Blog
The Emotional Cost of Things in Lebanon
Everything has a physical price. Food, services, vacations, and even sex and love – they all have a physical amount we pay in exchange for them. But other things have a hidden emotional cost, a price you pay with your nerves and nail-bites.
We’ve chosen to measure this cost in FO’s or, Freak Outs. For example, spilling coffee on your new shirt is worth 5 FO’s, while your mother catching you in bed with a boyfriend would be closer to 50,000 FO’s.
Getting stuck in traffic………………….…………………… 10 FO’s
Getting stuck in traffic, in Achrafieh, at 5pm……..……… 50 FO’s
Having no president……………………………….………… 2 FO’s
Trying to get a visa with a Lebanese passport…………… 567,000 FO’s
Finding out how much a shitty apartment in Beirut costs. 70,000 FO’s
Trying to get an official document from a ministry………. 40,000 FO’s
Trying to get an official document without wasta………….400,000 FO’s
Having the electricity go off…………………………………. 20 FO’s
Having the electricity go off while you’re
in the hospital on a ventilator……………………………………600 FO’s
Watching elected representatives throw chairs
at each other on live TV…………………………………………..4 FO’s
Finding out how much those very same
representatives make per month………………………………4,000 FO’s
Hearing that Lebanon has petrol……………………………..0 FO’s
Hearing that our officials have already
made sure they get all the petrol $………………………………1,000 FO’s
Finding out that you’ve been eating
shit-tainted food for 20 years…………………………………… 6,000 FO’s
Getting the electricity bill but no electricity………………… 60,000 FO’s
Finding out what people abroad pay for internet…………… 600 FO’s
Trying to find a job as a fresh graduate……………………… 5,000 FO’s
Finding out what a fresh graduate gets paid………………… 500,000 FO’s
Meeting your dream girl/guy…………………………………… 0 FO’s
Finding out they’re a different sect……………………………. 4,000 FO’s
Finding out they’re actually a distant cousin………………… 40,000 FO’s