"Badna N2awim El Me2teye" on 7UPstairs Publishing by Fady Chahine and Tarek Chemaly

Open publication - Free publishing - More adbusters

What do we stand for?

Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Tires Squaring Circles. In Arabic, the expression is “badna n2awim el me2teye” or how someone goes on a quest to straighten the curve of wild cucumbers – which are always curvy. A daunting mission, but a person’s got to do what a person’s got to do – we’re equal opportunity employers between the genders in that perspective.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Trust Sneaky Corporations. We are not asking anyone to stop consuming, or to radically change their lifestyles, all we are saying is – think a little about what you buy and where you but it from and what is hidden cost imbedded in it.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Tolerate Supporting Charlatans. If you are convinced of your political views, we’re only too happy for you. But if you are just joining in the crowd just out of fear of being different or being labeled traitor, at least have the audacity to review your beliefs. If you change them - it will be out of conviction. If you go back to your original standpoint - at least you’d know you were always right.
Beirut/NTSC stands for POPaganda. A way of taking lightly – and orally – all the people who at one point were thought to be invincible have been transformed into drinkable alternatives. Much easier on the mouth, and other parts of the anatomy.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Try Suppressing Conscience. Especially in the Arab region where freedom of thought and expression is quasi limited, and where everyone is trying to hijack the “Arab spring” to turn it into another season, or another reason, or another treason.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Take Substandard Creativity. Don’t let advertising agencies and clients insult your intelligence as an audience and as consumers. Don’t let them sell you anything and be gullible. Don’t let them trick you into believing that whatever they propose is sacrosanct. React. Be a “consom’acteur” (a French word fusing “consommateur” (consumer) and “acteur” (actor)). If it sucks – without the fun ending – we will let you know.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Try Stealing Concepts. If an advertising agency is spotted “borrowing” from another previous campaign, if a concept is a copycat of another, if an idea is freely copied from an existing campaign, we’ll be the first ones to report it, to shame whatever “creative” (or rather “uncreative”) person and expose him/her as a thief.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Ne7na Tlo3na Stereotyped Characters. An amalgamation of Arabic and Latin to make “we’re nothing but a bunch of stereotyped characters” – politicians, candidates for elections, various positions in the advertising industry… It’s one and the same, everyone just wants to fit in a pigeon hole and stay there.
Beirut/NTSC stands for Never Tolerate Sacrificing Credibility. We report to you things exactly as they have happened. We even sacrifice speed for the interest of accuracy. We also never believe in the fallacy that someone can be objective – objectivity does not exist – but we try our might to be impartial.
Not only did we take a stand. We actually took the stand. We testified for our beliefs.