On the topic of revolution, I was awed by the recent clashes between the Greek students and government. Why have a been following this contemporary event. Sure it has the revolutionary fervor that I admire, but more importantly, it is a display of how people can determine their destiny by taking matters into their own hands. I am convinced that students, i.e. the future generation and holders of knowledge, are the ones that can bring about change in any country. We have seen this before with the Iranian Revolution where students were the main drivers of change and with the Parisian uprisings of 1968 where anti-governmental proponents of change influenced change in the system. These revolts weren't mere hooligan mutinies, but rather backed by profound philosophies, where the philosophers themselves took to the street as was the case with Jean Paul Sartre in Paris. So why is when one student is is killed in Greece that all his peers take to the street? Why doesn't this take place in Egypt, for example, where police brutality has become a norm. I have come to question whether some people are innately apathetic and others are born to be revolutionaries? I have to conclude that I have come to admire the romantic revolutionary zeal of the Greek students, which still give hope to any revolutionary out there who seeks to bring change against the established order.
Monday, December 8, 2008
On the Greek Riots
On the topic of revolution, I was awed by the recent clashes between the Greek students and government. Why have a been following this contemporary event. Sure it has the revolutionary fervor that I admire, but more importantly, it is a display of how people can determine their destiny by taking matters into their own hands. I am convinced that students, i.e. the future generation and holders of knowledge, are the ones that can bring about change in any country. We have seen this before with the Iranian Revolution where students were the main drivers of change and with the Parisian uprisings of 1968 where anti-governmental proponents of change influenced change in the system. These revolts weren't mere hooligan mutinies, but rather backed by profound philosophies, where the philosophers themselves took to the street as was the case with Jean Paul Sartre in Paris. So why is when one student is is killed in Greece that all his peers take to the street? Why doesn't this take place in Egypt, for example, where police brutality has become a norm. I have come to question whether some people are innately apathetic and others are born to be revolutionaries? I have to conclude that I have come to admire the romantic revolutionary zeal of the Greek students, which still give hope to any revolutionary out there who seeks to bring change against the established order.
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3 comments:
Dear Romantic Revolutionary:
How fortunate that you mention Iran where the revolution succeeded in bringing to power a theocratic government that has been successfully oppresing people for over thirty years. Another success of revolution and anarchy is Somalia where people die of hunger amidst the ruins of their cities. All that is terribly
romantic! I hope that you agree. :)
Dear Eva,
How unfortunate that you equate Iran and Somalia with my home country. All that is terribly ignorant! I hope you agree. :)
Dear Eva,
Thank you for expressing your views, but unfortunately I can't seem to agree with you. I mention Iran as a revolutionary example because it has proven as an example of unprecedented will by a people. Against all odds, the revolutionaries of Iran toppled one of the most oppressive and heavily guarded regimes of the region, whereby popular sovereignty had the final say. There is no question that this revolution is rightly dubbed as the "Third Great Revolution in History," and its ideology resonates in the Middle East like no other, where political Islam has become the major opponent of the autocratic regimes in the region. Although I do not necessarily sympathize with the policies instituted by the current regime, I do sympathize with the Iranians considering that the West depict them in such negative light. You need to give a revolution time to grow. Compared to the French Revolution, I think that the Iranians have done relatively well considering that we haven't seen a deja vu of the Rein of Terror, wouldn't you say? As the revolution grows, the revolution's institutions become well founded. Moreover, the success of the revolution is reflective in the fact that the current Iranian president has a 70% approval rating, compared to the beacon of democracy of America, where Bush has a 31% approval rating. Moreover, Iran is the only country in the Middle East that can object to the West. Again, I agree with you that Iran's revolution suffers many flaws, but wouldn't you say that it has come a long way?
As for Somalia, I never made mention of it in my entry, but you make it seem that a revolution is one that leads to "hunger, anarchy and theocracy." I would argue that without some of the most profound revolutions, we wouldn't be where we are today as a people. A revolution signals the rebirth of an order, whether it is the Scientific Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution, it is an expression of the masses that the change has to come about.
I stand by my word that the Greek displays a romantic expression of a call to end injustice and against the established system. It is a stark reminder that money and power are what shouldn't govern a people, but ethics and morality. How appropriate for Greece, the cradle of philosophies that emerged from the Platonic Academy to be our reminder that principles govern a people. In lieu of such principles, then a revolution is essential to restore them. As Che once said, "The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall."
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