The developments in Egypt are breathtaking to watch. The people have refused to back down from their demands for change and today, it seems, they have been answered. Hosni Mubarak, (former) president of Egypt, announced that he is stepping down.
I hope you have been watching this play out for the last month. I think it gives life to some of the abstract topics we've been talking about in class -- freedom of speech, freedom to peaceably assemble, freedom to criticize your government.
Please take a look at this interesting blog entry by Dr. Stephen M. Walt, professor of international studies at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He lays out 10 reasons why Americans should care about what's happening in Egypt. Click here to read the blog entry.
Another interesting development I read about was how the Egyptian government shut down the Internet because of the protests. Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist, examines if the Internet could be shut down in the United States in a similar situation of social unrest. Click here to read his opinion piece.
After you read the articles, please share with us your thoughts about Egypt. Have you found parallels to what we've been talking about in media law class? What do you think will happen in Egypt? Perhaps there are other thoughts about the situation in Egypt that you'd like to share. Please do so.
40 comments:
I like Walt's comment about how a country 13 trillion in debt is sending 2 billion in aid to another country. The idealist in me would like to see us extract ourselves from the affairs of Egypt and let their people have their revolution and set up a government by the people, for the people, however it seems that at this point we might be too entangled for a clean break. Especially with people like Sarah Palin up-in-arms over not wanting the Muslim Brotherhood to come to power.
As to the issue of shutting down the internet, I hope our government would know better than to commit that kind of act of suppression. Think about the damaging affect that shutting down the internet would have on business, small and large alike. Our economy would come to a halt.
I agree with Calliewalker about the United States stepping out of Egypt's affairs. The United States is too far in debt to be interfering with other country's delemmas. We need to get our own country back on track before we go try to 'improve' another. I would love to see an announcement on the news one day stating in so many words, that the American government would be minding it's own buisness and taking care of our economic crisis, debt, and homeland issues before we would be involving ourselves in anymore overseas disputes.
As for shutting down the internet, I don't believe the government would even so much as attept to push that, unless* there was a national security situation involved.
I found Walt's comments on why "Americans Should Care..." really interesting just because there are so many people who have no realization of what the situation in Egypt really means and how it will affect us. I agree with his second point of America's reputation. It will be interesting to see how other country's perception of us will change after we have backed this dictator that reigned his people with an iron fist. Which brings me to his 5th point...Relations with Other Middle East Allies. Although Mubarak has stepped down, the complications are not over. This is clearly going to affect America's relationship with Israel and we could potentially see bruised friendships with other middle east countries as well. Point number 6...The Danger of Distraction...surprised me because that wasn't a reason I thought of but is an obvious one. Let's hope Obama knows how to multi-task. This leads me to his last point...Judging Obama. I think it's important for Americans to not jump to conclusions and cast judgments on him, good or bad, until they know the situations and how they played out. Which is why Americans need to keep a close and concerning eye on Egypt.
On the CNN Opinion page Rushkoff points out that Internet is an easy prey for governments. While this is true I would like to think the US would never take such drastic of measures as to silence our internet voice. The fact that WikiLeaks was shut down from a simple phone call is somewhat un-nerving.
I think it's nearly impossible to predict what the outcome will be in Egypt but what I do know is this will undoubtedly change things for the United States, good or bad I'm not sure yet.
KAYLEEP. (HON)
Courtney,
What type of national security issue would warrant shutting down the internet?
First off, I think its amazing to see that people can assemble peacefully (for the most part) to bring about change in their government. I'm blown away to live in a time when the right to assemble is enforced by the people in a country where it is virtually forbidden. Go Egypt & Tunisa! It brings me hope that not all democratization must be done at gun point, specifically in the Arab world. Incidentally, my concern with the Muslim Brotherhood is that if its radicalized faction gains power this could mean really bad news for Israel. This IS our problem - should Arab countries chose to fulfill what Iran has already threatened then it is the start of the next World War. To say "its not our problem" brings a repeat to the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan & then funding al-Qaeda - it wasn't our problem until 3000 people died in New York so we kinda ignored it. Like it or not, we're tied to it even if we didn't fund any of it. I hate the idea of taking sides with Palin in any way, but there should be concern. The one asset of Mubarak was his maintaneance of peace with Isreal & keeping the other Arab countries from crossing the line. We may also see dissolved relations with the U.S. if anti-western groups gain control - which is bad for the global economy, not just ours. Isolationism is absolutely impossible and completely idealistic thanks to globalization.
As far as shutting off the internet with a button - who is really surprised at this? Facebook & Twitter are profiling techniques for the government. People are completely naive if they thought for one second that their personal info page on Facebook wasn't a way for the government to sort us out. We all jumped on that bandwagon willingly so we set ourselves up for the reprecussions - government use/abuse of that system. Freedom of speech is vital - but that freedom isn't free. Never has been. There is always consequence and often it can be necessary. Is shutting off the internet necessary? Who knows...depends on how much unintelligent, under-researched, emotional and irrational uprising occurs. Its my experience that the majority of the public in any country is not immediately rational (caveat of immediatly, b/c many come to their senses but not until they've done or said something stupid) on most accounts let alone when it comes to their rights or opinions about things like war or their wallet. The Pentagon Papers video made it clear how little the American public it privy too - not that we should be kept in the dark, but lets face it, we are. So you have someone who believes something based on information the believe to be true (and its not, b/c the whole story isn't known) going on what seems like a logical tyrade, you have a lemming leader. If you have someone charismatic & irrational enough to rally enough people - you have France 1803-1815 all over again but on a much more dangerous scale...so yeah...there should probaly be a button because "the people" are lemmings. Maybe I'm cynical - but if you want to talk about learning from history its somewhat reasonable.
Margaret Hanslik HON3395B
In regards to those 10 reasons, I couldn't agree more. If I've learned anything through my history/political science classes, it's that the US has supported dictators in the past for their own gains or claims of maintaining peace, and am for one sick of it. I know it's unprofessional to play the what if game but I'm going to suppose it was our having a finger in Egypt for as long as we have that has led to the support of this so hated regime. I am with the protesters who are calling for America to withdraw and let them have their country.
I understand that what happens when we leave will not be pretty, there will be a grab for power and who knows what the next regime will entail. But it is the trials and tribulations of a country's formation that brings it nationhood. To believe that it is our right/responsibility to "make sure things turn out O.K." as far as the direction, I'll say it again, of their country is denying them the true preachings of democracy.
On to the internet thing, this is pretty obviously a very scary possibility. But I agree with some of the others who have posted in that I don't think the US would do it until they were ready to go rouge (as some people believe is in the future, but that's another topic). Although, to get back to a point I was trying to make the other day in class (but didn't pursuit)they have essentially discussed this in congress. I, for one, see little difference between complete closing of the net and ending net neutrality. One bans it all, and the other bans what they don't want you to see/what you can't pay for.
I do think that the internet has changed out society for the better and that it will help other countries in their struggles to find out "who they are". As well as the idea that for a country to rebuild itself and stand tall it must be held up by itself. Come on America lets take the risk we haven't in a long time. Lets let the country that has finally removed their worst fear start their own government, and keep our money out of assassins/corporations/false protesters hands and guns.
As I mentioned in our Honors class, I've been most fascinated by the hypocrisy of the United States in this whole scenario. Examples of our hypocrisy abound, of course, but this is a hot-ticket issue in the media, and I think it's great that people are getting a good look at the sorts of things our government does behind closed doors (or at least without too much media attention). That's what I agreed with most about Dr. Walt's post: his points about America's reputation and morality.
Despite going into Afghanistan to free their people from the tyranny of the Taliban, despite going into Iraq to rid them of Hussein, despite the passionate rhetoric about freedom and democracy following the protest in Iran, America continues to back illegitimate governments and dictatorships out of convenience (at best) or blatant corruption (at worst).
This isn't to say that I'm in support of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; quite the contrary, actually. I'm just trying to point out serious inconsistencies between America's talk and its walk. We only walk when it's a convenient move for us. We only seem to be interested in removing dictators that we put in place to begin with, and that's just a move to save face.
On a separate note: I was really glad to see some of Egypt's media actually playing the role of the Fourth Estate throughout this whole episode. Several reporters from Al Jazeera even got arrested for their reporting after being told to shut up by the Egyptian government. It's nice to see that some people still believe that the media is intended to keep the people informed, as opposed to uninformed (though I don't want to point any fingers here, Fox News and News Corp.).
Ethan Watt - Honors
I think Douglas Rushkoff makes a very valid point in stating that the more we depend on social media, the more we hand over our basic rights to the government. I think this could spark a good debate between the government and the American people regarding how much control either has over the internet. As an avid social media user now, I can't help but wonder if we were to suddenly generate a mass protest through new media, and eventually assembly, would the government hold the constitutional right to shut the 'Net down like Egypt did?
I also think as the majority of us are journalists, we shouldn't even need to be told why Egypt is important. This is huge, and whether or not you have an opinion, doesn't mean you shouldn't be informed. That, sadly, leads to widespread ignorance and there's plenty of historical evidence proving its destructive nature.
I realize that America has a lot of ties with Egypt, but I think we're at the brink of another Iraq if we get too involved. This was THEIR revolution, and yes I think we should be there to guide and assist them in rebuilding their new democratic government, I don't think we should straight out tell them what to do. I realize that's where a lot of the debate it coming from right now, but we're already walking on eggshells in the Middle East, and I'd hate to see our aggressive ideas of government sever some of those vital ties completely.
Kelsey (Lauren) Taylor T/TH 12:20
This article shed a new light, in a very concise manner, on why Americans should care about the events taking place in Cairo. I agree with Walt’s observation that people in the U.S. should treat the revolt in Egypt with as much care and concern as they do with the ‘War on Terror’ in the middle east. The outcome of this uprising will set the precedent for similar situations in the future. The goal of the U.S. should not be to intervene and maintain another countries economy when our own country and its people are suffering. We should support the revolution of the Egyptian people and honor their requests in order to establish goodwill with government successors and remove any association with tyrants who oppress and torture their people, as Walt suggested. The eradication of these ties will also present the U.S. as a moral and just country that supports basic human rights and freedoms while also helping to illegitimize al Qaeda’s justification for terrorism that the U.S. works with persecuting and dishonest dictators. As for shutting down the internet, I agree with Callie in that our nation would come to a halt. We are so dependent on this technology that I think it would cause more of an uproar and chaos, bringing the opposite of the desired effect.
I enjoyed Douglas Rushkoff's article, "Internet is easy prey for governments.'
I especially found it interesting that he wrote about the important role that social media played in the uproar in Eqypt.
Rushkoff writes "Yes, services such as Twitter and Facebook give activists the means to organize as never before. But the more dependent on them we become, the more subservient we are to the corporations and governments that control them."
I completely agree with him on this point. As United States citizens (and especially as college students), I think we sometimes take advantage of our freedom to utilize the internet and social media and think that it will always be there for our unlimited use.
While I don't foresee any event in which the U.S. would have to take away our basic freedom of speech to such an immense degree, I do think Ruskoff is smart to point out the fact that the government could indeed, shut down the internet - even in a country that values the 1st amendment as a fundamental freedom.
Also, Rushkoff brings up another valid point. He mentions that the internet -something we think to be the source of absolute truth, free speech and research- is in fact, controlled by the government. The example that Joe Lieberman made one phone call to take WikiLeaks off the internet once it had been published illustrates just how much the government really can control what information the public receives.
MW ITV Class
2:00 - 3:20
As far as the articles, when it comes to American foreign affairs I wish there wasn't in most cases. There usually is an alterior motive involved and that's just another conversation entirely so I'll just leave it at that but props to the Egyptian people for toppling a leader through non-violence, Gandhi would be proud! Now to see what they do from here. I loved the coverage, I mean even fox news covered it wonderfully. I was absorbing every bit of news coverage I could, and fox had some rad camera angles while the other stations were talking about Lindsay Lohan :/
I found Douglas Rushkoff's article "Internet is easy prey for governments" very interesting because it tosses up the idea that we really do not have all the freedoms of speech on the internet that we believe.
He explains that Twitter and Facebook give activists a whole other level of organization and ability to assemble. Yet, I would have to agree with the article which states that "the internet is entirely controlled by central authorities."
In Media Law class we explore the 1st amendment in depth, but never did I realize that we have our freedom of speech but it will always be censored. An example would be the internet being shut down in Egypt, as the government tried to control what information was going online. This corrolates to the Wikileaks incident that happened in the U.S. and makes me think about what freedoms we really have...
Lauren Berger
MW ITV Class
Dr. Walt's list makes so many good points of why we should care and pay attention. I especially liked #9, and hope the Pentagon, State Dept. do learn the lesson, of the possibility of of bottom up revolution.
As for Rushkoff's article, if US government ever took away the our sacred internet there would be riots in the streets. It would enrage people out of their apathetic or distracted lives and inspire uprising, the opposite of the gov. goal. Although its still important to have alternate form of decentralized mass communication just in case.
Joshua Giffin Honors 3396
My response to this question wont be as lengthy as some of those before me. I feel like nearly every post so far has been quite insightful.
First off, I want to emphasize how much of an honor it is to be able to live in a time where peaceful rebellion can still be effective implemented by the people in the most extreme of circumstances. I feel it's important to note the role the military has played, however. When the guns turned from those gathered in Tahrir Square and aimed at Mubarak, the message couldn't of been stronger. The 'peaceful' voice of the people now has the backing of an army.
On another note, I am plainly disgusted with the rhetoric coming from the far Right on the events in Egypt. Many outspoken individuals, "Pappa Bear" Bill O'Reily for one, has made it clear that a democratically elected government in Egypt is "Evil". It's sad, it's distasteful, and I hope it will open up many eyes to just how whacko the far Right is these days.
On the subject of Kill Switch legislation, well the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Knowing the ability of the Government to take down a watchdog website like WikiLeaks so easily is disturbing. If I've learned one thing from this class, and I've learned quite a few mind you, its that the Executive and Legislative branches abuse their power far to often in the name of National Security. There should never be a threat so large to American security that the government would need to shut off the internet. If I were that President I would have the National Guard mobilized before I hit that button, because things would get very ugly very quickly.
Sam Long, Honors
Dr. Walt's piece is certainly eye-opening. I often come across people who don't see a reason for Americans to be interested in issues another country is facing, as they often believe the United States has little to nothing to do with the situation. I found this article to be a good reminder as to why we should pay attention to any global issue, because the U.S. is affected -- be it directly or indirectly -- by just about every global issue.
I've been following this story since Day 1, and it has been fascinating to watch it unfold. I'm anxious to see what is in store for the Egyptian people now and how the United States will be involved in the country's future.
Lisa Carter
M/W, 2 p.m. class
When Egypt's issues first began to show up in the news, I had my typical isolationist answer... Oh here we go again putting our nose in other peoples business and then of course making it even worse. However, as the situation developed I began to realize that the situation over there was not the inevitable end of the world, but individuals assembling to voice their distress with a regime they didn't want, a fundamental basis of democracy.
Then Mubarak stepped down, in a relatively non-violent fashion. I thought to myself after reading Walt's blog that maybe we can overthrow corruption without mass killing and war. I've always been a firm believer that the quickest way to lose someone's trust is pointing a firearm at their head.
In response to Rushkoff's article, this makes me very concerned for Americans. If Mubarak is able to disable all communication to the outside world with four phone calls, it would be just as easy for our government to do the same to us. What if we lose our right to assemble or of demonstrating our distrust in our government. What if we piss off our government and they flip a switch and boom, no internet, no cell phone service because it is "protecting homeland security." The more privacy we give for "homeland security" (fear)the more freedom we lose.
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." - Thomas Jefferson
I believe those who have commented before me have summed up nicely the reasons why we should be - and many of us are - compelled to follow and support the events in Egypt. While there have been incidents of unnecessary and tragic violence, to see a largely peaceful revolution on the other side of the world unfold before us through a multitude of media outlets is astounding, especially when - despite perpetual criticism and the ebb and flow of politics - we as Americans are secure and comfortable in our own government. It is an incredible thing to witness.
As far as a Killswitch situation, perhaps I am too idealistic, but I have a difficult time believing such a situation would arise under any administration at any time. While I believe the government COULD shut down a large part of the internet in an emergency situation if they wished, the availability of the internet to this point and the knowledge of its workings acquired by regular citizens would make it nearly impossible to shut down internet networking completely.
Jennifer Morgan, Honors
Once again we are putting our nose it foreign affairs. First off, the United States is dealing with their own problems, we don't need to be concerning ourselves with Egypt's issues too. Second, I think the protests and what the Egyptian people are doing is a prime example of petitioning the government and freedom of speech. Maybe we should take a page out of the Egyptian's book and make some changes in our leadership here.
Brian B
TTh 12:30
Honestly, I never really thought that the events in Egypt had that much impact on the United States. After reading Professor Walt's blog I know I was obviously wrong. Rushkoff's opinion piece about government and social media is a little frightening. We are so dependent on social media today, what would happen if the government decided to suddenly put a stop to it one day? That brings up a legal question? Does the American government have the power to do something like this? I'm happy for the people of Egypt and I am happy that they have inspired their neighboring nations to fight for basic freedoms as well.
Jenny M.
T/TH 12:30
The recent events in Egypt displays how powerful social media has become. When citizens of a country are given the chance to speak freely through a medium such as facebook, their struggle can be heard around the world. In countries such as Egypt, the right to free speech has been lost after years of corruption and political antics. Therefore, social media has created a mechanism that citizens in repressed countries can have their voices heard. My hopes are that the revolution in Egypt will inspire other countries who are imprisoned by a corrupt authoritarian leader to make their struggle know to the world; ultimately, resulting in a new government satisfactory to the needs of the citizens and not to the needs of the corrupt leaders.
Schoenfeld T/TH @ 12:30
Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, sided with France in her war with England. Hamilton sided with England. Washington proclaimed a strict policy of neutrality that resulted in Jefferson's resignation. Washington's view was that the United Sates should attempt to stay out of European conflicts. In addition, he felt that it was essential that the United States have as many peacetime years as possible to increase its strength before fighting any further wars.
During his Presidency, George Washington personally insured that the Whiskey Rebellion, in protest of a tax imposed on whiskey, was put down. He thus crushed the first challenge to federal authority.
Surprisingly, one of the major events to take place during the Washington Presidency was accomplished with much debate but little conflict. This was the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the constitution - known as the Bill of Rights.
America is such a young country. Our laws and world evolving rapidly, everyday. President George Washington and I both agree that federal authority has no right taking away freedom of speech, press, or religion. Shutting down the Egyptians internet was a cowardly move on the governments' behalf.
It is ridiculous that any nation or group of humans, must suffer for so long, and YET be expected to protest against the mistreatment in a "peaceful manner"...
Those who endear, conquer.
M. Elder T/H @ 9;30 HONORS
To be honest, I haven't been following the events in Egypt very closely, and found Walt's article on why Americans should care about what's happening in Egypt very informative.
Both articles were very insightful and really opened my eyes on several things and made me realize how dependent we are on social media and the internet in general. It's a crazy thought to think about what life would be like without access to facebook, and twitter. To lose that freedom of writing and/or posting whatever we feel seems unthinkable, and it's scary to think that it just takes one simple click from authorities to shut it down.
Brittany Durdin
T/TH 12:30
I am all for the peaceful assembly or people to bring change in their government, Egypt found a way to start a change in their lives and that’s awesome. Our government did have strong ties with the Egyptian dictator, so it is probably best that we stay out of it. Trying to help make changes in their government is much like what we have been working to do for years in Iraq and I think that many people would agree that it would be better to not get too involved. I do feel however, that it’s okay to guide them.
I agree with the other students, I don’t believe the government should ever go as far as shutting down the internet. After all participating in social media and other things on the internet should be protected under our First Amendment right. Shutting down the internet does not only effect our rights, but harms many businesses.
Genevieve Kopecki
MW 2:00
Not only do I think it would be an absurd violation of our first amendment rights to take away the internet, but I also think it would be a bad decision for the government. The internet is a very useful tool in keeping the public informed. For example, I do not have any television in my home, so my sole means of retrieving any information is through the internet. Although the government may find it appealing to cut off communication from people who are advocating against them, they must still want some way to communicate with us. Also, like someone stated before, my job is completely reliant on the internet. I recieve job offers and information from my employers through email and several websites. It would be a very confusing and dark time without the internet these days, and it would probably cause quite a riot to take it away.
Hollee Barfield
MW @ 2:00
I found the article about the 10 reasons why Americans should care about what's happening in Egypt very interesting and valuable information. I agree with him on all the topics. I think he made a valid point regarding the social media and the fact that this is a test case and it will be interesting to find out the impact the media has. I also was shocked to find out how much our federal dollars are being spent on Egypt. I think that it will be interesting to see if Obama's "just right" approach ends up working and how it effects his presidency. I also found the article regarding government's control on media shocking and something that should be more commonly discussed. I am not sure how we would go about making the internet from ground up and making it so the government has no control but I do think that would be the right idea. I am always in favor of a lesser controlling government.
Molly MacNeil
TTH 12:30
Personally, I don't care what happens in Egypt because it doesn't affect me on a day-to-day basis. I want them to have freedoms and internet access and such, but it's literally a world away. I thinks it's best to not get worked up about something that you have no control over anyway. I hope the people of Egypt get the freedoms and rights they desire, but that's all.
The one parallel I can make between their conflict and our class is this: it has taken this country a long, long time to get where it is, and the present certainly isn't perfect. Even after the new (hopefully improved) Egypt is formed, a plethora of work needs to be done. Free speech won't mean the same thing there as it does here, and it will be a long time before Egyptians know what free speech means to them.
I am not sure what has been going on is all assembling peacefully. Anderson Cooper claims to have been assaulted as was female correspondent, Lara Logan. Considering the brutal attack of sexual assault and physical violence, how long can Egypt continue this behavior.
The internet is a powerful social tool that allows us to share ideas with one another. We have created for ourselves a very large dependency upon it. It is what keeps our country and the world operating and without it, everything would come to a halt. I think we may underestimate how much control the government has on the Internet, and should be grateful that we have the First Amendment in place to keep us protected from a regulation on speech. Citizens of Egypt are not so lucky and are fighting for these rights. As a result of their fight, we are indirectly affected for a variety of reasons like those listed in the article "10 Reasons...". I hope that the people of Egypt gain all for which they are fighting, not only for their sake but for the rest of the world's as well.
Brittney S
12:30 TTH Media Law
Cambrian Pichon
TTh 12:30-1:50
I see the points Walt makes about why we should care, as we should. We have this wonderful use of democracy that we showcase to the world, but others outside the U.S. don't have this and yet we become allies with these dictators. It makes us look very hypocritical, which is not a good thing but what are we to do?
I definitely see issues in Egypt that we have discussed in class. It's amazing because it should make all of us appreciate what abilities we have as citizens in the U.s.
In reference to Rushkoff, I get the sense that Big Brother is watching. lol. But who didn't know that. Yes the government could take away the internet from Americans but since we have the ability of the first amendment, we'll give them hell if they tried.
I believe that we would not have known or found out as quickly as we did about what was going on in Egypt without our access to the social media. Being able to access Twitter from phones now makes it much easier to spread news within minutes, even seconds.
I see the points Walt made and it does make me appreciate my rights as a citizen of the United States and even the First Amendment as we've discussed in class.
I also believe that Rushkoff's blog about the internet being shut off in America like it was in Egypt-a large majority of our society would not rest until they got their social media rights back to them. For my cousin, it´s her way of work, she works for Facebook. Others, it would just cut off their access to a social life.
With our social media not being cut off- we can send updated information about what is going on in Egypt through our network to keep people updated-as we have with the blogs.
Frances K.
12:30 T-TH Media Law
I found both Walt’s and Rushkoff’s articles to be informative; however I found Walt’s article on why Americans should care about the events in Egypt to the most interesting. The 10 reasons coincide with one another, such as “Money” and “Morality.” I, like Walt, believe that morality matters and America should recognize what kind of government our money and alliances goes to. I find it appalling that America supports a government where the rights of the people are not protected justly. The blood and sweat of men and women ages ago who have fought to make America a place of liberty and peace are receiving a slap in the face when we support other countries who do not. The Egyptian government has tortured and restricted freedoms from their people, yet our governmental officials choose to continue and strengthen relations with them. Also, if Egypt continues to have such oppressing events continue, then our government and or Obama will be distracted from other countries we’ve made or NEED to make alliances with to focus on Egypt.
Also, people may say that the attachment society has made on social media is scary and a bit too obsessive. Although I find that too much of a good thing is never good, I also disagree with the notion that society has been harmed because of the access to media outlets such as Twitter/Facebook. Our world is growing more and more just a human beings grow. With growth comes advancements that at first may be too scary to accept. However, social media as given power to individuals who are now capable in making a name for themselves with just the click of a button. Egypt taking away this precious opportunity from its people is unthinkable and wrong. With America supporting relations with Egyptian authorities almost baggers its reputation.
To me, the events in Egypt (which are quickly catching fire elsewhere in the world) are a reminder of the power the people truly hold over their own governments. Uprisings have even (to my surprise) spread to my ancestral country of Vietnam...showing the sheer magnitude and influence the Egyptian movement has had worldwide.
I find it somewhat strange that this event has effected the average American citizen far less than it should have...then again I realize that the average citizen doesn't really delve much into anything other than what effects them in their own daily lives. The fact is though, is that this event should have induced a profound reflection upon the governmental system we live under presently…a system that very handily steps upon its constitutional roots. My only hope is that these types of incidents help us reform our own current governmental system to a system more true to itself…a real “change” that doesn’t stem from the periodical switching of two political parties (which are, at this point in time, fundamentally the same). It may not have to play out like it has overseas in Egypt, but the United States of America needs, nay, deserves its own “revolution.” Hopefully this comes sooner than later…the future of this great country hinges upon it.
Daniel N.
12:30 p.m. TTh media law class
I find it interesting how powerful social media was in the uprising in Egypt. It's argued that without the networks such as twitter and facebook the outcome might have been different. I think it's clear that communication was a clear role but clearly the key to the protestors success was their motivation. This incident triggered government protest in neighboring areas and i believe they will have a very different outcome than Egypt's.
Phillip Johnson, T-Th 12:30, media law
After reading more recent news the issues and outbreak in Egypt seems to have triggered similar outbreaks in other countries such as Yemen, Saudi Arabia. Citizens of Yemen were protesting against the government and certain freedoms, the government set us barriers so that more protesters could not enter, when they broke through the police force opened fire and threw out tear gas into the crowd injuring many protesters. Egypt's protest against unfair government practices seem to parallel the protest in Yemen. These cases seem to me to violate freedom of speech as well as freedom to peacefully assemble.
I think it is unreal that social networking sites influenced these people so greatly. I truly understand the importance of universal and local communication. I read a quote somewhere that said something along the lines of war is important for the geography lesson. I agree with this statement because I honestly don't know how often or if I ever talked about Egypt. When situations like this happen it allows Americans to notice the entire worlds problems and not just the United States. It serves as a lesson to our youth that we are powerful enough to change an entire governments policies.
I have watched the situation in Egypt with a sense of aw, and have been trying to keep up with developments following the overthrow of Mubarak. I found this interesting article involving Egyptian college students still protesting at Cairo University. These students believe that the dean of the school, along with other appointed university leaders, are spies for the old regime under Mubarak. Because of this, these students are protesting for the firing of these employees. You can read the full article below.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/29/134928357/egypts-college-campuses-rocked-with-unrest?ft=1&f=1001
I find it amazing that college students are able to express themselves in this way. Free speech has come a long way since the initial protests began for Egypt in January.
I think its amazing how people who once were not able to express their opinions are able to use the medium or social media to tell the world their struggles. Social media had the world fix its eyes on Egypt, and I think it played a great role in protecting its citizens. I agree with everybody about spending money for aid in Egypt is a bad idea while we are so deep in dept. I think the US supports these kinds of revolutions, which are sparking up in many middle eastern countries right now, because it promotes democracy.
TH - 12:30
The Internet is the second most influential invention behind Gutenbergs printing press. It's truly amazing to watch history take place in our lifetime with the evolution of this medium and how any average joe off the street can affect a multitude of people. Egypt will never be able to stop the transfer of ideas among it's people, and censoring their peoples' ideas through shutting the internet down will be the first example of this from Egyptian peoples retaliation.
The US is constantly trying to force their "liberty and justice" on other nations and stepping in whereas we have our own problems to solve and deal with. Egypt's people were upset because they were being oppressed and had limited rights. Hopefully now Egypt will be able to prosper and grow into a nation that better serves their citizens.
Taylor Penn T/TH 12:30
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