Teh Internets “lol-qats”
posted by August 25 at 10:06 AM
onThe “lol-cats” meme gets international and druggy at lol-qats, where Pakistani-English blogger Mr. Moo replaces goofy cat antics with goofy qat addicts.
I was first introduced to the concept of ‘qat’ on my first visit to Yemen. We were travelling with family, and my father was approached by a rather enthusiastic taxi driver. As he drove around at fantastic speeds, he explained he was chewing qat and he hadn’t slept for two days. I was quite worried.Locally, in Birmingham, the habit has been picked up again. My understanding is that the socialising habits of choice are now to chew qat, have shisha and strong coffee all at the same time. It is Halaaaaal, they proclaim, as they are off their heads.
Qat has a horrendous social impact, like any drug. Wikipedia says that 17% of income on average could be spent on Qat.
For more on qat/khat, check out Charles Mudede’s Stranger feature on its Seattle impact here.
(And thanks for the heads-up, MetaFilter.)
Comments
Being addicted to stimulants can cause problems? Oh no!
Where can I get some?
New at Scrabble? You'll definitely want to know the word 'qat'... totally legit, and soooo handy.
We are hard wired in our brains to want to feel good. Up until the U.S. century, it wasn't a jailable offense. Now we can't build jails fast enough.
Wait, I'm confused -- usually the Stranger says that drugs are good, but now it's saying they're bad. What's going on?
Oh, wait, I see, it's only the quoted blogger who thinks a drug can have "horrendous social impact." Mudede's piece says khat is more like a watery double latte and equates its detractors to George Bush. All is right with the world.
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