Monday, February 7, 2011

Eygpt - what are they thinking?

I find it a bit depressing to see on the news all that is going on in the Middle East. It can not end well. Now that all of the western European/North American have decided that they need to support those who want the President gone - it is only a matter of time. But I keep on asking myself - where are the intellectual leaders  (as defined by Gramsci)? Why haven't they talked/taught about the need for change before this in a way that gives people the tools to make reasonable decisions? (not that we do any better in Canada in terms of making rational political decisions)

There seems to be two positions. The first one is the one that now appears to be the politically proper one - that is - get rid of the dictator. And immediately, according to some of the protesters, there will be both a democracy and even more importantly such things as food prices will drop down and there will be jobs for all.. There is no proof in any country that a capitalistic democracy insures that everyone can afford to feed their family. All of those young people who are out there, sometimes risking their lives to protest the current regime, desperately want a change so that they can have freedom, also want to get a job and to have a reasonable economic future. I am afraid that they are going to be disappointed on one if not both counts.

The other positions argues that things are not so bad under the present regime and that Egypt needs a strong (read dictatorship) leader. They appear on the TV news to be slightly older. They want the protest to stop so that they can get on with their lives. One has to wonder how many of those who support the President are unemployed and/or poor? Of course those who are doing well under the present systm want to keep the status quo.

This is not just a protest to get rid of a president- it is also, and perhaps even primarily,  a class struggle between those who have and those who do not. Until that is understood - any changes that occur will just be placing a band-aid on a festering wound.

 
Posted by at 6:50 PM

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    I think that western politicians are afraid that Egypt might become another Iran -- An extreme Islam regime if they eliminate this dictator.

    not sure, I no longer believe that western politicians or even people act based on justice or any other noble principles, and they may never did so before.

    See what western politicians and media have done to the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the evil Chinese Communist government!(I am a Falun Gong member.)

    I hope not to offend you at all.

    Frank Xiong

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  2. Travels Through a LifetimeFebruary 12, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    It should surprise no one that all leaders have an agenda. While those leaders on occasion speak as if their agenda is the same as ours..... it seldom is.

    Most of us only fight for what is important to us. What happens in China is not - and of course they hold too much of our debt to get them angry at us.

    ReplyDelete

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