The Importance of Culture to the Average Kuwaiti (Part 1)

DISCLAIMER: For someone who fluently speaks and writes in two languages, understand (to an extent) two more and can follow detailed instructions on how to assemble a PC machine from scratch, I consider myself a fairly bright enough person to be discussing and concluding on this subject, so my apologies to those of you who think otherwise. I will be ranting on about some stuff that will hopefully summaries a lot of issues that popped up since the last time I complained about the state of the nation, so here goes;

Far be it from me to belittle the ‘other Kuwaitis’ out there, but the way I see it, most Kuwaitis living in Kuwait can be considered as ‘average’, given the usual traits, which will be evident as you read on..

Considering that the average Kuwaiti has around 13-14 years of general preparatory education (Kindergarten, Infant, Junior, Senior), he does not make the most of it until the final 4 years, where it counts the most! Even then, depending on what the student’s musings would be, the average Kuwaiti would be expected to select his or her career between the ages of 15-18.

During this time, the average Kuwaiti becomes exposed to the usual dosage of early adult Life, of which education sometimes takes a second seat, especially considering the life-changing events of Puberty, and this happens while vocal throats shout at him from Parliament with their antics of blasphemy, apostasy and punishable woeful misgivings. Now, depending on this average Kuwaiti’s social skin (family values & belief systems, education, social connections or lack of..Etc) he or she may undertake to disregard the pundits from Parliament, and just focus on pure education and career prospects. 

These people will more often than not seek to further and advance their education, often by seeking out good colleges and universities, but sometimes also seeking out a military career.

My opinion is that it is from this segment that most average Kuwaitis shift to a higher evaluative description, such as ‘Kuwaiti Lawyer, Doctor, Engineer, Officer, etc…In other words, the Producer Kuwaiti. (PK)

Others may heed their feeble warnings, encouraged or simply nudged by their social skin to be conformant to all figures of authority (not just religious ones) whether actual or assumed, official or clandestine, and blindly obey what’s dished out onto their plates, affecting their education to such an extent that their only true struggle-in their opinion-would be the one that would help them reach their most ultimate aims of a secure job with a secure salary and a secure pension, and government-subsidized high-value essentials like travel and luxury living, hence the birth of the Consumer Kuwaiti. (CK)

Like it or not, every Consumer Kuwaiti is an average Kuwaiti, and since average Kuwaitis represent the majority of the population, it is safe to assume that the majority of Kuwait-as a society- is of an average one, and therefore a consumer-oriented one.

Believe it or not, these two subculture intersect during times of need, usually based on a mutual disrespect for the law, brought about by the lawmakers’ disrespect for society, a sort of ‘reciprocal’ reaction to an historic itch (some would say, a thorn in the Government’s thigh!)

Herein lays another problem: What happens when the enlightened PK assumes power over the average CK, at the behest of a feeble and mediocre government that operates a very selective and questionable monitoring & intelligence-gathering system?

....to be continued.