Racism in Dubai

Last night I discovered that Dubai is an openly racist city. Unlike in the United States where racism still exists, but only in subtle ways, Dubai can be overtly racist. Upon arrival at a concert-like venue, I was immediately asked to skip to the front of the line by the bouncer, passing about 10 Asian men. I attributed my preferential treatment to my sex. However, later in the night, I was informed that the bouncer also discriminates based on race. He charged two of my male friends 100 dirhams each because one was Keyan and the other was Egyptian. My white male friends, on the other hand, were allowed in free of charge. Apparently, there are no laws against racism in the UAE, so a bouncer can literally point to you, you, and you in a line and ask them to pay, while the others can go in for free. How ridiculous is that?!

I guess I could see underlying racism in Dubai before I was told about it, but I had no idea how prejudiced people could still be in the 21st century. I mean, I'm in Dubai, which is a pretty developed city. I guess policy hasn't modernized as fast as the buildings have. In the Northeast, we always have to be politically correct. We are taught to censor our speech at a young age so that we never offend anyone. Here, people straight up say whatever they are thinking. Even my European friend loudly makes racial comments and politically incorrect statements all the time. I am not used to this. At Ursinus, we're correct for misusing "black" instead of "African American". Here, anything goes. haha.

Anyway, I just wanted to post about the difference between the US and the UAE. I know I'm really behind with pictures, so tonight I think I am going to go out and capture the city in photographs. I should post some soon. :)