Arabs? Just because in the summer in London there are more Arab tourists than all other nationalities. Moreover, the Arabs, regarding the amount of wealth they use, can overly drive the fastest cars, wear the largest stones and remain in the most exclusive addresses of the city. But suppose that we give the same wealth to one of the Eastern cultural nations, do you really think that their citizens will not be more spectacular than the Arabs? Heard Onassis? Did you see Berlusconi? Exactly!
Religious reasons
There is a verse in the Qur'an that, if translated into English, would mean: “And you must speak of the gift of your God” ... or, in other words, show what God has given you. This leads to the conviction that it is bad or even non-religious, to be rich and not show your wealth. Knowing that in the East, especially in the Arab world, religion shapes lifestyles, attitudes, behavior and social relationships, it would not be a surprise to find people who compete to show the gifts of their God, a competition that reflects themselves in fashion, cars, houses , lifestyle, etc. ...
The amazing thing about these societies is how they look at understated people, those who are considered good taste in the West, so as not to show off. They consider them skrikami !!! Arabs believe that rich people who do not show their wealth are hiding, and such characters will gossip in Arab societies. You cannot be rich and wear a Casio watch or ride a Ford Fiesta, because people will think that you are afraid of something ... maybe you are afraid of the source of your wealth or, even worse, people will think that you are nouveau riche and do not know how to spend my money.
Historical reasons
Throughout history, Easterners in general, and Arabs, in particular, were related to extravagance and generosity. If you look at the Arab architecture of the Middle Ages, you will find excessive luxury in how buildings were decorated. The palaces of the Arab caliphs were filled with mercury ponds, where tiger-skin pillows floated in the living room for rest. Arab women usually wore pure gold belts inlaid with the rarest stones and clothing made of the finest silk brought from India and China, and sown using gold threads. Books were written in thousands and sleeves in gazelle leather ... even horses and camels used to be decorated with silver and gold chains. All this existed at a time when Europe lived in the darkest times, and when Charlemagne was still learning to write his name.
Come to the industrial revolution, which brought a new European age of wealth and a better life for industrialists, as well as poverty and extreme poverty for the working class. Luxury in Europe has always been accompanied by the feeling that to be a gentleman or a lady you should appear as a person who feels the suffering of an unprivileged majority. All generous but not useful in the way of utility was considered bad taste, and luxury items were appreciated by their innovations. It was evident in fashion, costumes, hats and umbrellas were replaced with decorated mantles and tiaras. This happened in Europe, while the East, especially the Arab world, slid into its dark ages, carrying with it the shells of a luxurious past and hanging from the memories of their successful ancestors.
Two different historical paths shaped the taste of two different cultures, but who is right and who is wrong? Well, who says that understated good and ostentatious bad? Who says we shouldn't brag? Who decides whether it is impossible to buy supercars again and again and drive around the city blocks? Who!
In my opinion, the reason that the London newspapers and magazines wrote articles about Arab boasting was that the Arabs boasted in London! that journalists in Dubai, for example, write about demonstrations of their citizens? No, because in Dubai and other Arab cities, showing off is the norm, and understatement is what surprises the public and shocks them.
You just need to listen to the Arabs talking about the bad taste of Western people, and you know exactly what that argument is.
