Some complain that too many Qataris are sitting on the sidelines while expats build their country (photo courtesy of Mohamed Nanabhay) Pride swelled and well wishes rang out across Qatar over the weekend as it became the first country in the Middle East to submit a bid for the World Cup. But it was a bittersweet victory for the tiny, image-conscious Gulf country, which also on Friday was the subject of another less than favorable New York Times article. The story, Affluent Qataris Seek What Money Cannot Buy, opens with: Citizens of Qatar appear to have it made. They tend to drive big cars, live in big houses and get big loans to pay for big watches and an outsize lifestyle. They have an army of laborers from the developing world to build a sparkling skyline and to work whatever jobs they feel are beneath them. And their nation has enough oil and gas to keep the good times rolling for decades. So why do so many people here seem so angry? It goes on to outline the blame game played by expats and the minority local population, both of whom feel victimized by the other. The piece, written by Michael Slackman, who a few weeks earlier reported on rising obesity rates in Qatar, has drawn fire from Qatar residents for what they called unsubstantiated assertions and shallow reporting. On Twitter, @glcarlstrom, who runs a commentary and analysis blog about the Middle East called The Majlis, says: Slackman's Doha piece is like a caricature of foreign reporting: Visit for a week, interview 10 people, BOOM! Trend story @NazQatar says: RT W@G_E: what does the #nytimes have against #Qatar? Last week they were fat, this week they're lazy? Bloggers also weighed in. In a post titled “New York Times Ridicules Qatar,” Marjorie in Qatar blogs: So it's nice to see the New York Times addressing something that I think IS a hot issue here… but the way they go about it makes me cringe a little. I think it'd be more interesting for them to have dug deeper into Qatarization and its effects, or the role of nationality in expats’ experience of Qatar, rather than just making mocking digs about people's restaurant etiquette. On her blog, Qatari Derhamiya takes issue with the article’s description of a local woman mistreating her maid, saying that she is not a representative example. All I have to say in the end is that not all people are good and not all people are bad, and if Moza Al-Malki will be the one representing “the bad” side of Qatari Women to the world on the New York Times, then I’ll be the one setting “the good” side of Qatari women on my blog, the Filipino woman that works at my house is well treated and respected by my sisters and I, she sits on the table with us during meals, and the smallest example for us respecting her is the fact that we call her “Ate” and Ate is a Filipino word used for Respect, which means Big Sister. Despite its shortcomings, the article has struck a nerve here for highlighting the invisible line that divides many expats and locals. It’s a reality that has both sides blaming the other. On the popular online forum Qatar Living, commentator Happy Happy says: It's so funny how when I sit with my Qatari friends they complain that “Qatar is not for Qataris, we've become second best”. Then my expat friends badmouth “the Qatari slackers are getting all the benefits for doing nothing!” Wallahi (I swear by God) unbelievable! As is often the case, when this common conversation hits a wall, the discussion always turns to the Qatari government and its role in resolving the problem. On Qatar Living, commentator Linc says: Qataris seem much like the poor people who win a giant cash lottery in the West. Most winners immediately start living a lifestyle of along the lines of what they had always imagined wealthy people to enjoy–i.e. what they see on TV. This means lots of excess, waste, leisure, and feeling superior to everyone else because of the size of their wallets. Only a minority of the winners work hard, better themselves and their family through education, remember that they were once poor and treat other poor people with dignity, and never forget that their wealth came from luck rather than skill. Not surprisingly all but a handful of these winners waste all of their money and ultimately die lonely and poor. That is what the government leadership is trying hard to avoid for Qatar when the oil and natural gas run out. Good luck to them. Judging from the article and the majority of Qataris whom I know and work with, it will be an uphill battle.