Posted by amado magtoto on September 16, 2012 - 5:10pm
http://goo.gl/tbnXg
Our global economic recession will continue to generate many social disturbances for the near future. The recent muslim violence and uprising is merely a natural outcome and development from a reaction against the institutions of power which in many ways had been a representation of a history of injustice. The Egyptian uprising in 2011 which we refer to as the Arab Spring was a tipping point in our ongoing debate on the economic disparity between the rich and the poor. It is a universal issue.
Call it what you may but these violent reactions are an inevitable outcome for grievances or issues which have not been addressed. It is no longer a question of poverty but a question of human decency and plain old exasperation. In their minds, it is not a question of freedom of speech but a question of survival. After all, that is what it usually amounts to for the marginal elements of society in both western and eastern cultures. When one is forced into a corner, so to speak, you have no choice but to survive.
Being an affront to their religion, the video was essentially an attack on their survival. This may sound foolish to a western mind but, not all actions are reduced to rational thought. Not all choices are made based on material and economic circumstances. More importantly, in moments of crisis, try as we may, our thought processes are usually challenged and are very often resolved in an irrational manner. Many of us in comfortable and secure positions may find this unacceptable. To be left with no choices is simply unimaginable and unforgivable. Our sense of self-worth will never allow such circumstances. But, are we deluding ourselves with this false sense of security ?
It is a rare individual whose sense of self-worth is not defined by material circumstances. For most people, economic and material conditions do affect them in one way or another. At a certain threshold below subsistence level, ones' physical and mental faculties deteriorate to a point of urgency and desperation. A sense of helplessness seeps in especially during circumstances beyond ones control. Not many of us are able to see beyond these trials. Again, for most people, it is not a question of freedom of speech but of survival.
One may chastize violence as reprehensible but, given the circumstances, one can hardly expect a sense of parity in logic and relations with a person who is in a position of weakness. One can hardly expect a criminal, a gang member, a thug, a bum, a laggard, a drunkard or an addict to appreciate the virtue of constructive criticism. More so, when the form of communication was established with malevolent intents to disparage and insult ones character. But, this is exactly what the economic crisis boils down to: "The establishment has resorted to play off the weakest elements in society." By divorcing the issue from the overall economic crisis, the establishment has resorted to a conflict of values. It is a narrative that has crept into all discussions in both american politics and global debates. Our establishments have translated the economic crisis as a conflict of values. Beware of this dynamic. It is the same dynamic and mode of thinking to a natural evolution for conflict; an evolution to war.
Our global economic recession will continue to generate many social disturbances for the near future. The recent muslim violence and uprising is merely a natural outcome and development from a reaction against the institutions of power which in many ways had been a representation of a history of injustice. The Egyptian uprising in 2011 which we refer to as the Arab Spring was a tipping point in our ongoing debate on the economic disparity between the rich and the poor. It is a universal issue.
Call it what you may but these violent reactions are an inevitable outcome for grievances or issues which have not been addressed. It is no longer a question of poverty but a question of human decency and plain old exasperation. In their minds, it is not a question of freedom of speech but a question of survival. After all, that is what it usually amounts to for the marginal elements of society in both western and eastern cultures. When one is forced into a corner, so to speak, you have no choice but to survive.
Being an affront to their religion, the video was essentially an attack on their survival. This may sound foolish to a western mind but, not all actions are reduced to rational thought. Not all choices are made based on material and economic circumstances. More importantly, in moments of crisis, try as we may, our thought processes are usually challenged and are very often resolved in an irrational manner. Many of us in comfortable and secure positions may find this unacceptable. To be left with no choices is simply unimaginable and unforgivable. Our sense of self-worth will never allow such circumstances. But, are we deluding ourselves with this false sense of security ?
It is a rare individual whose sense of self-worth is not defined by material circumstances. For most people, economic and material conditions do affect them in one way or another. At a certain threshold below subsistence level, ones' physical and mental faculties deteriorate to a point of urgency and desperation. A sense of helplessness seeps in especially during circumstances beyond ones control. Not many of us are able to see beyond these trials. Again, for most people, it is not a question of freedom of speech but of survival.
One may chastize violence as reprehensible but, given the circumstances, one can hardly expect a sense of parity in logic and relations with a person who is in a position of weakness. One can hardly expect a criminal, a gang member, a thug, a bum, a laggard, a drunkard or an addict to appreciate the virtue of constructive criticism. More so, when the form of communication was established with malevolent intents to disparage and insult ones character. But, this is exactly what the economic crisis boils down to: "The establishment has resorted to play off the weakest elements in society." By divorcing the issue from the overall economic crisis, the establishment has resorted to a conflict of values. It is a narrative that has crept into all discussions in both american politics and global debates. Our establishments have translated the economic crisis as a conflict of values. Beware of this dynamic. It is the same dynamic and mode of thinking to a natural evolution for conflict; an evolution to war.
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