🇬🇧 "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes", one of Oscar Wilde's most beautiful cynicism. Social media, the modern-day agora, allows us to converse with a multitude of people. As a result, it has become one of the most enriching experiences of contemporary life and therefore akin to mistakes. I've had the opportunity to debate with so many people resulting in all kinds of controversial arguments on my wall. I thought I've seen it all. I was mistaken!
Exposition
The clash of the titan-bloggers over the case of "Dayna Asyah vs Radio Beirut"
The controversy I have just triggered is very startling. It concerns a miscellaneous incident, alleged sexual harassment in a well-known pub in Beirut. Starting from the democratic principle that no public action should be exempt from criticism, I was led to criticize certain activists - including one by the name Gino Raidy - respectfully of course, as I always do. The terms I used were skillfully chosen: "lynching", which refers to "summary execution without due process of law" - in the metaphorical sense of course - of the pub in question. Also "inconsistency", which refers to the "lack of depth, coherence and solidity" of the arguments raised against this pub by the so-called neo-liberal thinkers in the Lebanese capital.
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| An example of Gino Raidy's lynching and inconsistency: "Boycott Radio Beirut... Today it's Dayna, tomorrow it could be you or someone you know. The reign of terror of this deranged man shouldn't continue." |
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Act I, Scene 1
Gino: "Misogynist... (Radio Beirut) dictated you what to write," told BB, who has to date 604 articles under his belt
Immediately after my article was released, the blogger who is a heavyweight on Facebook (18,654 subscribers, 4,999 friends, and 4,665 followers) took the bait and swung at me - at the end of the third sentence - that I am a "misogynist". This is the equivalent of being accused of anti-Semitism if one were to criticize Israeli policy. All because I never bought the story "Out of nowhere, (he) forced his fingers into my vagina". And by the way, the controversy my article created (both in French and English) pushed two girls close to the alleged victim, to admit that this allegation - as it was formulated - is in fact inaccurate!
We move to the details. Confident of himself, Gino states that the founder of Radio Beirut has "dictated to me what to write", twice! And that next time, a "vile" man like me had better "think critically". The ignorant blogger doesn't know (given his impulsive nature, he didn’t even try) that I have 604 articles under my belt dealing with every possible and imaginable subject - national, regional, international, political, geopolitical, ecological, social and satirical - and not 2-minute-reading flavorless turnips like his, on "trendy" subjects where he is certain not to be challenged.Act I, scene 2
BB: "Inconsistent... We don't box in the same category"
Usually, I am humble, but never so in the face of personified stupidity. "Don't try Gino, you're still inconsistent... You're not bringing anything to the debate, just as your article on the subject. Sorry for you, but we don't box in the same category. »
Act I, scene 3
Emile: "I'd like to award you with the title of 'Mr. One-Dollar Blogger"
A short time later, a commenter named Emile - blocked by Gino Raidy because he had dared to express a different opinion on his wall - found the perfect opportunity to tailor a suit for the blogger: "I've always found you to be a blogger of a low order who writes his 500-word articles - poor in topic research - only to surf the trendy waves and gain audience... For this, I'd like to award you with the title of 'Mr. One-Dollar Blogger'. A custom tailor-made suit!
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Act II, Scene 1
Gino (monologue): "I wasted time on that piece of shit article (from BB)"
Furious, Gino Raidy disappears for a good hour or so. He comes back proudly with a link to his blog and in a disgruntled manner: "I can't believe I wasted time on that piece of shit article, but here goes: "A point-by-point reply to on the "Impression" whatever snob." Unbelievable, this guy! I can write an entire article, simply on this mediocre headline. What could one possibly write in less than an hour? Personally, that's the amount of time I would spend only on the catchphrase - the introduction of my articles.
Please note, that neither within the headline nor inside the turnip he produced or the dozen comments he wrote, did he dare mention my name. It reminded me of a debate on Israel, where speakers were tongue-tied by the very idea of uttering these six letters together as if it amounted to a shameful surrender to the enemy.
Act II, Scene 2
Gino (rambling): "I wasted my time answering that pig (BB)"
Gino's article-response shared on Facebook was accompanied by an outrageous status: "A point-by-point to reply to this pathetic smear campaign". In total, 6 likes, 5 comments, and 1 share. Eight hours later - very upset by my sarcastic comments of the day and his poor score - the blogger woke up at the break of dawn to share his turnip once again with a status provoked by my smacks: "I'm sad I had to waste time replying to what that pig said, but just in case any of you needed clarification". The pig reference didn't change the fate of his turnip. Still 6 likes, 2 comments, and 0 shares.
Act III, Scene 1
BB: "Mr. One-Dollar Blogger Gino Raidy, you have 59 seconds to clean up your comments... Tic-toc, tic-toc, tic-toc"
Years of experience in the modern-day agora have taught me how to trigger a nervous breakdown with such a pretentious little one - with a snap of the fingers. Locked and loaded the 155, aimed and fired: "Mr. One-Dollar Blogger Gino Raidy, you have 59 seconds tops to remove "shit" from your last comment if you want to take advantage of the opportunity to express yourself on my wall and debate in a civilized manner. Otherwise, sail the galley. Tic-toc, tic-toc, tic-toc, tic-toc". Direct hit.
Act III, Scene 2
Gino: "Suck my balls, piece of shit, misogynist, homophobe "
Gino Raidy was enraged, but anger is never your ally. "Suck my balls you piece of shit" accompanied by the laughing emoji. Note that Gino is not your typical riffraff, he is just a lousy blogger who thinks he's the judge and jury in the current case. Without realizing, he revealed his true nature: impulsive, aggressive and vulgar. And to think that he believes he's fighting sexual harassment in Lebanon!
I took a screenshot before I deleted his comment. Immediately, he replies: "You sir are a misogynist, homophobe, and hypocrite. Quoting Moliere and speaking French doesn't make you any less repulsive. And shit." And still this childish laughing emoji. Quoting Molière? Dear me, what a weirdo, I never actually did. No doubt, this outburst was an expression of great weakness by a blogger in distress. Curtain.For Gino to choose : "By Appointment to her Majesty the Queen" or take the "Ice Bucket Challenge"?
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| Ice Bucket Challenge Photo Mx. Granger Wikimedia Commons |
historical exchanges, I give him two choices: to read the translation of this article "By Appointment of her Majesty the Queen", or by failing this, to launch into the "Ice Bucket Challenge". Mamma mia!, Of course, this will certainly piss him off again BB! So what! Come what may. Unless he does both in succession, a good bucket of ice water on his head could calm his nerves after reading, and may possibly provide him some credibility again. Not sure! But in any case, I’ll take you my friends as witnesses. If he does the whole thing, I will consider this act a gesture of goodwill and then undertake destroying every single word within this article.
Once, twice, thrice blows the theatre horn. Let's go, the play is about to recommence. Take your seats, quietly please. Shhhhh! Stop laughing! …SILENCE! Curtains Open
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Act IV, Scene 1
BB: "You’re behaving like an elephant in a porcelain shop"
Usually, when someone abuses freedom of expression and allows themselves to violate the rules of the page on which they are commenting, I put them against the wall and gently kick them out. But with Gino Raidy, I wanted to make an exception, interested in revealing this imposture out in the open for all to see.
"Mr. One-Dollar Blogger Gino Raidy, you're behaving like an elephant in a porcelain shop! You're making it worse for yourself. Let me explain to you, on my wall, unlike yours, we can express all opinions, within the limits of a civilized debate that prohibits, for instance, vulgarity. Since you expressed your uncivilized and vulgar side, you will have to apologize and commit yourself to never repeating this again - so that we can take you seriously and resume the debate in peace, mutual respect and in the interest of the general public … Don't think, that only because you're an ignorant and lazy person who doesn't seek to fill the gaps - and who spends more time on comments than his articles - that all my expressions are from Molière, peace be upon his soul. They are merely conveyed in the language of Molière, a nuance. »
Act IV, Scene 2
Gino: "Snob, Misogynist, Homophobe, Hypocrite, Moliere, Liar, Petty, Google translate, Moliere"
Gino's blood made only one cycle. And by a wave of a magic wand, the respected blogger then transformed himself into a grotesque character of Molière, screaming and shouting: "Snob", "Misogynist", Homophobe", "Hypocrite", "Moliere", "Liar", "Petty", "Google translate", "Moliere" (yes, twice!), followed by photos and comments, again about Radio Beirut’s founder who would have dictated to me what to write in my article. What a moron! Next, 14 comments in a row, you should have seen the hysteria in action. It seems that this stubborn mind still fails to understand how anyone in the world does not agree with his opinion.BB: "Only an uneducated and lazy person would consider 'Molière' as an insult"
Here are the remaining details and nonsense. I felt the time has come to put an end to this imposture. Locked and loaded. Aimed and fired. "I can't believe it, you must be hallucinating! Mr. One-Dollar Blogger Gino Raidy, you are so inconsistent, uncultured and lazy that you would consider "Molière" as an insult, that’s a world first. It's a complex that you must have carried from your school days, right? Come on, I'll give you another 59 seconds to apologize for being rude and vulgar. »
Act V, Scene 2
Gino (moaning): "(Having) a conversation with a humanoid creature, a micro-penis boy"
Mad with rage, Gino rushed to drop his last pearls before being removed like a hooligan: "The only vulgar piece of shit is the one who wrote the article I shredded in 5 minutes". Being proud of it.
الجاهل لا يرتدع وبالمواعظ لا ينتفع
"The ignorant never holds back and from sermons never benefits", Ali ibn Abi Taleb, 4th Caliph.And here we go again with a few more pearls. "Snob", "coward" and last but not least, "micro-penis boy". But then another, directed towards a commenter - whom he seems to know personally - who had the misfortune to express her doubts: "I'm disappointed you thought you could have a conversation with that humanoid creature (BB), I thought you were better than that". And you, the great impostor - tongue hanging - only a disturbed mind would come out with terms such as "humanoid creature" and "micro-penis boy". Finally, one last time, I took this opportunity to give him a summary of his desperate case: "Inconsistent, lazy and egocentric on top of that. Recess is over. No hard feelings Gino. "Bon Vent" good luck! »
Act V, Scene 3
Gino (furious): "Go eat a stinking cheese and masturbate to my comments"
I made the mistake of forgetting to tell Gino that in Molière's language, "Bon Vent" - which literally means "Good Wind" is a courteous expression for saying to a scum of his kind, "get out of here, you poor idiot!". But it was a mistake that allowed him to end it beautifully, with one last comment that will go down in history and which sums up wonderfully this salon-impostor, Gino Raidy: "Yalla delete you snob poser, and go eat stinking cheese and masturbate on my comments (heart)". Funny enough, this wanker, who insults all those who do not share his opinions, claims to be fighting sexual harassment of women in Lebanon. Poor Dayna, what a loser to come to your defense.
Dénouement (Unwinding)
Gino Raidy, the undisputed king of impostors of the English-speaking Lebanese blogosphere
Some compatriots naively believe that Lebanon's problem comes only from the political class. While the land of Cedars is inhabited by countless '3aché2ir' ‘tribesmen’ in New Balance sneakers along with 'Talibans' in the guise of Hipsters, released into the wild doing what they please.
They believe they are the crème de la crème, while they are in fact a symptom of an unhealthy society. They do not believe in the court of law, nor in the state. Moreover, they want to impose their own justice, by public lynching on social-media networks. Guided by a totalitarian spirit, they declare guilt on the basis of obscure allegations. They imagine themselves as re-educating the people, by imposing a "training" on Radio Beirut for instance in this particular case, when they are of a wretched immaturity. Here we have a fine example of these impostors, Gino Raidy, the undisputed king of the impostors of the English-speaking Lebanese blogosphere.
Dénouement, continuation, and end
Gino Raidy, the ace of insolence, who believes he himself is a fighter of sexual harassment
Aware that the general interest of the Lebanese society must take precedence, I have tried to engage in a dialogue with one of the main lynch-mobsters of the last four weeks. I believed that an experienced blogger - in whom some Lebanese had placed their trust - was able to express his opinions in a civilized way through a constructive debate. That he would be open to criticism and that he had the democratic ability to express an opinion without trying to impose it.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. To my surprise, my readers and I were treated with a surrealist exchange, reaping only rudeness, insults and buffoonery but not for a lack of trying. With more than 600 articles under my belt and just as many debates organized on this wall, no one has so far taken the liberty of calling his interlocutors "pigs", "misogynists", "homophobes" and "micro-penis boy", asking his opponent to "suck his balls" and advising them to "masturbate on his comments". But yes Gino Raidy did it! The king of impostors even claims to be an activist for women's rights. As "Monsieur Gangster" used to say, "Idiots dare to do anything, that's how you recognize them".
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| Rue du Pont-Neuf (Paris) |
Post-Scriptum: the curtain call
Gino Raidy on Bakhos Baalbaki's Blogs page, a character from a Molière play
It seems that Molière's language gives certain people complexes. Come to think of it, thanks to this controversy I accidentally discovered this.
With his hysterical outbursts, one would say it's Tartuffe, "The Impostor"; Argan, "The Hypochondriac"; Harpagon, "The Miser"; Alceste, "The Misanthrope" and Magdelon or Cathos, "The Ridiculous Précieuses". No one could have embodied all these grotesque characters of Molière better than Gino Raidy himself. To think that the greatest compliment of my life came from an ignorant man who thought he was insulting me!
My dear Molière, I owe you this distinction and as a token of my gratitude, at the first opportunity, I will not fail to place this article on your tomb at the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. We have the title, the protagonists, the characters, the masks, the plot, and the dialogue. All we have to do is turn this dramatic act into a theatre play. What a farce! What do you think?
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| Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (Paris) |
Best of
Gino Raidy : "Moliere, Snob, Humanoid creature, Micro penis boy, Sucks my balls you piece of shit, and go eat stinky cheese and masturbate to my comments"
- Says the misogynist (2). Remember when that misogynist liar said.
- The only vulgar piece of shit is the one who wrote the article. I wasted time on that piece of shit article. I’m sad I had to waste time replying to what that pig said.
- Your words of hatred and homophobia, you sick, small man. Homophobe (2)
- As civilized as ISIS with their women-hating philosophy
- The French-speaking misogynist homophobe was paid by the Radio Beirut owner. Baba Jina (owner RB, Baba Ji) dictates to you what to write (4). A post he (RB owner) commissioned, if not dictated, by some unknown wannabe
- Snob (7). ‘Molière’ (7). Shit (4). Vile creature/man (3). Thug. Hypocrite (2). Liar. Petty. Coward. Tone deaf chauvinist. Try to be a better person. Take a moment to think critically. Google translate (3). Smear campaign (3). Repulsive. Pathetic human being
- [The “Bakhos complex”] Boulos, you’re disgusting. You type in French, Boulos.
- [The “French complex”] I know you think you’re smarter cause you type in French. Here’s some cream for the burn on that piece of toilet paper in French. They want us to clap for them for speaking their hatred French. Speaking French doesn’t make you any less vulgar bebe.
- [The “Molière complex”] He thinks speaking with an “egh” and saying Moliere makes him civilized.
- That humanoid creature
- [Grand prix] Micro penis boy
- [Palme d’or] Sucks my balls you piece of shit
- [For history] Yalla delete you snob poser and go eat stinky cheese and masturbate to my comments [stinky cheese et masturbate, bizarre!?]
- [His own words] The reign of terror of this deranged man shouldn’t continue
Bakhos Baalbaki prepares an initiative against sexual harassment related issues in Lebanon
Enough energy wasted and meddling on this debate. Fortunately, ridicule doesn't kill, otherwise, we would have never been able to laugh about it. Some have tried to divert our attention and focus from the essentials by leveling down a serious discussion regarding a sensitive subject. But they will not prevent us from continuing our work to find ways to effectively combat sexual harassment against women in Lebanon. I would like to take this opportunity to announce in advance that I am preparing an initiative in this direction. You will be informed shortly. Let's keep in touch. Much obliged, "Molière Le Snob". Cheers.
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