The Lebanese are very self-aware. We freely admit, for example, that when flying Middle East Airlines, we are atrocious passengers. We treat the cabin crew with barely-concealed contempt; we let our children run amok in the cabin, and, in what has almost become a national pastime, we cheerfully ignore instructions to remain seated until the plane has come to a halt, often deciding that we need to visit the bathroom seconds before landing.
Put us on a posh airline and we become models of obedience. And this is why we Lebanese tend to only punch above our weight when we emigrate, a condition recognised by the Lebanese telecoms minister Boutros Harb. “I wonder why Lebanese excel in other countries, while [at home] their talents are not exploited?” lamented the erstwhile presidential candidate at an IT conference in Beirut last week.