5 reasons why Adel Karam's 'Hayda Haki' is utterly ridiculous

We don't watch Adel Karam's show.

This has nothing to do with him insulting Ahlam or vice versa. It also has nothing to do with what the Khaleeji journalists think of him or what the Lebanese journalists think of her (What's the point of being overly nationalistic here?)

We know that "Hayda Haki" is one of the "most-viewed" shows in Lebanon, but that doesn't mean it's a high-quality show. Popularity is one thing, but what we are presented with in terms of the show's quality is something else.

A good show doesn't need to rely on stereotypes, generalizations, cliches or insults to make people laugh. A good show doesn't rely on nationalism to market itself, but on its professional standards, such as good preparation, which is based on original ideas and not sickening cliches.

Want to know why we don't watch "Hayda Haki" by Adel Karam? Here are some reasons why.

A play on words or misconstruing them, using cliches or generalizations like "Lebanese people are like that" are easy ways to make something "funny" without much effort or preparation.

Karam, just like other mediocre comedians, relies on a play on words where he twists a word around and makes it seem like a curse word (how's that even funny?).

Unlike the satirical Philemon Wehbe and Ziad Rahbani, who mastered wordplay, Karam's methods have no artistic purpose and a lack of an intelligent approach.

Adel Karam insulted several people over the last few seasons of his show, using "comedy" to generate laughs at the expense of respectable people, such as an ambitious 60-something-year-old man who wanted to get his Brevet after all these years.

So Adel Karam decided it would be a great idea to mock him by saying "Isn't it a bit too early for that? At 63, you'll get your diploma then immediately retire."

Karam responded to Ahlam's criticism of the Lebanese people, describing them as "the falafel people" and mocking them for their garbage crisis (which was by no means acceptable), by exaggerating the issue and making it into something of a national issue.

With "patriotism," he said: "I'm the one who told a joke, insult me. Don't insult the Lebanese people" before insulting her looks, adding that Lebanese people made her look good through plastic surgeries (although Ahlam later denied that she ever underwent a plastic surgery in Lebanon during an interview on "Ya Hala Ramadan" show).

Karam then insinuated that Ahlam has only one well-known song despite her popularity in the Gulf religion and Levant. He concluded his ramblings by saying that Lebanon is a country that's "open for everyone but not for those who benefit from it and then insult it."

The best comedians use social and political satire to produce laughter and stimulate the minds of their audience.

But Karam has a tendency to exaggerate everything, from facial gestures to even paraphrasing ideas that aren't his. In other words, plagiarizing from well-known artists.

Karam and the creators of his show gather numerous photos and videos from social media sites for the "Flash" segment, but their material is often months old.

Karam doesn't seem to understand the amount of preparation that a late night show requires. In one of the show's episodes, he asked members of Mashrou' Leila whether they "steal" cover songs or write their own.

How come it's the "most viewed" show then? Well, we REALLY need to spot the difference between good falafels and bad ones.

This post was originally published in Arabic on YallaFeed, and reflects the viewpoint of its author.