WhatsappToo many videos talk about the Middle East with somber faces and concerned looks. Sometimes we need to take a step back and talk about the Middle East with an attitude of satire and wit. Andrew Klavan is a master of this. This is a perfectly enjoyable video that sheds light on some of the ridiculous norms that we treat as givens in the Middle East.
Satire
When the absurd becomes the norm, sometimes the best way to deal with a situation is to laugh. Logic does have its limits. When the State of Israel began building up its fledgling economy in the late 1940’s and early 50’s, things were so backward in so many ways. The State of Israel made a conscious decision to absorb every single Jew who wanted to return to their indigenous homeland. This led to a massive influx of Jews from the four corners of the earth – especially Jews from Middle Eastern lineage. More than 1.5 million Jews were absorbed by around 600,000 Jews. It was way beyond logical. Israel had to have Ministers whose job it was to apply an austerity program. People had to live modestly – there was simply not enough food and water to go around for everyone.
But this led to the building up the State of Israel and all of it’s institutions. A satirical film by Ephraim Kishon called Salah Shabati is based on this time period. One of the most gratifying aspects of the film is the way that so many of the people have such a great attitude while they built up the State of Israel. They laughed off so many of their woes, dreamed of building up a new life for themselves and withstood endless challenges.
Satire, humor, and a general good-natured attitude all serve the purpose of overcoming major hurdles that get in the way of success.
