Big Brother is Dead !
James Foytlin
Many commentators have missed the point and seem utterly shocked by the recent "Jasmine Revolution" . There has been a much propagated myth the in the west that Muslims,Arabs and other people of the mid-east choose to live in Tyrannies by design and not by coercion. The main stream media has used this myth for years to justify the west's failure to confront Muslim extremest tyranny in any and all forms. Western apologists simply claim that Islamic culture demands authoritarianism and we most except and submit to it in order to get along. whether its a dictator that offers bribes of cheap oil or assistance on the latest terror plot or a terror group looking to undermine many of the core values of western civilization the media and the political leadership of the west have looked to avoid confrontation at all cost in almost an institutionalized form of cowardice.
The act of the "Jasmine Revolution " first in Tunisia , now Egypt and spreading throughout the Arab world is the very rejection of that myth. It seems after all that Arab youth yearn for same Freedom, Individual liberty and self determination like the rest of us.
While most of the US media ignores or underplays the significance of the "Jade Revolution" some continue to speculate on fears of another reactionary Islamic state taking over . Yes there is some chance that this could happen, but these people are not in the streets begging for more tyranny , they have taken to the streets because they have finally had enough . But you say what about the Islamic Revolution in Iran ,that my friend points out the very significant difference between then and now; the internet.
The enemy of all despots is mass communication via mobile device and the mass adaption of the Internet .It is a huge difference from prior generations and now becoming one of the most significant developments in governance as well as in human history .Most of the main stream media and their vested interests have once again missed the point , that openness is here to stay and not going away anytime soon.
It also comes as no surprise that Tunisia would lead that way ,after all for many years it was an oasis of openness in north Africa with western TV and more importantly broad band Internet access . These are the first revolutions of the 21st century Internet generation and they know how the rest of the world lives and what the rest of the world thinks . Long gone are the days when a statist government can control all the inputs .This also points to a further assumption ,that perhaps big brother and or tyranny is obsolete in this tech drive age of openness .
