Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about the Arab Spring you learned from EACH chapter of our book, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of the Arab Spring after completing our reading.
“History is made on the streets not on the Internet.” (pg.190) Wael Ghonim
ReplyDeleteI find this statement ironic. Here is a man organizing a revolution. Attempting to change the history of his beloved country and his number one source of communication is the internet. With thousands of like-minded followers communicating together on one forum, he made history. That is a movement before our eyes. The technological capacity to be able to reach all those people, rather they were in their homes, at work or on their phones. They could be in bed, sitting on the couch or in an airplane. Yet, they all had the opportunity to join and be a part of something much bigger then themselves. Larger than the microcosm they were living in. The World Wide Web and all its benefits to stay informed and stay in touch. What he was administering was history.
His movement was picking up speed and caught the attention of State Security. Wael was picked up by State Security detained for 11 days. His work and activisms deserves credit. His eagerness to better Egypt was fierce and with that tenacity he was making change happen. However, I am skeptical of some of the details of his detainment, particularly, his remarks about underwear to his guard upon departure of his imprisonment.
My skepticism increases as I read the chapter “When a Pharaoh Falls”. The author seems to have many altercations with people of higher power. This would not be typical of someone who just underwent the type of detainment he had experienced. After being blindfolded for 11 days and considering suicide, one does not typically be antagonistic when finally free. These are just my observations and in no way do I mean to minimize his work, experience and story. I just have speculated if there were some liberties granted for a better story. My thoughts do not curtail the wonderful news of MuBarak leaving office. So kudos to all involved!
The epilogue was well written and seemed sincere. I actually enjoyed that section the most from the whole book. He seemed authentic in his humbleness and proud that he was beneficial to the change. In the epilogue the author was modest, not boastful and that made him endearing. He admitted to having opportunities in which I had been very critical of through the text. He showed gratitude for the martyrs who died for their beliefs. Lastly, what resonated the most for me was that he was empathetic to the protestors because his life and theirs were so similar, together they all made history.
Chapter 7:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 7 and coming across one part of the book that talked about how the news media were biased against the protests that were going on. I would not be surprised if the media were biased against protesters. The reason why I wouldn't be surprised if the Mubarak has the control over the whole country in what's needs to be done and what's not need to be done. Then surely he also has the power to tell the media what to say or what not to say. For instance, one of the comments from the Facebook page really did brought up this issue with how Mubarak's name is everywhere and his image and so on. So why would Wael be so surprised if the media is against the protesters and supporting the government on the other hand. It would not make sense for me if Wael is surprised in how media is biased he should've have better known that from beginning and not be surprised.
Chapter 8:
After reading this chapter what I found to be interesting is the fact how the security officer when interrogated Wael and when he first came into to room and how he greeted Wael by calling him a "traitor". This because the cops really don't know as to why people are protesting the real reason. They a very little knowledge about the issue some of the cops like this one in this case. And how Wael with confidence told him why he is protesting and the real reason behind it so he gets why people are so angered with Mubarak. This is something I found to be interesting.
Chapter 9:
In this chapter I totally agree with the fact when Wael talks about his experience when he went to meet with minister of Egypt in his office and how he saw the image of Mubarak over him. Which in turn angered him even more because how he believes that people like Mubarak are employed by the people and they should not be treated like god and be worshiped. This is true and sad unfortunately this is the case everywhere we see it whether it be USA or a country like Egypt where the president is treated like they are god and at time worshiped too. And this shouldn't be like this and it also sad that people don't really realize that they have the power to change something and the president doesn't really have the power it is the people that change something in a country but it is sad that people don't raise their voices but rather keep themselves quite because of being afraid that if they do raise their voice something might happen.
Question:
Did Mubarak order the army to kill protesters?
Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to hear about the media being against the protesters. I am unsure why because it only makes sense. The local private channels where the most shocking to hear. Although the local private companies probably had money and where apart of the government. I think the most suprising part about it was realizing all the horror stories that we hear in the U.S about the Middle East probably are not true. It is crazy to imagine a place where you have to be so scared all the time. The control the government had on him while he was doing a interview with the news was crazy. Although it did show how worried the government was.
Chapter 8
I am really surprised/suspicious to why the police where so decent to them. I think that the guards and officers did it because they where with him on the idea of freedom. Although they all where working for the government I have hope that they saw the good and the goodness in change that Wael was going to bring to Egypt. It is also a possibility that Egypt was accepting defeat of some kind. His release will send a strong message to the people of Egypt. It will tell them that there is not much to fear anymore. It could have to effects, it could make the Egyptian people push harder for change or it could get their hopes up and level out.
Chapter 9
I am really proud of Wael at the end of the book. In the beginning I did not see much hope for him. He used his personality and good will to win this battle. The reason he was able to make such a change was simply because he wanted the best for him and the people around him. I am very happy that he never let the power, or the lies get to him.
Chapter 7: My Name is 41
ReplyDelete- For one it must be crazy to see how many people show up to protest with you (in this vast amount no less!) and to be able to sit down at the end of the day and see how so many people protested in their own ways. Reciting poems, getting in from of an oncoming police vehicle etc. Seeing all these photographs and videos after everything is said and done? It must be crazy.
- At the same time there is the after thought that he has, his thought essentially saying "where are we going now?". What happens next is another great way to say it too, but he doesn't think on his own anymore, after this protest the revolution really goes into full swing from here on out.
- I couldn't imagine how he was feeling when he was taken. Being referred to as a number rather than his own name. Degrading was its purpose and desgrading it was.
Chapter 8: The Dungeon
- Through many of the conversations that were had with the police officers you really start to see the human side of them (who they are, what the believe in, values, morals, personality etc. etc.). These conversations really do shed light unto how they feel about these protests and where they themselves are coming from and why that is.
- "the lesser of two evils." I feel that there is always more than just two answers to a problem but the matter is how hard are you willing to look for the solutions?
- As the protests rave on we start to see officers taking part in them and then we see the regime make announcements of negotiations. This means that they are really getting somewhere.
Chapter 9: A Pharaoh Falls
- Asking for a million pounds for the martyrs was really selfless and took me back a bit.
- Dr. Badrawys reaction to when Wael lashed out at him in the car on their drive back to Waels house was really moving. This is all about perspectives and I feel this is right the more I read on into this book.
- I have had my reservations about Wael through all of the reading and I still do. While I have my doubts about him and I may not agree with everything he does there is genuineness to him. Something I didn't expect him to have at first but all these actions he has taken and everything he has done thus far, well it makes me proud. Proud of what the Egyptian people have done as a whole and proud of Wael Ghonim for his actions.
Being able to see the conversations with the officers and Wael Ghonim really gave context and perspective on everything. In my opinion I believe chapter eight "The Dungeon" was the most succesful out of any of the chapters. The people that were opposed against so much are given their humanity and we see them for who they are, people. I believe Wael really started to understand that and without going to "the dungeon" I don't think his out look on things would have been similar to what it is currently.
Chapter 7:
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that the group reverted to its old tactics on Jan28 posting things on Facebook which were then blocked. The results of this block caused that people began spreading the news and details by word of mouth and Wael reverted to his profession by using Google. This affiliation with Google then got him in trouble by the government saying it was Wael’s cover. Wael then switched around his defense by saying that he couldn’t be working against Egypt since America supported Mubarak. What really caught my attention was the way the chapter ended in which he quotes his friend: “Congratulations, Egypt, we’ve defeated the dictator!”
Chapter 8:
In this chapter I think it was weird how they were dehumanizing Wael and then giving him some sort of hope by calling him by his given name. While this was all happening knowing that the Jan28 went somewhat how they wanted them to go was good to know. The Egyptian pride actually came across when he was talking about the groceries stores getting raided and then the people surrounding the square still helped with the supplies even though they were being affected by the actions taken by the activists. Even though by the end of the chapter Wael was being released it was a sign that the government had nothing really on him but still didn’t trust him because they blindfolded him in order to get him out.
Chapter 9:
From the interviews Wael seems to not want to be put on a pedestal but when reading about his reaction to the president’s picture, his tone is very personal and I didn’t really like how he said that the president himself didn’t bother him. These feelings then got stronger when he posted as himself. He created a path for him to somewhat become the face for the Facebook group by making that initial personal post. What I really didn’t expect was Mubarak’s speech and how he somewhat tried to keep power by finding a loophole which the Egyptians did not want.
I want to know how many presidents in the Middle East have tried to find loopholes to stay in rule? What will happen in Egypt now?
It is very eye-opening to see that the protesters began using social-media again as a way to convey their message only to have networks like Facebook block their posts. It is evident the Mubarak and the government had something to do with the bias attitude expressed by the media. Yet even with this being done the protesters were relentless and continued to protest. It's amazing how much the media affects situations like this especially when they are all the way across the country from us. It really makes you think as to what is real or what is not real, especially after the Wael's interview.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing the responses of the police, like Brandon said in his blog "you really start to see the human side of them". It really changed my perspective of the whole situation. The interviews brig out a level of empathy from the reader and it really opens your eyes to the reality of the revolution. It is about more than political corruption, the lives of people like us are drastically effected on a daily basis. Through all the violence, the revolution seems to be more and more effective once you see acts of progress such as negotiations being made.
The most peculiar observation I noticed in chapter 9 was the overwhelming sense of Mubarak's overlord sense of power and how Wael seemed to deal with it. Wael, through the whole debacle stayed true to the cause even when doubts hit him. While at times the plan may have not proven to be effective, over time and by the end of the chapter it is evident that everything he had done proved to be successful. While some may doubt that, it is more true than not for the fact that the revolution had come this far. Otherwise no one else may have spoken out against the government and called for change.
My main question is what is next for Egypt? Will it likely become a more civil and just country because of this revolution or is it only a sign that problems may increase?
paragraph 1 is about chapter 7, paragraph 2 is about chapter 8, and paragraph 3 is about chapter. In the first paragraph, I meant to so each other instead of us when I said "It's amazing how much the media affects situations like this especially when they are all the way across the country from us."
DeleteI just wrote a long response and after accidentally signing out and having it deleted I will try to summarize all of it.
ReplyDeleteCh. 7- First it is interesting to see how the protests were so successful in a variety of ways. Secondly I was shocked to see how Mona reacted after being pressured by the Ministry of Interior but still allowed the interview to happen the way it did. Lastly, I am somewhat surprised how the interrogation seemed. Not that it was easy but it was a lot less violent than I would have anticipated.
Ch. 8- In this chapter it is the first time you hear of any military presence taking part in any of the protests. Secondly it was interesting to hear how Tahrir Square was run during this. The fact that they had plumbers and doctors setting this up, it shows a side of the protests that you don't think of. Lastly, it was amazing to see Google's role in Wael's search, and to think of how hard their decisions were while still not getting involved in politics.
Ch. 9- This is the first chapter in a while that Wael has somewhat of an arrogant tone about him, and this first time in a while I start to question how I feel about him. Secondly, I am surprised that they were not more hesitant in being misled after finding out that their meeting with the president was postponed. Lastly, even though I knew the final outcome it is encouraging to see the efforts of the protestors finally come to fruition and see them succeed.
My question: What is the classes feelings on Wael? Is he looking for any fame or recognition? Does he have an arrogance about him?
Chapter 7 - The power of social media is amazing. These protesters could go home after a long day of expressing themselves and go online to see the photos from earlier that day. "History is made on the streets, not on the internet." I believe this portrays the type of person Wael is. He definitely cares for the members safety. I can't even begin to imagine what he was feeling as he was being captured, but he writes every detail and conversation. It must have put him at an advantage knowing how interrogations worked from previous stories.
ReplyDeleteChapter 8 - I thought the quote "Physical torture scars your body, but humiliation leaves scars on your dignity, and they can take much longer to heal" was interesting. Most people would fear the physical torture more than the humiliation but not Wael. I also was very surprised reading about the second interrogation and how kind Wael was treated. Was this officer not aware of the way he had been treated or was he just trying to justify it and act as if he didn't know. I also thought it was interesting, and brave, of the author to quickly defend himself after being called a traitor. I assume most people would fear speaking back to the officers, but he made it a point to assure he was not a traitor. The fact that he was treated so differently by different officers shows that the good cop/bad cop assumptions really do exist.
Chapter 9 - While reading this chapter I was a bit shocked to see how the author was so eager to speak out to the media and other Egyptians so soon after being released. I would have thought that staying low-key for a while would be the best option. Wael had mentioned many times, about being the admin, it wasn't about the fame. But as soon as he was released after the officers found out he was quick to reveal his identity as the admin. It almost shows how at the beginning of all of this the real reason was out of fear and not because he didnt want fame, because once he was captured and had no reason to fear anymore the first thing he posted was a comment identifying himself (although he did it an a way without writing his own name)
I guess my question would be what will the future of Egypt look like? I also am curious what others opinions toward Wael are? Do they also find it a bit odd after he was captured and had nothing left to fear he was so quick to claim being the admin, after he previously mentioned it isn't about the fame?
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1. I thought it was funny/ridiculous that the state-run media lied so blatantly about the Jan25 protest. “The newspaper noted that some Egyptians had celebrated National Police Day by handing police officers chocolate and flowers in appreciation for their great efforts” (191). I can’t imagine the reaction in the US if a news source was caught lying like that - they would probably be shut down.
2. “I did not believe what I heard next… ‘You were recruited by the CIA’” (206). I was surprised that the State Security officers assumed that Wael had ties with the US and that the US was behind the uprising, or “betrayal” as they put it. I wonder if other countries in the Arab Spring thought this way.
3. “Forgive us, we had no choice. But we swear, our hearts are with you. We suffer just like you do” (214). All the torture and brutality scenes in this book made me have bad perception of the officers, but this section made me feel bad for them. I think it made them more human to me.
Chapter 8:
1. I found a connection during Wael’s interview: they wanted his e-mail and Facebook password which reminded me of the recent controversy about employers asking for Facebook passwords. Along with this connection, I thought that it was weird that they didn’t disable or post on the Facebook page.
2. It seems that outside media was helpful to the protestors because the regime put emphasis on managing their reputation (236). I think this is true in many modern protests. Without the whole world watching, these anti-government could turn violent fast.
3. “Next he wanted to review what I was going to say when I emerged in public” (244). This attempt at brainwashing reminded me of the video we watched in class with the little girl who was all bandaged. I have a feeling this type of brainwashing has happened a lot in the Arab Spring.
Chapter 9:
1. After reading the reactions after Wael’s release, I wonder if arresting a protest leader just adds fuel to the fire. It seemed that the Facebook page only gained support from his arrest and it just got people more angry. (255-256)
2. I found it interesting that after all of his attempts to keep his identity clear from the movement, he ended up being the face of the Egyptian youth and had the minister of interior call him after the TV interview (261, 265). It surprising that he is still so humble about his role in the revolution.
3. I like that the outside world was cheering for Egypt, like when Obama congratulated Egypt at a Michigan university (282). It was a global celebration. I think it takes the world and all its support to truly free a country.
Question:
I wonder what will happen to Egypt now, but also what role Wael Ghonim will play in Egypt’s future.
Chapter 7:
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting that the media lied about what happened on January 25 by saying that people were celebrating police day. The power of social media amazes me because you can find news almost instantly after it happens on there. I found it interesting that Ghonim had prepared to find alternate ways to communicate if Facebook was still down by January 28th.
Chapter 8:
Why were the police so decent to them? Is Wael beginning to gain the support of the police? I thought he was pretty brave by speaking back to the officers after they called him a traitor. The regime finally begins to make announcements of negotiations.
Chapter 9:
Even during his arrest the Facebook page was updated daily and over 100,000 new members had joined as well. It amazes me that even after going to prison he immediately goes back to speak out to the media. It is pretty amazing what Egypt has done.
Question:
What is next for Egypt?
Chapter 7-
ReplyDeleteI think an important part of this chapter is how he talks about the media going against the revolution and being biased overall. Considering how a good chunk of the media really is biased in whatever corner of the world you are, I am not surprised that they were biased during this particular revolution. However it is a disappointment that they were not able to use the mainstream media to their advantage, it could have shed light on a lot of things that were going on.
Chapter 8-
Seeing how this chapter was dealing directly with the police and how they treated Wael, I was surprised at how terrifying that situation must have been. I found it very moving when he states that the humiliation they put towards him scarred him more than the physical torture that they made him endure. It takes bravery to stand up to the police here in America, however the amount of bravery he had to stand up to a corrupt police system is not within my grasp of understanding.
Chapter 9-
The thing that stood out to me the most in this chapter that I never really understood is that even if you have the biggest revolution in the world occuring, you still need the support from others outside your country to keep it going. When he mentions Obama, it was good to know how much that actually pushed Wael and the revolution to the next step of pursuing their freedom.
Q- If the outside world didn't take steps towards helping Wael and Egypt, where would they be? More so, how much did the outside world help?
Shukran for your insights here on REV 2.0, colleagues.
ReplyDeleteOn we go, inshallah!
Dr. W
Chapter7
ReplyDelete• Observation1: I thought it was interesting how acts made by an individual person had more of an impact than acts made by a group of people. Some examples would be the protestor who jumped in front of armed police officers, the man who carried a sign and sang in front of police officers, and the man who stood in front of a water cannon.
• Observation2: I also found it interesting that there wasn’t always violence between the protesters and the police. “innocent soldiers were voluntarily carrying fainting protesters to ambulances… some Egyptians had celebrated National Police Day by handing police officers chocolate and flowers in appreciation for their great efforts” (Ghonim 191).
• Observation3: I thought it was interesting how different groups view themselves and their opposers. The State Security think Ghonim is just out to cause trouble and overthrow the government, while Ghonim believes he is helping to better the country.
Chapter8
• Observation1: I thought it was interesting on page 218 is that the police officer offered Ghonim the choice of one bread or two, while part of the whole protest was the government withholding food.
• Observation2: “Physical torture scars your body, but humiliation leaves scars on your dignity, and they can take longer to heal” (Ghonim 220). It is weird how Ghonim, who made such strong protests online, is being broken after a bit of humiliation.
• Observation3: I thought it was funny how Angry Birds saved Ghonim’s email and also saved many Egyptians from a lot of hassle.
Chapter9
• Observation1: It seems that the police’s efforts to put down Ghonim’s followers backfired. “The number of followers on my personal Twitter account had skyrocketed to over 30,000 from just over 4,000 before the revolution” (Ghonim 256).
• Observation2: “I was not happy with Mubarak’s speech. The president was not resigning but delegating authority to his vice president while remaining president” (Ghonim 285). It seems that Ghonim, when he finally achieved a major goal in his campaign, was not satisfied.
• Observation3: “The will of the people vanquished the will of the rulers” (Ghonim 290). This seemed like a very powerful quote. It sort of says that the people can accomplish anything against a higher power if they try hard enough.
Epilogue
• Observation1: “Humanity will always be cursed with power hungry people, and the rule of law and justice will not automatically flourish in all places at all times” (Ghonim 292). Ghonim is admitting that even though one problem was solved it does not mean all the problems of the world are solved, but we are solutions.
• Observation2: I thought it was interesting how people who avoid risk become brave and active when they worked together.
• Observation3: “The power of the people will always be stronger than the people in power” (Ghonim 294). I thought it was interesting how Ghonim made a connection to the tittle at the very end of the book, when most authors make connections at the beginning or middle of books.
Question: What is Ghonim going to do next?
I was not surprised when Ghonim talked in chapter 7 about how the mass media was pitted against Egyptian revolutionaries, but I was surprised that he presented the facts like this was a big revelation. One of the most universal characteristics of authoritarian leadership is the necessity of it to control the media. I was more surprised that there wasn't more control over social media before the Arab Spring uprisings got underway -- the fact that Ghonim had 4,000 twitter followers pre-revolution is super impressive.
ReplyDeleteReading about Ghonim's treatment at the hands of the police in Chapter 8 was the most interesting part of this book so far. So many different economists or political scientists across the globe could assemble the information about the uprising that Ghonim gave us throughout 2.0, but very, very, very few people can offer such a personal story of terror as his. It was so telling of mindset of the Arab Spring uprisings in general when Ghonim talks about it being the humiliation, not the physical pain, which hurt him the most. I am so impressed that he had the clarity to realize the policemen were not his enemies, but rather his comrades who hadn't realized it yet.
Chapter 9 is Ghonim's fiery ascent to freedom. While his tone here definitely tipped over the edge of expert into the arena of arrogant, it was impressive how he bounced back from his imprisonment and took the revolution by its reigns. I wished he had talked more about the outsiders he relied on to keep things going when the going got tough -- what was the personal investment of these people overseas?
Ghonim leaves us with his philosophy in the epilogue of 2.0. From the post-Arab-Spring perspective, where we can see that Egypt is tumbling back into conflict, it was sad to read Ghonim's statement that "The power of the people will always be stronger than the people in power". Ghonim did so much to overthrow a bad dictator, but, at the end of the book, I realize that just like every other revolutionary he was someone who knew how to spark change but not how to change practices.
A person with a mission can succeed even if everything -- the news, the police, the economy -- is stacked against them, but will this idealism actually be able to save the Middle East?