The capacity for men to integrate into ‘culture’ and live in a ‘civilized’ fashion is a curious subject. The raw tendencies of a human-animal can be made weak, docile, and their expression can be obstructed by the education encouraged and enforced by parents and educators. But certain types will always be fairly resistant and immune to this; their lives will be cause to much trouble in the fabric of society. We speak here, first and foremost, to that of the Martial man. He is the warrior type and the adrenaline that funnels through his veins hardly allows for subtleties to form in his psychology. That is to say: manners, polity, civility are all clads to which he tends to strip himself of. It is far too awkward to live comfortably within the rules, regulations, and silly expectations of the cultured classes of society. Much better for these types is to be born in the womb of a blue collar home and at least feel free to rumble through the variety of disputes this class regularly make available. The outlet of violence — be it out of words (swearing) or actions (fighting) makes this life more comfortable for them purely due to the simplicity of it.

However, when these types are born in white-collar and wealthy families, the situation becomes complicated. In many cases they are apt to be branded the ‘black sheep’ of the family. Typically, they find themselves in positions of power due to the influence of their family, class, or through the sheer force of money. In certain developing cultures this is quite common and fairly usual. In western countries, however, the filters of bureaucracy ensure such candidates are weeded out. It is more rare, less frequent, to see these men rise to the heights, though it seems it is even sometimes possible for them to make it all the way to the top, a la the former President of the United States.

In cities like Dubai this type of issue can be experienced far more readily. It is available for observation at nearly every corner. When the sample is small enough, like it is here, positions of high-influence and power will be more frequently filled with candidates who are unlikely to be the right person for the job. Likewise, in a country where citizenship is not a possibility for expatriates, where the media is fairly influenced by governmental marketing policy and where penalties can be quite extreme — many will opt in favour of being quiet and ignoring the obvious absence of proper human resourcing.

Only men who are able to be fully indoctrinated in society, baptized in the cage of rules in proper manners, behaviour, and the suppression of core human-animal emotions, can integrate ‘happily’. It is simply the difference of a caged lion to a wild one. To have a wild lion live in conditions only suitable for a caged lion proves to be quite an awkward situation. Yet this is the type of phenomenon and fact of life in certain parts of the world which makes the expatriate experience rather educational.