the Weapons of the Opposition - not an opinion - Blogging Beirut

the Weapons of the Opposition - not an opinion

Posted by finkployd in Info
Wednesday, December 13. 2006

this post was commented as such [see post on blowing smoke rings with arguile]

Leila said

Maybe if you have to ask for more information, you don't deserve to hear it, but this amerikaniye wants to know - what's up with all the narghile pictures? My hubby smoked a water pipe for laughs at a wedding when we were last in Lebanon. But now we see nothing but pics of Lebanese smoking water pipes. I loved the ones of guys smoking in the ruins this summer - defiance, Lebanese style. What is up with all the pipes now during the demonstrations? Is it to remind us of the summertime smoking? Is it to assert the unity of Lebanese across sectarian lines, bound together by tobacco smoke? Is it just a hot fad right now (even in America there's a fad for narghile cafes, you can smoke all over the Bay Area of San Francisco and points east and south)

Could you please riff for us on some of the "semiotics" of the narghile. Thank you.

there's a lot to say about this, but i'll keep it short

unemployment is rampant
an arguile is a cigarette that butts out after some 45 minutes
thus the unemployed smoke arguiles to butt out 45 minutes after 45 minutes of their lives in waiting for the economy to pick up [much more satisfying than 5 minutes after 5 minutes]
and since the opposition is protesting the state of the economy, particularly the economy that steals from the poor to feed the rich, it is only expected that they would be equipped with the weapons of the poor, the weapons that they use to combat the boredom of unemployment and the state of waiting for godot [aka the government] to do something about it [sounds like the current crisis doesn't it?]

it's a weapon that will carry them to victory without anguish - a peaceful weapon perhaps?

Disclaimer: All thoughts, ideas, opinions, propositions, insinuations, et al, presented above are on-the-ground observations. This view was collected from the campground in Downtown Beirut. It is not a general statement about the point or purpose of arguiles.

-finkployd- all rights reserved to BloggingBeirut.com

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First of all, unfortunately there is nothing peaceful about the protestors on the streets there is actually 20,000 reasons why I would not think that they are peaceful, second, I don’t think they are protesting against the state of the economy because if they were they would not have started a very nice summer festival that cost me, you and every other Lebanese1500 victims and around $10 billion.

Thanks, see you in Lebanon if they don’t block the airport exits

#1 Anthony (Homepage) on 2006-12-13 06:04 (Reply)

YES THANK YOU! MY THOGHTS EXACTLY!

#1.1 Anonymous on 2006-12-14 01:34 (Reply)

Arguileh smoking, like all smoking, is hazardous for the health.
What's more, it has higher risks associated with it than cigarettes.
So what act of defiance? Who has the last laugh?!

#2 no apologist on 2006-12-13 08:52 (Reply)

Guys,,,
love the site and am a daily visitor,,, and i can sense an attempt at impartiality! however, the demonstrators protesting the state of the economy!? Really! I had no clue! The economy got in this state after they resigned from office, kahraba and may and al "wizarat al syadyé"... Come on! Now i am for getting this government out of office as the next protester, but let's call a duck a duck!
It is a shame these demonstrations are as they are! It would have been so much more credible for people to take to the streets in an actual to topple a corrupt government, to install actual democracy! but to take out one party for the other, no less worse,,, its a shame!
these youngsters will go directly from the streets to the embassies and the cause is both the government and the opposition! I thought our youth was more politically aware!

#3 EJ on 2006-12-13 18:41 (Reply)

true true

#3.1 finkployd on 2006-12-13 19:13 (Reply)

Hi. I liked Finkployd's interpretation of the scene.

As for the fact that arghile would be more hazardous to health than cigarette smoking, this is 100% made in the USA propaganda. The reason for this is that the US have a big problem with "hookah" smoking by growing thousands of adolescents in their country and particularly in George Bush' Texas !

And since you were talking about weapons, water pipe smoking is the new “weapon of mass destruction” !

For arghile supposed to be more dangerous than cigarettes, follow this link:

www.jnrbm.com/content/5/1/17

with love
genevieve

#3.1.1 Genevieve (Homepage) on 2007-02-18 19:21 (Reply)

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