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Article: Conspicuous Consumption in Dubai
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 10, 2007
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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I was simultaneously fascinated and riled by Philip Kennicott's
piece and sidebar about Dubai ["Arabian Heights," Style & Arts, Oct.
28]. I found the articles entertaining and informative but tinged
with hints of envy, jealousy and self-righteous outrage.
Three questions for Kennicott:
He seemed disturbed by the "vast investment in shopping malls,
the celebration of materialism, the encouragement of unabashedly
conspicuous consumption" in the desert city-state. These values, of
course, remind us of our very own in America. Would Kennicott feel
better if the main force behind the Dubai boom were the private
sector rather than the government?
Kennicott wrote that Dubai is a "land where ...