A video is circulating around social media leaving Lebanese with mixed feelings and confused about whether to laugh or to cry.
The video shows just how far the Lebanese welder’s infamous reputation has gone; making it all the way to Formula 1.
During the Portuguese Grand Prix, a commentator of a regional broadcast announced that welding work was taking place on the track.
“It’s important the welder isn’t Lebanese,” he commented. “Yes, of course, not Lebanese,” hoped the second presenter.
The comments refer to a series of fires that took place in Beirut, reportedly due to welder’s work, starting with the fire that led to the massive deadly explosion at the Beirut Port on August 4th.
Since that doomed day, many more fires have erupted across the city, including one that burned a landmark building designed by Zaha Hadid in Beirut Souks.
Recently, an explosion in Beirut’s Tariq al-Jdideh neighborhood killed four and left at least 50 injured, including newborns.
All the fires have something in common: they are blamed to have started by welders. It was as such that an illusive welder character was born with the sarcasm of the Lebanese people.
Their dark jokes about it became notorious on social media, particularly on Twitter. An infamous reputation picked up regionally as we now hear… while watching a totally unrelated event like the F1.
Yet, again, Lebanon doesn’t lack infamous matters for the world to try to match the Lebanese dark humor about them. One has only to go through all that is ongoing on the political stage to pick several.
