Upload a Spoof Video, Go To Jail (In Dubai)

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Upload a Spoof Video, Go To Jail (In Dubai)

Posted by timothy on Tuesday December 24, 2013 @04:57AM from the little-touchy dept.

Taco Cowboy writes with news, as reported by the BBC, that eight people have been imprisoned in Dubai for creating a spoof video about youth culture in that country, for which they were accused of acting "with the intent of inciting to actions, or publishing or disseminating any information, news, caricatures, or other images liable to endanger state security and its higher interests or infringe on the public order." "The video, posted to YouTube, was a gentle satire on young men in the Satwa residential suburb of Dubai who adopt a 'gangsta' pose despite living the sedate, prosperous lifestyle more usually associated with Dubai residents."

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God damn! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-24 05:01 · Score: 1, Insightful

Arabs are some uptight people!
And they used to be the most progressive people on Earth - even after Islam!
1. Re:God damn! by murdocj · 2013-12-24 06:46 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I wondered how long it would take to morph a discussion on how Dubai suppresses speech into "USA Evil!!!!" Congratulations!
2. Re:God damn! by rsilvergun · 2013-12-24 11:43 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  My understanding is America is a large part of what made the Middle East so extreme. We meddled in their politics to keep Communism from spreading and ended up putting some really awful people in power. Our relentless thirst for cheap oil doesn't help matters much either.
  
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It reminds me of the US by mrchaotica · 2013-12-24 05:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

As an American, it's hard to criticize Dubai when kids in the US getting expelled from school and/or arrested over the content of their jokes or writing assignments.

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"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
1. Re:It reminds me of the US by Baloroth · 2013-12-24 05:21 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  As an American, it's hard to criticize Dubai when kids in the US getting expelled from school and/or arrested over the content of their jokes or writing assignments.
  No, it's still very easy to criticize. Just make sure you criticize everyone who acts like that.
  
  --
  "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
2. Re:It reminds me of the US by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-24 05:33 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  That is something good to point out. As a US citizen, part of our duty is to bring stuff about a kid getting expelled for a pop-tart eaten in an "L" shape and let it be known as unacceptable.
  Injustice has no borders. It is just as wrong to toss some kids in the UAE in jail for showing off some ballin' as it is to have a kid expelled for something stated on Facebook criticizing a teacher or admin.
3. Re:It reminds me of the US by jklovanc · 2013-12-24 05:34 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  There is a major difference between a couple of days off school and 8 months in prison and a permanent criminal record. Yes there have been some questionable arrests but I have yet to see convictions and prison sentences in the US.
  Any country that can not take a little criticism of their youth really needs to take a hard look at themselves. The only way to change bad things is to first admit they are happening.
They have a good reason by paiute · 2013-12-24 05:18 · Score: 3, Insightful

These guys have to keep a paranoid, choking control on the people. Oil-filthy-rich nations in the region have to be praying that no organization whose initials are AQ would have the brilliant idea to take them over instead of wasting their time bombing malls and the streets outside embassies. I mean, how much effort would it take to overthrow Dubai? About as much as it would take to assume control of the Cleveland Rotary Club, maybe?

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1. Re:They have a good reason by AK+Marc · 2013-12-24 05:44 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Don't they have more working immigrants than citizens now? If there were unrest, they'd have no way to keep control. It's more like Apartheid than anything else there. There are two classes, Citizens, and others. And the citizens live large (and silly) while the others do all the real work to keep it going.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
2. Re:They have a good reason by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-24 06:02 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  well, the way they keep control is...
  guns. they don't buy guns to fight a war against iran or whoever. at least in apartheid they let the oppressed fuck with each other as they liked..
  posting anon because a big part of the problem is the western companies who do the white collar work so even posting shit about dubai could get shit on someone due to that. but the fucks would be in SO BIG FUCKING DOODOO if they were put under even half as bad sanctions as south africa were - because they don't know even how to do the white collar work! they don't know how to keep the plumbing going, they don't know how to balance the books. they don't know shit and can't do shit - and live in a fucking sand castle with their heads up their arses.
  their heads are so far up their asses though that they're getting bled for their cash pretty damn fucking quick. Artificial Islands? yeah, wasn't a dubai company building them. wasn't dubai workers paid for doing it, wasn't dubai equipment used for it and what do they have to show for it? an artifical island project no sane country would have undertaken. is it dubai companies turning metal into 1000% value of the materials and selling it to dubai fucks? hell no.
  in short: don't go to dubai as a tourist. don't go to dubai to work. just boycott them.
  they're trying to buy the country into being something that it isn't. they're trying to buy into having a domestic industry without anyone who is a "citizen" actually doing any work, so they're just renting that image from others and seemingly can't even grasp that if they want to be germans they HAVE TO FUCKING WORK or give the germans and nepalese working there citizenship so that they can become the country. enforcing "virtue" isn't an industry and frankly that arm of the police is doing a fucking shitty job of enforcing a decent set of ethics.....
defaming the UAE society's image abroad by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-24 05:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

A state security court found them guilty of "defaming the UAE society's image abroad", according to the state-owned newspaper, The National.
Does anyone else find it funny that this arrest is "defaming the UAE society's image abroad" much more than the video ever would?
Streisand effect ? by Alain+Williams · 2013-12-24 05:33 · Score: 4, Insightful

I would never have seen this video if they had not been tried in a kangaroo court. What makes Dubai a laughing stock, the video or the prison sentences ?
Dubai jails self for creating bad press for Dubai by WaffleMonster · 2013-12-24 05:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

Dubai's reaction generated more bad press for themselves and significantly enhanced viewership of a YouTube video nobody should waste their time watching...
Keep up the good work Dubai.
Halliburton by Princeofcups · 2013-12-24 06:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

No wonder Cheney moved Halliburton to Dubai. After 8 years in office, this is what he always wanted the US to be.

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