It’s the billionaire’s playground where money and booze flows freely, and well-heeled gold diggers spend big daddy’s fortune…at least by day. The nightlife is hot, but if you’re a woman, it’s not a good idea to stray too far from the tourist traps. This is a man’s city, made by men for men. Women, at least the local ones, are conspicuously absent from the streets after dark. You get the feeling that it’s not a good idea to be a female walking alone after dark in Dubai. This is a man’s city, made by men for men. Driving the many highways of Dubai, you see nothing but a stunning, futuristic megacity, but it’s stunning in the way that a Vegas showgirl is stunning…all glitter and no substance. There’s a real Disney kind of carnival vibe there. It doesn’t feel like anybody really lives there, because they kinda don’t. Look closely at the terraces. There’s no furniture on them. An awful lot of those buildings are nearly empty because there aren’t enough residents who can afford to live in them. Just visiting billionaires. 

Look just beneath the surface of Dubai, and you’ll find nothing but a movie backlot. It’s not a real city. Dubai is an expensive call girl with the heart of a crack whore…no disrespect to crack whores. But whores are mercenary. I can’t say for certain what I find so off putting about all this opulence, because I love opulence. But Dubai is extremely transactional for an Islamic city. There’s nothing at all religious about it. The glitz and bling are less about a love of God, and more about an absolute worship of money…and sex. And then there’s the slavery thing. That super-lavish Dubai lifestyle is maintained on the backs of “guest workers”, lured there from desperately poor countries where people would do anything to support their families. Dubai seizes their passports the moment they arrive and forces them to stay and work without pay. That’s slavery because they can’t leave…not without documents, or a plane ticket, or money. And they can’t just run away because there’s nothing but desert in every direction, except where there’s nothing but water. And you don’t get to say anything about it as a citizen, because the government is autocratic. So personally, I want nothing to do Dubai…but it sure is pretty!