• About Us
  • Readers Write
  • Our People
Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
    • Leisure
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • Interviews
    • No Sugarcoating
    • Environment
  • Style & Travel
    • Attractions
    • Trip Planning
      • Travel Information
      • Hotels in Tunisia
      • Cost of Living
      • Tunisia’s Language
      • Tunisia’s Weather
      • Tunisia’s Currency
      • Tunisia’s Visa
    • Transport in Tunisia
      • Traveling Around
      • Local Transport
      • Flights to Tunisia
      • Ferries to Tunisia
      • Tunisia Overland
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
Editors' PicksNo SugarcoatingPeople

«Chbik Mazroub?»: Being Tunisian in the Age of Rush5 min read

By Contributing Editor October 2, 2020
Written by Contributing Editor October 2, 2020
Tunisian in the Age of Rush

Back in 1943, a guy named Maslow proposed a theory in psychology called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In this theory, he categorized human needs into 5 categories: physiological needs, the need for safety, the need for love/a sense of belonging, esteem related needs, and self-actualization needs. He argues that these needs dictate an individual’s behavior. (In other words, failure to meet these needs results in disturbed or violent behavior.) Now, I need you to hold that thought for me.

Being Tunisian in the Age of Rush

Let’s put ourselves in the Tunisian context of 2020. If you try to Google, for example, poverty in Tunisia, you will probably find a number around 15% and some change. Not so bad. We’re hanging in there. The US has a higher poverty rate than we do. (Because, of course, we can’t be Tunisians if we don’t look at the western world as a reference in everything.) Sounds cool, right?  Wrong. Leave the numbers aside, and take a good look around you.  

Most employees of governmental institutions barely get paid enough to make it through the month. The supposedly “middle class” are gradually becoming an upper poor class. The rates of theft, sexual harassment, and crime in general are going sky high. The transportation in the country is a joke. The highest ambition of the youth is to get out of here and move to somewhere in the developed world… And I can go on all day stating depressing facts to prove one final point: a good majority of the people in this country are not meeting their most basic needs.

Tunisian in the Age of Rush
Tunisian in the Age of Rush. A man driving his car holding a cup of coffee. Shutterstock copyrighted photo.

Now picture with me, in the age of the internet, globalization, smartphones, social media, dating apps, the Kardashians, Lady Zommara, and all that stuff that is bad for your health but you choose to consume it anyway, the state of this population that lacks its basic needs and that is in a constant state of trying to survive rather than live. Too depressing to think of? Let me help you a little.

First things first, we can notice the desperate need for attention by almost everyone. A perfect life, 500 stories on Instagram of random photoshoped pictures from the internet of places they pretend to have visited, cringe inducing videos of them trying to be funny and failing miserably, etc…  Your typical traditional Tunisian mindset of having a 100m2 house with 90% of it a fancy living room for the eyes of the guests and the rest barely enough to put a bed in of course has contributed to this behavior.

However, it is rather the lack of a sense of achievement a good majority of the youth of this country have that played the biggest role. The standards went sky high with the unrealistic boasting on social media and the continuous news of young people achieving what millions of adults failed to that even the few lucky ones who manage to invest some time in their talents outside of the hellish Tunisian school system find themselves in a cycle of feeling that whatever they do can never be enough.

Next, we can note how overly easy it has become for people to break relationships whether with friends, romantic partners, or even family members, and also the increase in people’s tendency to prefer solitude. This is due to the huge amount of options we find online in terms of people.

We began feeling that everyone around us is replaceable and started refusing to settle for anything less than what our egos tell us. Of course, I am in no way encouraging people to remain and suffer in toxic environment. If that is the case, by all means, RUN! Or do the Radhwa Chirbini move: BLOCK, BLOCK, BLOCK. 

And I left the best for the last: Everyone these days feels the urge to shove their opinion in everyone’s face and fight for an intellectual dominance they usually have no right to as their “scientific references” are typically falsehoods spread on Facebook. You’d be amazed by how easily people tend to believe anything you say if you start it with “Scientists confirmed”, or “ ’an Abi Hurayrata kal”.  

It could do us all a little better if everyone stops for a second and thinks before we decide to share something, underestimate ourselves, push someone away, or pick a futile fight with a stranger online. It’s perfectly okay to take your time in an era where everyone is on a rush.

Suggested Reads:

  • “Kaf w Ka’ba Halwa”: Justifying Abuse with Acts of Kindness
  • “Ti Ehmid Rabbi!”: On Why Gratitude is Pointless When It Is Forced

*The opinions and ideas expressed in this article do not reflect the views of Carthage Magazine’s editorial team. To submit an opinion article, please email info@carthagemagazine.com. Learn more.


If you would like to comment on this article or anything else you have seen on Carthage Magazine, leave a comment below or head over to our Facebook page. You may also message us via this page.

And if you liked this article, sign up for the monthly features newsletter. A handpicked selection of stories from Carthage Magazine, delivered to your inbox.


Jasser Hammami

Jasser Hammami is a published author, a freelance editor and translator, a minorities’ rights activist, and an English major student.

0 comment
10
FacebookTwitterEmail
Contributing Editor

Contributing Editor account at Carthage Magazine. Tunisia's premier English general-interest Magazine with thousands of page-views per month and over 200,000 social media followers.

previous post
Tunisian Breakfast for Champions: “Zamit” with Pomegranate
next post
10 Gorgeous Pictures that Capture the Beauty of Sidi Bou Said Village

Related Articles

10 Delicious Tunisian Dishes for Ramadan

March 23, 2023

Tunisia: Why the “Demographic Argument” is Racist &...

March 8, 2023

Hedi Nouira: The Architect of Tunisia’s Economic Renewal...

March 7, 2023

Tunisian Community Abroad Grows & Evolves

March 4, 2023

The Struggle for Tunisia’s Fragile Democracy

February 28, 2023

Fort Santiago Chikly: Tunis’ Most Mysterious Monument

February 21, 2023

Bachata: A Spicy Tunisian Community Straps on Its...

February 20, 2023

eL Seed: Tunisia’s Pioneering ‘Calligraffiti’ Artist

February 16, 2023

LinkedIn Surpasses 1.7m Members in Tunisia

February 15, 2023

Ameer Slow: MENA’s Most Popular Tunisian Minecraft YouTuber

January 30, 2023

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Flavors of Tunisia

Taste-Tunisia-Tunisian-Cuisine-3

Want more top stories?

Carthage Magazine Newsletter

Sign up today and you’ll get our latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Quizzes

Quiz: How Well Do You Know African Countries...

QUIZ: Think You’re a Know-It-All? Try Naming These...

Just For You

  • 1

    March 20th, Tunisia 🇹🇳 Celebrates Independence Day

    March 19, 2022
  • 2

    Poor Economy: Why Doesn’t Tunisia Print More Money for Itself?

    July 15, 2019
  • 3

    Alcohol in Tunisia: What Visitors Need to Know

    August 2, 2021
  • 4

    Tunisians Celebrate their Heritage with Magnificent Traditional Outfits

    March 13, 2022
  • 5

    Local Transport in Tunisia — Public Transport in Tunisian Cities

    June 22, 2021

Latest

  • 10 Delicious Tunisian Dishes for Ramadan

  • Tunisia Dismisses ‘Exaggerated’ EU Warnings of Approaching Collapse

  • Tunisia is Becoming the Leading DeepTech Hub of Africa

  • Tunisia’s Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine Resigns

Sections

  • Editors' Picks
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Food & Drinks
  • Local History
  • News
  • No Sugarcoating
  • People
  • Quizzes
  • Real Estate
  • Style & Travel
  • Tech & Startups
  • Things to Do
  • Videos

E᙭ᑭᒪOᖇE

Carthage Magazine

We’re on a mission to create content that inspires people about experiences, places, products and people in Tunisia!

 

— About Us

— Adverstising

— Transparency

— Contact Us

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube

ᗯᗩᑎT ᗰOᖇE TOᑭ ᔕTOᖇIEᔕ?

Carthage Magazine Newsletter

Sign up today and you’ll get our latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.

ᔕᑭᖇEᗩᗪ TᕼE ᗯOᖇᗪ

Spread the word

Our goal is to get these stories out in the public arena, and by doing this, keep promoting Tunisia and changing attitudes towards the MENA region.

 

— Ambassadors

— Readers Write

— What You Can Do to Help

EᗪITOᖇᔕ’ ᑭIᑕKᔕ

  • Fort Santiago Chikly: Tunis’ Most Mysterious Monument

    February 21, 2023
  • Tabarka & Ain Draham: Reconnecting with Nature

    January 24, 2023
  • BioNTech Acquires Tunisia-Founded AI Startup InstaDeep for $684m

    January 11, 2023

© 2019 - 2023 Carthage Magazine. Privacy Policy

Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
    • Leisure
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • Interviews
    • No Sugarcoating
    • Environment
  • Style & Travel
    • Attractions
    • Trip Planning
      • Travel Information
      • Hotels in Tunisia
      • Cost of Living
      • Tunisia’s Language
      • Tunisia’s Weather
      • Tunisia’s Currency
      • Tunisia’s Visa
    • Transport in Tunisia
      • Traveling Around
      • Local Transport
      • Flights to Tunisia
      • Ferries to Tunisia
      • Tunisia Overland
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
    • Leisure
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • Interviews
    • No Sugarcoating
    • Environment
  • Style & Travel
    • Attractions
    • Trip Planning
      • Travel Information
      • Hotels in Tunisia
      • Cost of Living
      • Tunisia’s Language
      • Tunisia’s Weather
      • Tunisia’s Currency
      • Tunisia’s Visa
    • Transport in Tunisia
      • Traveling Around
      • Local Transport
      • Flights to Tunisia
      • Ferries to Tunisia
      • Tunisia Overland
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
© 2019 - 2023 Carthage Magazine. Privacy Policy

Read alsox

Uncharted Paradise: Jalta — The Uninhabited Galite...

November 14, 2020

The Coziest Vegetable Stew — Tunisia’s Go-To...

November 16, 2020

Top 6 Facebook Groups Every Tunisian Should...

September 2, 2019