Debating Dubai

I have a confession to make.  I liked Dubai.

Even typing the words makes my New-England Liberal-Arts sensibilities cry out with anguish.  "Noooo!" they say.  "What about the flagrant abuse of imported labor... the fiscal irresponsibility... the mind-boggling environmental impact... the capitalism run rampant!?"  It's hard to admit, really.  I've not liked Dubai for so long, changing my mind is hard.

Having lived in Muscat makes it easier, though.

In the words of one of our lecturers in Dubai, "Muscat is nice.  Boring, but nice."  After a few months living in what is basically a few downtown areas, shopping malls, and suburbs connected by one very long highway, the urban nature of Dubai was ridiculously fun.  They have a metro system, for crying out loud.  A clean, reliable, cheap metro system.  And metered taxis!  I didn't have to bargain for a few minutes before getting in a cab, only to have the driver try to change the price upon reaching the destination!  And if the distance was short enough, walking was possible.  Dubai is much less humid that Muscat, making the heat more managable, and there are well-used sidewalks that make you feel like you're a part of the landscape, rather than the freakish exception to the "drive everywhere" rule. 

Dubai also feels safe.  Not that Muscat feels particularly dangerous, but we were walking and exploring and roaming about without any of the anxiety you would expect in a new city.  People were polite, the streets were clean, and due to the international nature of the city, I didn't stand out that much.  Even the seedier parts of the city felt okay.  When I accidentally got in an elevator with a prostitute, she politely asked me how to get to a particular floor.

I don't think I could live there.  All the previous arguments against Dubai still stand, and need to be dealt with.  But as was asked in our post-trip discussion, why does Dubai get all the hate?  Can any of the big American cities claim to not have issues with human trafficking, or terrible environmental consequences?  Why are the building projects looked at as a bad thing, when Dubai is becoming a center for architectural innovation and modern Islamic art?  Why do we have to view Dubai's capitalism as a problem, and not as a viable alternative to the problems that plague the region, like extremism and economic stagnation?

Food for thought. 

Speaking of which, Dubai has sushi.  Which may have affected my opinion somewhat.