Egyptians and mobiles?!?

Travel Info
Why is it that Egyptians are so obsessed with mobiles and ring tones...etc.? I think it's silly to judge a person by the kind of mobile he owns and whether it's old or new. What's more ridiculous is the fact that very poor people who can barely make ends meet have mobiles with cameras! My cleaning lady and doorman have one! And why is it that even little kids in primary school are walking around with mobiles? To me this is so ridiculous. A mobile is just a way to call and recieve calls only when necessary, with the occasional message sent. I don't own the latest model, and my husband's is even older! So why do people have this weird obsession? Are we a7san nass or a3bat nass?! Why are we sha3b istihlaky to that ridiculous extent?

Travel Tips

You nailed it, we r sha3b istihlaky to the bone. We have to have the nicest cars, the most elaborate "farah" no pun intended, we send our kids to the fanciest schools, though there are better ones that cost less money, etc.........

It's whatever other people conceive us to be, but at home, now that's a different story, we can be whomever we wish to be coz no body is watching.......

U see we derive our social status by what others see us to be, it might not be the true picture but that doesn't matter as long as i am called "basha" or "beih" .

So the more elaborate our lives r the higher out standard in the society, pity really coz if u fall into that "cliche" u will never be fulfilled. What is more shocking is that usually people who don't have that much money and can't afford those luxuries are the ones seeking it more it's a sort of escape from their reality.
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Hello. I'm East European and all I can say is that over here the situation is exactly the same. I guess it's something typical of people who are not pragmatic. For instance I often travel to US and over there most people are concerned with practicality, not how fancy their mobiles are. I don't want to sound judgmental either and I perfectly get your point. I guess such people have to work more on their pragmatic side and start realizing that owning the latest mobile brand, yet not being able to raise their own kids properly is an alarming issue.
A mobile phone is the easiest (and probably) the cheapest way to show that you can afford to have a status symbol. When most of the people can't afford to have a car or an expensive cloths item or a watch, the least they can do is get the latest mobile phone. Plus it's all about communication&entertainment, so it's a social toy, despite popular belief that it's contributing to alienation. Everybody wants to improve their image; the Egyptians are no exception. It's the western concept of consumer society, slowly creeping into the country, that's to blame, not the people.
lynneclaire, that's exactly my point: living in a consumer society leaves you indifferent to whatever you have easy access to, but makes it ever so important when it's just a glimpse of what others see as 'paradise'. You just proved it by using a condescending tone when commenting on someones' disapproval of your choice of phones. Does everyone automatically complies with your choice or do they have a say in it, too?
feeh nas fe montaha el 3abat.
you know el masal:"a2ra3 we nozahy"...that 's what we are...we maybe poor...we may sleep without supper,but the most important thing is our prestige....i got an email with a pic of man with 3arbya karro and talking on the mob!!!
if you asked why they'll say:"makolo shayel nobiel eshm3na ana??"

al7amdulelah,i didn't get the mob til i needed it..when i was studying in another town,....my father always tell us not to buy sth unless you need it........and isa i won't buy my kids a mob when they're in the third grade or sth...!!!.
People do that??
Hospital, hospital = mosta7eel, mosta7eel.