Twitter Brings Down a False Pharaoh
Alfredo Fernandez
An unprecedented event has taken place in Egypt. The dictator Hosni Mubarak has just been expelled from power by a people who in gaining their freedom used an unusual weapon: Twitter.
The political tack of the dictator at the beginning of the protests — which spread across the entire country and ended up with his being expelled this past Friday after his having ruled the Arab nation since 1981 — was to fruitlessly seek out the organizers and leaders. Likewise, there appeared no military coup forces, armed commandos, violent extremist groups, or the real possibility of committing assassinations.
After having concluded further investigations in the search for the guilty parties, the first one appeared – the Internet, though it was as ethereal as it was intractable.
I imagine that Mubarak, completely impotent, found himself beating on his desk when he got the news, because for the first time this involved an opponent that he could not so easily arrest, beat up and throw into prison or kill in the worst medieval style.
What could he do in the face of such a labyrinth of kilowatts? Mubarak did what seemed the obvious tactic: he shut down the channels of access to the network in the country, but by then he was too late.
The people who Mubarak and his acolytes had for thirty years forced to build a pyramid of disappointment and agony had now found in Twitter the way to stop adding even a single additional brick to that shrine.
This pyramid, which had also been built on the basis of illusory promises by this false pharaoh, was demolished under the very noses of its architects by a nation that found out how to use Twitter to “yield the right of way” to the freedom they had sought for so long.
The Twitter social network never earned greater honor for its name than in recent days in Egypt. Thanks to an archaic service that this site offered, even people without Internet access could be organized and come together using their cell phones. This proved enough to lead to the expulsion of the old dictator from the seat of presidential power.
“So don’t leave, because we won’t either.” That was the response by the Egyptian people in Tahrir Square to the autocrat who, unaccustomed to having to listen to people so resolved, thought that everything would return to normal in a few days.
However, he wound up succumbing to the cry for freedom that was transmitted over Twitter and that today facilitates that fledgling democracy that has been born in Egypt, as the people sing in one voice with their gaze fixed on the future.
John Goodrich, thanks for posting on my blog. I answer your post too. It took me a while to answer each item in detail and is long I wished we could have that kind of discussions here but unfortunately there is a limitation of space here. Fortunately I do not have that limitation on my blog. I am the dictator in charge there. You can post as long as you like within reason. 🙂
John Goodrich, I answered part of what you asked on Erasmo’s post about socialism. Due to limitations of space here I place the answer on my blog and I am more than willing to have a serious discussion as to why socialism and communism will not work. You can read what I posted on my blog following the link on my name.
One more important link that I forgot:
“Top Five Myths about the Middle East Protests” by Juan Cole in his popular blog, Informed Comment.
http://www.juancole.com/
Professor Juan Cole ( Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan) correctly puts forth the fact that:
“1. Despite the importance of Facebook and Twitter as communication and networking tools, Labor unions and factory workers have been more important in the Arab uprisings than social media.” See backing analysis in the article by Professor Cole at The Detroit News:
“Labor movement drives Egypt, Tunisia protests”
http://detnews.com/article/20110210/OPINION01/102100341/Labor-movement-drives-Egypt–Tunisia-protests
The establishment media in the US would love you, Alfredo! Yes, the people of Egypt brought down a false pharaoh, as you put it, but bewilderingly only those who supported that pharaoh for 30 years are now claiming they were actually responsible for the success of this uprising! You may want to avail yourself of just a few of several well-researched articles in the alternative media debunking the opportunist claim to the success of the Egyptian popular revolt at the links below:
“The Tweet and Revolution” by Alexander Cockburn
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn02182011.html
“Stealing Egypt’s revolution” by David Africa
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121710152468629.html
“Tahrir Round: This Is What History Looks Like” by Al Giordano
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/4304/tahrir-round-what-history-looks
A quote from Al Giordano: “…And the digital evangelicals proclaim it theirs: The Twitter Revolution! The Facebook Revolt! In explanation as to why the resistance grew exponentially during the five days when the regime had shut down the Internet, the liberal technocrats offer nary a whisper.”
Alfredo, now you will know when cuba is finally connected to the internet if you guys are not allowed access to Tweeter or Facebook or other social networks the reason why they do not let you get there. It will be because the leaders will be afraid of a repeat of what happend in Egypt. The thing is something they can not control anymore even if they try.
Internet is the best weapon against totalitarianism and authoritarianism. We will see!
What the downfall and removal of Mubarak will do remains to be seen.
Much of the discontent in Egypt is due to economic distress and they are not about to adopt an egalitarian socialist economy in Egypt nor is the change in government likely to produce anything close to a true democracy.
In multi-party elections, it is the parties which select the candidates for whom the electorate votes. In the U.S those candidate’s campaigns are then financed by the big corporations. Once elected those “representatives ” will usually serve the interests of those who have legally bribed them through campaign contributions and not the people who voted them into office.
I would suppose that multi-party elections in other countries including Egypt, are done in the same way.
In my opinion,
the only change we will see , that the people of Egypt will see is a new face in the palace.
Poverty, unemployment, discontent, the vastly unequal distribution of goods and services will continue unabated once the “new” government is established.
Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
(The more things change, the more they stay the same)