❊ In Defense of Nagging

Elie has written a passionate post in which he essentially says that the Lebanese nag too much and that we have to appreciate the many good things we have going for us. This sounds like a good critique of our society and we’ve seen this type of posts before. They are popular and make very good points, but in this post I will disagree and I will go all in to defend the naggers:

• First, there is absolutely no question that the people who keep nagging love their country. The same people who complain about the food/traffic/internet/politicians, usually jump at the first occasion to tell foreigners how beautiful Lebanon is and how good the food/nightlife/scenery/girls/etc.. are.
• I like to think of Lebanese naggers as mothers who want their children to be perfect. They nag not because they hate Lebanon, but because they really see the potential this country has and they’re really disappointed when things that are clearly fixable are neglected
• Second, you know who else nags a lot? The Swedes, Danes, British, Americans and other people who live in democracies. Nagging is an essential part of democracy because it pushes politicians to take action: Demonstrations are essentially collective acts of nagging. Talk shows are displays of public figures nagging and phone-in shows in which people nag are very popular. If you want to vote for politicians, student representatives or group leader, you try to pick the ones who nag the most because they’re the ones who are likeliest to get things done. Do you know why Zeid Hamdan was released yesterday? It’s probably because there was an outcry of naggers on Facebook, twitter, blogs and on TV.

People who don’t nag are people who are content with their lot. They are depressed and they don’t have any hope that things can get better so they don’t bother (people who live in dictatorships don’t nag at all).

As for me, well, I will cherish my right to be grumpy. I will nag, criticize, fault-find and nitpick all I want and don’t you dare take that away from me