Blog 41 Compelling

So my article will be on how the changes in the Middle East affect us, people living halfway across the world; over the Atlantic. I’ll try to validate the argument at first by pathos, logos and ethos. By pathos, the idea is only personal because I have been to Egypt. It will be personal for most people living in the Middle East because they can identify what the Egyptians are going through. Any people living under autocracy can find the common ground. However it should be personal for young people like us because even though we have tons of stuff to do here, we should remember people; with lives just like us are doing amazing things right now, over there. 

By Logos, the article is logical because it presents the established demands of a group of people. I am clearly on the side of restoration of democracy. This demand can be argued both from the side of prudence and moral. In either case, the logical conclusion is that the establishment of a proper democracy will lead to the enhanced betterment of the Egyptian people. Logically the only opposition would be the fear of a radical Islamic takeover. The counter to this would be caution, monitoring and trust in the Egyptian culture and heritage.

By Ethos, the idea is tantalizing. Egypt has often been seen as a cradle of civilization. With such sophistication it is often difficult to place this country in league with other Arab nations and rightly so. Egypt is special and it can be a catalyst of change in the Middle East. With their educated secular youth and relatively secular system, Egypt leans toward modernity without damaging its pan Arabic connections,

Blog 39: hypothetical scenarios

Hypothetical Scenario:

The scenario that I have today is completely childish and a fanciful. I suppose it comes from being an engineer and watching too many sci-fi shows for the primary analysis.  The hypothetical scenario is that sentient aliens come and discover us on planet Earth. The point of interest would be the reaction of both the people of Earth and the outsiders. I suppose a situation like this could go either badly or well. In any eventuality the outcome would still be interesting as it would demonstrate how two disparate societies interact. As far timeliness goes, this article would be way off the timescale. This hypothetical situation would never approach a realistic point in the foreseeable future.

However on relevance the topic has some credibility. Interactions between societies are a subject of much debate today. This is caused by the rapid integration of the world population. My paper will pick up the aliens arriving angle and then walk through the different possibilities that can occur. It will take the best and worst situations into account and shape a comprehensive assessment of the events immediately after the event. There will be a general storyline but most of it will be action effect based.

The story will talk on how the interactions should be conducted in order to enable a smooth building of trust. I will at the end talk about how different people can share resources and achieve harmonium relationships, So my hypothetical paper will be on ET coming to Earth.

Blog 38: Anecdote

My personal anecdote in relation to my story will be the conversation I had with an Egyptian tour guide in Egypt. He was an aged man with a degree in agricultural engineering from the country’s top college. He was articulate and he explained to me during our conversations of how a military commander like Mubarak could go from respectable to dislike in such short a time. He also told me about how Egyptians resented their current state and yet some found it necessary. He said that others had dreams and visions of what Egypt should become

There is no evidence of Egypt becoming a democracy any time soon. Just as much the stability of autocracies in the region seem assured. However it is not too much to assume that the changes in the Arab world’s most populous country, has significantly impacted the region. Nations over there have for a long time looked at Aegyptus (Latin: Egypt)  as a strong country to emulate. Given what has happened to the country now, most people would wonder if a domino effect takes hold.

As he continued with his narrative the guide told me that to the western world Egypt would always remain the key to the Middle East; the Middle East would be the last piece of the puzzle to find global peace. In fact just considering the impact Egypt alone might have is tremendous. Consider that the Middle East is one of the most conservative and repressed regions of the world. Also consider that amongst the Arab nations, the one with the most culture and least radicalized youth is Egypt. You have a golden opportunity because Egypt is Arab enough to command tremendous respect but Egyptian enough to accept change. As such hypothetical or not, the outcome and transformation of the Egyptian and Arab political landscape will be one of the most defining moments of our time.

Blog 37: Article

Given the freedom I have to blog today I chose to do so on the apparent revolution that is sweeping through Arab nations particularly Egypt. Two important historical facts make this revolution a little less than a certain success. Right now Egypt has a significant number of educated young people who are secular but jobless. Moreover the time period that we live in exacerbates the impossibility of using the army against people. In this point it should also be noted that unlike other countries of the region that have a short past, the Egyptian culture and history is millennial old and not unforgotten.   Egyptians are aware of this and therefore act with prudence and judgment. 

So what do I think the protest will lead to? Well in honesty it is impossible to tell. Certain facts that are certain is that the army will not move against its people. Right now the army faces a complex dilemma. It is tired of Mubarak and it cannot fire on the young citizens of the country. Doing so will immeasurably tarnish the reputation of the forces in a country where they are put on a pedestal. Again, it is Egyptian culture to treat youth with lenience. 

As far as the escalation of revolution following the Prez’s speech yesterday, I would say yes it will escalate. The trouble is that mobs are fickle and the national sentiment is explosive. The worst thing that can happen out of this is either a boom of activity followed by shriveled up continuance. Or a chain reaction that lays complete waste to the land of the pharaohs.

Blog 36: Commonplace idea

The Commonplace paper I want to write on will have something to do with the reason why so many people especially students yearn to come to the United States. It will also talk about how this thing that makes America so special is threatened right now. The real added bonus is that I am an international student and that gives me the perspective I want to the article to be written in. I find the prospect interesting because there is so much about this country that I love and admire and would be along with other Americans, depressed to see changed. 

That said the story will primarily revolve on how American values are tested in the direst of times. The true measure of a resolve is how firm its base is. Given the current scenario of economic downturn and the slow but measurable recovery, the United States has gone through a sizeable shaking. This has certainly affected a considerable number of people. Will these times force a change on what this country stood for? More importantly will these changes ensure success for the country or will they debase the very factors that made this country what it is? These are some questions that I, or any American should consider. 

This country was made on tremendous promise, hope and dreams of people. It was made by people who fought an empire because they had a vision. Has that vision been realized or is the country changing gears before that could be done. I am curious.

Blog 35: Commonplace article

Commonplace provided another unusual and interesting topic for me to read today. This one focuses primarily on the awareness of international issues amongst students in the United States. I found this curious because someone I know recently asked me if New Zealand was the island off the coast of Africa. I certainly hope they mistook Madagascar for New Zealand because the alternative would be mistaking Australia for Africa. 

In any case, the story focuses on how the M.I.A’s Redhead genocide takes a stand on the issues of genocide. The article goes on to debate whether this depiction is done to stimulate interest in global affairs within the youth of the country. The article also makes a reference to the Sri Lankan genocide on the Tamil speaking population. This was primarily because it was the spark of the music video. The article also points to another important thing that jumped out to me. Citizens of the United States often take their democracy and their positive values and ideals for granted. As a citizen of India, I can claim to be from a democratic country and yet there are some American values that I find exhilarating. Equality and accessibility are two of the most amazing of the lot.  

Essentially the article asks us to question what happens in the world more than we do now. While we might live in a new world separated from the significant by miles of ocean, the world today is far closer than it ever was. What we do not observe might in its turn affect us.

Source:

http://www.mhlearningsolutions.com/commonplace/index.php?q=node/5722