Sometimes the Most Patriotic Phoenician is a Persian

phx2phoenicia

12285968_10153712770080762_1302078830_n The start to my solo-celebration of “Lebanon Day,” (as I’ve decided to call it), November 22, 2015.

Living in Phoenix, Arizona, I didn’t expect to see a Macy’s parade for Lebanese Independence Day. Though we have a sizable Lebanese population, here, I’ve learned that the proverbial Phoenician partying is generally kept within circles of the diaspora. But as the 22nd approached, I was surprised to note that I was more enthusiastic about Lebanon’s day of nationalism than most of my Lebanese counterparts . . . particularly those living in Lebanon.

Beirut skyline Samer lebnan dec 2014 My friend, Samer’s photo of the Beirut skyline (pre-#YouStink).

Despite their general proclivity for round-the-clock merrymaking, the Lebanese were perhaps more sardonic on this supposed day of national unity than anyone else.

The first from whom I heard was a friend, Nader, in Lebanon, who was contacting me through a proxy server because, as he explained, the Lebanese Facebook “we2ef,” or went down (lit…

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