In Which the Salesman Gets Electrocuted

I had a truly electrifying experience today. It concerned Lebanese men and their perception of the technical knowledge of women. Lebanon not is a female-unfriendly society. Quite the opposite. I sometimes feel that the Lebanese men are a little too strong in their display of love for women. This is not to say that this is a liberal society, but it’s not female-unfriendly.
It’s just that this society is sometimes incomprehensive when it concerns the (cap)abilities of women.

Beirut; Some people see this,

I’ve encountered that quite often, especially when it concerns matters of a technical or electronical nature. It is as if men have disconnected the two topics, and so if they talk to a woman regarding a technical matter, there’s this mis-communication. They hear you, but they don’t necessarily understand you.

I notice that oftern when I shop in the hardware department of BHV. The salesmen are not very willing to explain to me the exact working of a certain drill, for instance. And when I went to the lumber yard last year (in my green overalls splattered with paint, as I was fixing my kitchen) here in Beirut, looking for a 2 sq meters of wood, 12 mm thick, and sanded, the man of the lumber yard did not understand my request. I had to repeat it like five times, and my Arabic is really not that crummy. It was just that a woman in paint-splattered overalls, asking for a piece of wood, was a language he did not speak. Had it been a man; no problem, but a women, that just did not process well.

but I see this; a matter of perception

I must say, I often use (read ‘abuse) this Lebanese inability to connect women and technical matters. And so when I stand by the road with a flat tire, I won’t even attempt to change it, even though I know very well how to. I just look real helpless, and traffic comes to a screeching halt (Well, maybe not screeching)..

Anyway, to get back to the topic, men may hear you, but they may not necessarily understand you in this field. And so today, as I was shopping for something else, I ran into this very cute little lamp, shaped like a little flower with glass petals. Perfect for the bathroom I thought, and I asked the saleslady if she could get me one.
Well, that was the last one, and so she had to get it off the display. She gave one look at it, and decided that this was way too complicated to get it off the ceiling.

In strutted Hisham.
Hisham apparently was ‘the man’ on the floor, and matters such as taking lamps down, which required a three-step stair and some muscles, was his domain.
And Hisham was very much the man. Greased hair, muscles bulging from a tight T-shirt, pointed loafers, jeans below his ass.

The lamp, however, was not just hanging, it was also connected.
Hisham tried to pull it loose, but it would not give way.

“Uhmm, it’s still attached to the electricity,” I pointed out.
“No problem,” smiled Hisham, “I’ll get something”.
Off he went

And back he came with a wire cutter.
Hisham was just going to cut the electric wire.

“But it ‘s still connected,” I repeated.
“No problem.”
“Yes, but to the electricity, you see the wire?” I said
“No no, don’t worry, the light is off.”

Yes, of course the light was off, you iditot, I thought, there is no bulb in the thing. But some of the other lights hanging there were on.
“I know, but if you cut it, you’ll get electrocuted, you know, like ‘zappfff’,” and I imitated a mosquito in one of those blue lights.
Hisham smiles meekly at me.
“Ya madam, don’t worry”, he said, as he got on top of the stool he had brought along, and reached for the wire.

“He’s going to get electrocuted!” I said to the saleslady standing next to him.
She looked at me and shrugged.
“Maalesh (It’s okay).’
Whether it was okay for Hisham to get electrocuted or whether it was something I really should not worry about, I don’t know.
And he got hold of the wire.

I could not watch this. What’s more, I didn’t even want to be in the neighborhood. If he was going to get zapped, not near me.

I stepped back, and as he put up his other hand, and closed the wire cutter around the electrical wire. When he was about to cut it, I turned around and put my fingers in my ears.

….


But I could still hear the enormous animal-like roar that must have come from Hisham as he was ‘bbzzzzzttttttt’ off the stool. All the lights in the lamp sections went off.

The lady went hysterical.

‘Great’, I thought, ‘now I’ll never get my lamp.

The story ended well. The wire was cut, rather by the fall of Hisham than the actual cutting of it. He survived, looking rather humbled though, and I got my lamp. (It caused quite a consternation though).

I could have said “I told you so,” but in the spirit of Ramadan, I think he learned his lesson.