While my TV screen is filled with rebellious throngs marching by the tens of thousands in Egyptian cities, I ponder how little I know of that exotic country and , in particular, about contemporary Egyptian women. There has been so much political upheaval and war elsewhere in the Mideast that Egypt has not been the focus of attention on the media. I guess I have come to think of Egypt as a country of relative stability. Haven't thought much about Egyptian women's roles. The Internet and cell phones have opened up the world to Egyptians, and their disbursement of information has led to their being banned throughout the country. The world is now hoping there will be no more bloodshed, and I pray that a resolution is found that is acceptable to the citizenry. For now the demonstrations rage on.
The TV shows only a few women among the demonstrators, and those few are dutifully wearing head coverings even when they are shouting their defiance. I will try to learn more about how technology may have impacted the modern Egyptian woman and how she has been affected by the rebellion in the streets.
While acces to information is certanly a factor, itseems that the root cause of the problem has more to do with the food price inflation than a quest for freedom. These insurrections are being correctly described as "food riots".
ReplyDeleteHere are the root cause of the problems.
First, the US has been causing food commodity inflation around the world by printing money like maniacs. If moneysupply increases much faster than GDP growth, prices go up. We now live in a global economy, so US increases in food inflation have ripple effects around the world.
The second way the US has created this problem as an "unintended consequence is by it's ill conceived and harmful ethanol/gas program and policy. Ethanol is much more expensive than gasoline, but the US government subsidizes its production and requires its use. This is causing grain costs around the world to skyrocket. For us, this is an unfortunate annoyance. For people in the third world, it's a crisis.
People are rioting in the streets of Cairo because their children are starving because of corruption and bad US policy.
We can fix this if we're willing to take responsibility in this country and have less selfish economic policy.