Last week it was the Tunisians, overthrowing their oppressive government through the “power of the people” and now the Egyptians (the real ones, not the ones seen in the painted on the faux ancient pyramids in museums..which is still what I think of when I hear the word “Egyptians”) have taken to the streets demanding an end to things like organized corruption, police brutality/torture, and the 30 year reign of President Hosni Mubarak.
I will be the first to admit that I don’t know all the different angles of the story, but I am definitely paying attention to the stories that are rapidly developing: government shut-down of the internet and cell service, the Egyptian army descending on the city of Cairo, police use of force against non-violent protesters, etc…
As an American, it can be especially hard to imagine a government attempting to isolate its citizens from the rest of the world by cutting off digital communication. What is an obvious attempt at damage-control has been counter-productive — made obvious by the numerous live on-the-scene reports and the parade of #Egypt and #Jan25 in the twitterverse.
It’s amazing to me how quickly the voices of the oppressed are echoed throughout the global community.
It’s also amazing to me that the US has been so slow in backing what is an obvious attempt at true democracy by the Egyptian people. Yes, President Mubarak may have been good for US interests in the middle east, but as a staunch proponent of “democracy” we should put a lot more pressure on the government to listen to its people or vacate the premises completely.
There are some who will adamantly disagree with me on this, but in situations like this American interests should take a quick backseat to what’s in the best interest of the Egyptian people.
If you want to keep up with the situation, I highly suggest checking out Al Jazeera for the most up-to-date info. If you want the Americanized/watered-down version of events, feel free to check out CNN or one of the other corporate media outlets.
(not so) easy listening 