Hagwala vs. Hog Holla

November 28, 2015Ian
Full Treatments, Lifestyle & Culture

You may have already seen the video above; it currently has over two million views. If you have, you may have been left wondering: were they really doing this on two wheels? Or was there some kind of effects/editing trickery going on? Well, the answer is that it was indeed real, and here’s some evidence, with more background on these kinds of stunts further below:

The View From Inside

If you’ve ever been on a teenage male joyride, the vibe of this video should be pretty familiar. Language and culture are no barrier, when it comes to testosterone-fueled stupidity.

It turns out this this insane pastime is part of a larger youth culture phenomena called Hagwala or Tafheet. It’s actually kind of old news; it was even exploited for an MIA video back in 2013 (clip at bottom). While the main activity is high speed “drifting” on public roads around Riyadh, there plenty of other dumb things you can do on the highway, if you’re so inclined, like:

Saudi Sandal Surfing

Also called “Saudi Street Skating”. If you ever land a contract to market a line of sandals, you might want to do a viral campaign using a video like this:

Redneck Street Surfing Fail

The scenery in this clip looks like it might be Australia or the US southwest, but the cameraman’s speech patterns scream “redneck”:

Speaking of Rednecks…

The tendency for rednecks to engage in a celebratory discharge of firearms is hardly unique. These fellows put a new twist on the term “shotgun wedding”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHr60Wvk5_I

Redneck Drifting

We suggested in the headline that we might do some cultural comparison for you, so here are some examples of American Hagwala, or “Hog Holla”, as we prefer to call it:

With a Towtruck

With Lawnmowers

Drifting for Kids

Sure, it’s cute now, but sadly, in just a few years the boy in this video will have joined the Yakuza and be missing a finger, and the girl will have a pierced nose and tramp stamps.

For the Vine/ADHD Afflicted

Here’s a seven second, straight up thug life gangsta version:

All Fun and Games, Right?

Sure, destroying rental cars on desert highways using your parents money is all fun and games. UNTIL SOMEBODY LOSES AN EYE. Or their life, in this case. If you peruse the “related videos” on YouTube, there are plenty of compilations of “Hagwala Fails”. And when things go wrong, it’s not pretty. It’s obviously a dangerous and stupid pastime, and it has been outlawed, and even led to a death sentence for at least one “drifter”.

WARNING: Disturbing Footage!

If watching bodies being flung from vehicles at high speed is your thing, the videos below demonstrate the lethal downside of the hobby. But be advised, people die in a few of these clips.