Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich

[purpleme12]

I love that they've channel and Hermes life buoys if they need them 🤣

Doesn’t surprise me a Dubai media company was involved, as I watched it I did feel like I was watching something from the tourist board. I can’t say it’s a lifestyle that appeals to me though!

The sums made by those estate agents are extraordinary.

I've just stumbled across the programme and I am flabbergasted at the vacuousness of the people featured in it. Eye watering amounts of money being mentioned and people selling out in all their glory to chase it! Wow! I wouldn't survive a minute in that country.

Absolutely. I watched this tonight and told DH I never ever want to go there.

Just watched first two episodes.
The poor chef from Philippines (I think?) Who only saw her son once a year
Also, rich people seem to be expats but poor people are immigrants - surely everyone is an immigrant if you're not from there??

If I had a team of 4 Philippine women I'd have some sort of rota where when I go back to the UK one or two of them can go home for a couple of weeks and they take turns. I'd pay for the flights. Morally I couldn't hire staff knowing they were only seeing their child once a year whilst I was taking £80k private jets. I'd want the staff taking a holiday home at least every 3/4 months.

caught this last night.
essex boy done good as an estate agent.

I enjoyed episode two but missed the first one. I thought the buildings all looked very classy. It is certainly a whole world apart from most!

The general consensus amongst the expat community here in Dubai is that this show is pretty embarrassing as it paints a really unrealistic and unflattering picture of what life here is like for most of us.

Our nanny doesn’t have kids but from what she has explained, the concept of moving overseas to work, leaving your children behind, is very normal. She grew up in the Philippines with her dad and older brother spending most of her childhood working in Saudi Arabia. The money they sent home paid for her to go to university and train as a nurse. She now works here in Dubai (first as a nurse in a hospital, then as a private maternity nurse and now as a nanny for us) and sends the bulk of her salary home to support her elderly parents. Not sure how this is a bad reflection on Dubai.

You think the concept of leaving your children/elderly parents behind to earn a pittance for a load of wealthy people is considered 'normal' so it's ok? Try asking yourself if those people would make that choice if they didn't have to.

The lovely chef who only saw her son once a year. So sad that the boss didn't have a thought to send her home lol expenses paid a few times. Hideous creature, and as for her spoilt brat kid, I felt for the nanny.

All. Not lol

I haven't watched it, but DH has (for a work project). There was quite strong criticism of the BBC in the Sunday Times because the human rights abuses and the dark side of the region were not touched on at all - but I imagine they wouldn't have been able to film if they had asked more difficult questions. It sounds as though it was just a glossy marketing exercise for the country, paid for by a national broadcaster - clever on the part of Dubai! But from what DH has told me, it just confirms my view that it's not a country that I want to visit or ever live in - the moral vacuity and conspicuous consumption would finish me off in 5 minutes.

@Panicmode1

I haven't watched it, but DH has (for a work project). There was quite strong criticism of the BBC in the Sunday Times because the human rights abuses and the dark side of the region were not touched on at all - but I imagine they wouldn't have been able to film if they had asked more difficult questions. It sounds as though it was just a glossy marketing exercise for the country, paid for by a national broadcaster - clever on the part of Dubai! But from what DH has told me, it just confirms my view that it's not a country that I want to visit or ever live in - the moral vacuity and conspicuous consumption would finish me off in 5 minutes.

Yes I thought this but there's really nothing stopping them broadcasting a follow up programme shortly afterwards, similarly titled like "Dubai: Behind the scenes" with some of the truth. Inside Dubai is so full of propaganda and the BBC are just allowing it to be completely unbalanced.

the moral vacuity and conspicuous consumption

That pretty much sums it up. How can you live in your home with another person with such inequality right under your nose? Fast fashion and sweatshops is one thing, but to have it all under your roof? I can't begin to imagine what that does to you as a person. I pity them.

I took it with a pinch of salt, as only gave one side. The environmental damage alone was enough to put me off going.

I thought the editing was quite pointed at times - juxtaposing the Phillipino chef and housekeeper shopping and talking about only going home once a year with her employer drinking a cappuccino with her own face printed on it before getting on a private jet. Talking about how she pays them a generous salary then it being pointed out how much that would have got them in the clothes shop. The scene where they spoke about the citizenship benefits then followed up with shots of women and hotel workers explaining that these people would not qualify. Scenes where they talk about how Dubai has got more relaxed followed by the bar manager refusing point blank to talk about it.

I suppose the risk of being more obviously negative in the programme meant that it could have got people in trouble with the authorities. Would struggle to feel much sympathy for the Mugabe woman but would for the hotel workers, domestic help, lifeguards etc covered (who lets face it, have much less protection). Presumably they agreed to be involved with reassurance that they wouldn’t get into trouble/it wouldn’t be overtly negative about the regime.

I wouldn’t say it was clever on behalf of Dubai, nobody I’ve spoken to who’s seen it has had anything positive to say about the programme/how it just came across as a load of spoilt brats. I suppose it’s how much criticism they could get away with whilst still being given access to film.

@PaxRomana my tongue was firmly in my cheek when I said that.

Apologies - I don’t have access to the times to read the article so thought you were mentioning that as criticism from it!

I went to Dubai for a couple of days pre-pandemic to break up a long journey. Never again! DH and I both thought we’d have rather have killed time in the airport than waste our time in Dubai itself if we did the same trip again…

She only wears an outfit once?!!

Those workers in a call centre (was it a call centre?) Weren't getting paid a wage just a commission?! Is that true so they could come home with nothing?!

@purpleme12 Not a call centre, it's a real estate company and they are all estate agents who earn commission on any sales or rentals.

Sorry got confused from the layout

Bbc drivel ! Showing modern day slavery as aspirational ! Not to mention "natives" getting all the wealth if this was the UK it would be a panorama, but it's ok because they aren't too pale!

@Panicmode1

I haven't watched it, but DH has (for a work project). There was quite strong criticism of the BBC in the Sunday Times because the human rights abuses and the dark side of the region were not touched on at all - but I imagine they wouldn't have been able to film if they had asked more difficult questions. It sounds as though it was just a glossy marketing exercise for the country, paid for by a national broadcaster - clever on the part of Dubai! But from what DH has told me, it just confirms my view that it's not a country that I want to visit or ever live in - the moral vacuity and conspicuous consumption would finish me off in 5 minutes.

I agree, it's never been a country I've wanted to visit and this programme would not change my mind. When I see the 'Insta models' out in Dubai, acting as though they're just paid to be pretty, I think 'porta potty' and no amount of money could ever convince me to do that. You'd have to think so poorly of yourself to allow someone to do that to you. 🤢

@purpleme12

Two kitchen!! One not for smelly food!!

I used to run a cleaning company and specialised in high net worth clients with very high end properties and loads of them had two kitchens. It blew my mind at first