“Even Flirting is Political in Beirut”
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.10.05 | 8:55 PM ET
Slate is running another “Well-Traveled” series this week, and it’s a good one. Lee Smith journeyed to Beirut, Lebanon, for a month beginning in late December. He was searching for “the talk.” He writes: “This last year or so, New York has reminded me of a Cairo shopping mall I used to frequent where the soundtrack was always playing a recitation of the Quran. It was disturbing not because I think there should be separation between the sacred and consumer items, but because a society that keeps re-circulating the same sound to confirm and consolidate what it already believes about itself is a troubled one. By convincing themselves that the rest of their country was tragically, dangerously stupid, my New York neighbors effectively isolated themselves from the rest of the country. At any rate, I wanted to be somewhere where you can hear the talk over the soundtrack, and Lebanon seems right.” Smith weaves his experience with a look at the complex political landscape, which, considering the headlines coming out of the region this week, makes for an excellent read. The five-part series began Monday and continues all week.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
