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If Parks and Recreation Was Set In Lebanon
What if Parks and Recreation, the spiritual sibling of The Office made its way to Lebanon’s shores? Would the show’s loveable bureaucrats thrive or drown in Lebanon’s wonderful political system? It can’t be any worse than the American one tbh. Here’s how we see Parks and Rec going in its Lebanese edition.
Pawnee, Chouf
– Our fictional town is set in the mountains of Chouf.
– Of course, as usual, it must have an ambiguous sectarian identity for maximum market reach.
– The residents are a combination of old day3a people, weekenders from Beirut, and some migrants from around the country.
– Has a huge rivalry with neighboring Sakrton, Chouf.
Leslie Knope
– One of the area’s baladiye members, and the only one who actually shows up to work.
– Has deep ties to the local community with loyal voters who only need a little wasta every now and then.
– Had a moment of fame on Al-Jadeed once, where she was cut off about 5 minutes into her appearance. Has accumulated a crop of online meme stans because of it.
– Hedged her bets by tweeting pro-thawra one minute then “kota3 el toroq!” the other.
– Tweets church and mosque pics.
– Single handedly stopped the Bisri Dam (in her mind).
Ron Swanson
– The top baladiye employee
– Doesn’t have WiFi at home
– Hates all politicians, and simultaneously hates everyone opposing them.
– Was charged by the military court for running away from the army.
– Ran a Bitcoin mine in the municipal building for around 2 years using Litani water power.
April Ludgate
– Lived her entire life in Beirut before her parents decided to move to the jabal when she was 12.
– Lebanese University drop-out.
– Is hated in the village, with rumors spread about her and people whispering when she walks by.
– Loves to read Beirut.com
Andy Dwyer
– Born and bred in Pawnee, Chouf.
– Doesn’t actually have a job in the municipality but someone pays him to hang around.
– Does not know who Suleiman Frangieh is.
– Follows NekatLebanese.
Ben Wyatt
– A, wait for it, consultant who was sent by the World Bank to do some digging but has somehow stuck around after.
– Was working on the Bisri Dam project but had an enlightened moment and joined the opposition to it later.
– Building a day3a house, keeps getting scammed by the contractors.
– Tweets about Lebanese politics (derogatory).
Ann Perkins
– Nurse at the nearby hospital
– AUB graduate.
– Mother of two, hates her husband but will never divorce him.
– Very active on the area’s Facebook page.
