Page 46 - Issue 39

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 39, January 2022
Vol.1, Issue 39, January

Even in marriage arrangements, people strive to They give them dirty looks, rudely speak to them,
marry off their children to people of a similar or and even call them derogatory terms based on
higher social class. “My son/daughter has to marry surface characteristics such as clothes, dialects, or
this rich, successful woman/man,” and if said just about anything that makes them different. This
children bring home someone that does not meet is especially noticeable in Egyptian communities
those criteria, parents may turn hostile towards their outside of Egypt. I heard and witnessed the
potential son/daughter-in-law. Even more disturbing atrocious things people say and do to try to be part

are cases where you hear parents urging their of “upper class” circles. People even go as far as
children to break off their engagements for a lying about their birthplace because they are
“better” option even when there was nothing wrong ashamed of it. Can you believe it?
with the original couple. They treat marriage as a On the other side of the coin, some people treat
transaction instead of a matter of building a family those who they think are of a higher social standing
based on common morals and compatibility. either with disdain or absolute awe. They also fall
One thing leads to another, and we end up with a down a rabbit hole of assumptions just because
myriad of people trying to climb the social ladder to someone may speak foreign languages, drive a nice
improve their lives and escape class assumptions. car, or look “polished.” Both sides are equally
There is nothing inherently wrong with trying to repulsive and quite terrifying. How easy is it to
have a better life, but some people take it to new change people’s perceptions just by changing the
extremes to make it look like they belong to the way you carry yourself? People assume that a
“upper class.” They start to deny their heritage and woman wearing an Abaya either lived in Saudi
cling to western ideals in an attempt to erase Arabia or the Gulf States or lives in a low-income

neighborhood, depending on the style of Abaya she
wears. Meanwhile, the woman in a polo shirt and
khakis must be living in a gated community, drive a
nice car, and have her kids enrolled in a private
school. And the sad thing is, people treat both
women differently, even if it is the same person in
both scenarios.
Like the rest of the world, Egypt is not free of
classism and other forms of prejudice. The problem
is that it has become so prevalent that we need to
address it more. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our
heritage and we should never shame those who are
trying to become better off. What we should do,
however, is discourage those who think it is okay to
judge people who are different from them.

their own beautiful culture because they refuse to We should never treat people differently because of
become associated with those who they claim are of what we see on the surface. Beauty fades, wealth
a “lower” social standing. They dress a certain way, comes and goes, race, skin color, and religion make
make friends with certain people and refuse to us different. We should dig deeper and try to find a
speak their mother tongue. Is that necessarily a bad person’s golden core: their personality, their spirit.
thing? Absolutely not. It turns ugly, however, when This is what lasts; therefore, we should stop
these same people judge and treat those they deem assuming things and treat everyone equally with
“less” than them with disrespect. respect.

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