I can’t talk out loud right now. If I begin to talk, I will yell, and volume only works if you’re among the agitators in the Tea Party.
But right now I am outraged. I am outraged by the ridiculousness of many in the American Media, and I am particularly outraged at a significant chunk of average Americans.
A revolution started in Egypt on January 25th, and you didn’t care because American Idol was on.
People stormed the streets in protest of police brutality, and you didn’t watch it because SportsCenter was on.
While people demanded their right to choose their own government, you were choosing your next hair color.
When people begged to be heard, you put on your headphones and listened to Wakka Flocka Flame.
America, you have disappointed me. You have broken my heart.
You are so far removed from the American Revolution, Women’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, or any other thing that had to be fought for, that you don’t give a damn about anyone else. Many of you don’t even know your own history, and you don’t give a damn about anyone else’s future.
Do you remember the Bosnians? The Sudanese? The Haitians? The Cambodians? The Ugandans? These oppressions occurred in our lifetime.
Even on US soil, did you read about Chinese forced labor building railroads? The Japanese Internment camps? The Trail of Tears and other treacheries against Native Americans? Can you name more than three leaders in the Civil Rights Movement? Hell, can you name your own Governor? Did you even vote?
Americans have taken their freedoms for granted for way too long.
People fought and died for you to vote, to have a say, to have a home, to have a job, to have healthcare, to have all the things that people in other counties consider a dream. People died for you, and you repay them by forgetting them, and forgetting others like them.
America, the world looks up to you. And you spit on them and watch the Superbowl. And that is why you grow angry with the world and the world grows angry with you. Because you, the average citizen, are apathetic, lazy and uninvolved.
What’s even more dangerous than your apathy, is your willingness to believe whatever you are told. Because you will turn to Fox, or CNN or MSNBC, or any station and listen for three minutes, without questioning the facts. You never question whether they are truths or lies. You never question the agenda. You never find out the source of the statistics. You “learn” just enough of what they want you to say, and regurgitate it without any thought.
Glenn Beck watchers: I’m looking at you.
Explain to me how you can swallow hogwash like “They hate our freedom” when you see Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and many others fighting so hard for the same freedoms we take for granted? And folks, since you haven’t been watching, I can tell you, this happened in the past 2 weeks, not past 2 centuries.
Yeah, your founding fathers would be proud.
I would be remiss without applauding the efforts of American reporters who have boldly championed the truth about the Revolution and the Mubarak Regime to the American public.
Rachel Maddow, for example, has been very vocal about the attacks by Mubarak’s thugs on journalists, calling it “a tactic that is being used by one side,” and stating “You do not ransack press offices because you are looking for good public relations…you do it because you want to stay in power.”
Anderson Cooper traveled to Egypt and came face to face with the Mubarak thugs. While he and his team were being harassed and beaten, he STILL RECORDED on his own personal camera. He went into hiding to bring you the truth. He risked his life to educate the world.
Those Americans who still care, who still remember, who value their freedom and seek the truth about others, though a minority today, their vigilance and their voice is noted and appreciated.
But what about the majority?
Are you watching, America?
Marma Mazen posted the story of her detainment on Bloomberg.com. Journalists from Al Jazeera are still in detention, and Egyptian journalist Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud lost his life. Are you watching?
If it happened in America, would you change the channel?
America, I beg you to wake up.
Put away your issues with Taco Bell, step away from Angry Birds, and get involved. A peaceful country is being slandered, it’s people being tortured, neglected, and abused before your very eyes.
I’ve never met an American that said they didn’t want to go to Egypt.
You know about mummies and pyramids, but you don’t know about the PEOPLE. Egyptians are just like you. They want jobs, they want food, they want to get married, they want to have children, they want a future. And they want it now.
If you’re not eating, Google “Khaled Said” images, and learn about police brutality in Egypt. This is what is happening while you watch Real Housewives.
Don’t listen to the machinations that the mainstream media has conjured. I beg you, learn about Egypt from Egyptians. Develop your own opinions. Don’t take things at face value. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know an Egyptian, or care about the situation enough to seek one out. Congratulations, you’re more than halfway there. Now invite a friend to do the same. I’m more than happy to speak to anyone. We all are.
I urge you, STAND UP for Egyptians. I beg you to get involved. Become a part of SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOU.
The alternative is to remain ignorant, reside in your little bubble, and wait for the day to come when you need someone to fight for you, and no one is there.
- Neveen Abdalla via arblog
