Rebels and Rebellion
Looking back on my teenage years, I never considered myself a rebel compared to my friends, and wondered if I was missing out. Wanting something I couldn't have, I succumbed to peer pressure and became a somewhat rebel wannabe. As the saying goes, "rules are meant to be broken"...but to my dismay, I soon found out only a true rebel could break them in style.
I think it takes either guts; a bad family upbringing or major mental problems to be a true rebel. Most of the true rebels at my school fitted into at least one of these categories. Standing up for a cause (guts) is one thing, but criminal offences are plain wrong! These true rebels went way beyond breaking school rules, sometimes even involving police attention. That's going beyond the fun aspect: a line that the rebel wannabe never crosses.
As a rebel wannabe, I set myself boundaries as to which rules I would and wouldn't break. I took the popular wannabe option, smoking in the woods at breaktime, on the roof at lunchtime, sometimes skipping classes. After all, if this huge group were busted, we'd all be smoking on the way to a detention which most of us would have bunked for the extra thrill...While puffing away, I hoped I wouldn't get caught, but on the other hand, I longed to be "one of the gang", and therefore, a punishment or two would mean I made the mark! However, it was never my destiny to earn the title of a true rebel as the risks I took were too calculated: the only detention I can boast about was for not handing in maths homework! No matter how hard you try, a true rebel can never be imitated.
I feel sorry for the rebels amongst us who were busted, as the school community officially labelled them as true rebels: troublemakers. For those of us wannabes, perhaps the grown-ups let us get away because they valued our intelligence in calculated risk-taking, which I might add is a useful life skill. Those rebels in denial who never broke the rules were nerds: too scared to rebel against anything but rebellion itself.
This post is kind of inspired by *uae_rebel - is his choice of nickname & blogname society's reflection of his outspokenness on taboo subjects? Or is the true rebel actually society, which is rebelling against the reality of the issues he raises?
I think there is a rebel in each of us, though some are considered more rebellious than others due to the labels society gives our act of resistance.
14 comments:
To rebel without a cause is as equally dangerous than to do so with one.
In behavioral management classes, we were taught along the following lines; what prompts a person to rebel in the first instance? Taboo, religious upbringing, family constraints, ego &/or machoism?
There are ways to tackle these without rebelling. Identify the cause, think deep if rebelling is the answer, what'd be the consequence(s) & finally if it's worth it?
If you pin down the motivational factor, align it with the consequences - therein lies your answer to go forward or remain still and let it pass.
criminal offences are plain wrong!
You forget that everything is illegal in the UAE.
" Those rebels in denial who never broke the rules were nerds: too scared to rebel against anything but rebellion itself."
LOL loved this part.
I don't know if I am a rebel, but my friends say that I am.
I have a feeling from this post that you are not a local. Why. because you think UAE rebel is a rebel by talking "taboo" things...
If it was the sex, sex is not taboo when they talk about it in their Majlis or when they go out as a big group with random women to the desert, sex is a taboo subject for women :). if you were talking about the other topics he discussed in his blog, then I would say that they are topics that are discussed by the rest of us.
But I like his nick and title.
You my dear are a rebel in the closet. :)
Love this post.
Interesting post. Having read only a handful of his posts, I reckon he is indeed a true rebel masquerading as a non-conformist; much like a hippie minus the style plus the regular showers :D
On the rebellion front, are you sure those are the only reasons a person rebels? Surely, raging hormones must account for something, when everything parents tell pubescents translates as "ruining my life". I say this from personal experience, of course. Let's just say my detentions were not from late homework submissions and such. :D
reality hurts Rebel :)
Relax and re read your post and tell me what is Rebellious or new?
The contradiction the i maginate finds mysterious is simply what goes through many mens mind back in the "sandland" as SD would say. Nothing new, nothing taboo, nothing sexy :)
(maybe to teenagers it is).
I think you ended it very well.
I was a rebel within my limits. While practically has injured the rebel in me, it still keeps coming out at certain occassions.
As for UAE Rebel...I don't know really. He's been very fluid till now, so it makes it difficult to have an opinion.
*practiCALITY has injured the...
I was a rebel without a clue as a teenager & I absolutely savour those days!
*a world of sympathy "To rebel without a cause is as equally dangerous than to do so with one. Yes you're right I think. I guess the steps of thinking you describe don't really cross the minds of immature youngsters, however, as we mature, we become more aware of our decisions and their repercussions...
*samuraisam I know what you mean. When I wrote that, I meant in general...criminal offences are wrong, wherever one is.
*Hot Lemon & Honey LOL when I finished writing, I noticed there was one main party I neglected to mention: the non-rebels, the rebellious nerds! It led me to conclude that everyone is a rebel! hehehe
I didn't assert that *uae_rebel writes about taboo subjects, rather that society would class them as taboo. Personally, I do think they're taboo. Sex is a taboo subject for the majority - I have met guys who told me they don't talk about it with girls, let alone their friends! I'd disagree that most of the stuff he talks about is widely discussed out loud, as the material is quite crude.
Me: rebel in the closet? lol yeah...rebel in hiding!
*ash Hi there! You're right, there are many more reasons why people rebel: raging hormones do account for these, however, if we blamed our behaviour on hormones then our lives would be out of control! That's why I think the "troublemaker" rebels have some level of mental problems: they cannot control their "hormones", in this case, and resort to destructive behaviour..LOL @ your detention story!
*Hot Lemon & Honey So you're calling me a teenager? ;P
*md "While practicality has injured the rebel in me, it still keeps coming out at certain occassions." Well said! It does indeed seem to be practicality that keeps wannabe rebels at bay! But the difference between nerd and wannabe rebels is that the nerds are way too practical!
*jin Being clueless is part of the fun as a teenage rebel! That's the innocent kind ;) P.S. Congrats on your achievements as reported in the press!
a world of sympathy?
:)
you changed ur name Louis?
Sorry for an unrelated comment... Why don't you like "fucked up Arab lady"? I had a quick look. She seems to be blogging agains violence to women. Nothing's wrong with that, right?
Rebel only if you want to get your ass kicked in Dubai
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