Communism is alive and kickin'

After skimming through the net, it hit me that socialism is all around us. Let me just point it out from the beginning that I am by no means expressing my allegiance to left by writing this entry, but merely expressing my readings on contemporary events and Marxist philosophy.

There seems to be a common misconception that communism is buried for good and that capitalism hit the last nail in the coffin of Marxism. I find the contrary to be true.

Sure capitalism may have suppressed Marxism. Now isn't that what former is created to do. I am not preaching that communism need be enforced on people, but it needs to be given a fair shot. It disgusts me how America demonizes with its propagandistic techniques. If the masses reject communism, then by all means keep it buried, but give it a chance! If this chance is not given, the the forces of communism will have to force their way through by any means necessary. This is why Marxism is inherently violent. It is impossible to rid one's self of draconianism without having the sour taste of vengeance in one's mouth!

Around the world we see that once given the chance, the masses realize the egalitarianism that is at the foundation of communism. Recently, an article titled "Thai crisis exposes class struggle" shows that when the masses push for the determination of freewill, they can shift government policies, one by one, until they eventually become the government, i.e. the State, which is due to represent them. The days of militarism and violence in terms of forcing change are over. In this new era, its a matter of effective activism, campaigning, and unfortunately bandwagoning in order to raise support and to bring the government at the masses' feet. I think the most evident example of this is Nepal's courageous long standoff by Maoist rebels to finally seize power and bring justice.

What really got me fired up to write this entry was my discovery of arabawys lenosphere! I feel like there is an underground movement of intellectuals that is destined to have some impact on these splinter movements worldwide.

Let me reiterate that I'm not necessarily a proponent of communism, but I feel like we are soon about to be watching history go back to the cold war.

A Discussion With The Angry Arab

Tonight, I attended Palestine Week's lecture by Asad Abu Khalil, who is a renowned scholar on the Arab-Jewish conflict and on Middle East politics. He is a Professor at Berkeley and Cal State. He was featured CNN and Al Jazeera numerous times and has a blog titled The Angry Arab. I've added it to my bloglist and urge you to check it out. His talk was truly captivating and centered on the Obama and the Middle East.

Personally, I've always been skeptical of Obama and never really fell for this whole Obamania that seems to have infected everyone I know. Even those who said they wouldn't vote for him, ended voting for him. His popularity was simply a reflection in his excellent marketing and campaigning. The only thing that may have attracted me about him was his socialist background, but he shun away from that, so I'm not so sympathetic with him. Anyways, I don't want to focus on Obama, but on the Angry Arab.

Professor Khalil started his lecture by notifying us by the current paraphernalia that has struck the Middle East, where we have come to envision him the next Mohamed Ali (i.e. the boxer) who will sympathize with the Arab and Palestinian cause, an image painted by the neo-conservatives to withdraw votes from him. Ironically, Obama is nothing of the like and tries to distance himself from the Arab/Muslim nation at all. Khalil went so far as to predict that Obama will attack another Arab/Muslim state as evidence of disassociation with anything Arab. I disagreed with Khalil on this point and brought it up during the discussion, by telling him that Obama's suck up to APAC disgusted the Arabs and his support of bringing up the sensitive topic of the Armenian massacre led to his detestment in Turkey as I experienced from confabulating with Turks over this summer. He agreed with me, but told me that the Arab media is propagating otherwise. He urged me to read Arab sources. I shall, but I don't think they'll be representative of the masses.

He then pointed out then pointed out Obama's hypocrisy by indicating that although saying, "None have suffered more than the Palestinians," he withdrew his comments and never mentioned the topic again. He then hired Rahm Emanual as his first member of his new cabinet, who was involved in the Israeli Army. Concidence?

After thrashing Obama, which was truly a ironic scene since he was actually guilt tripping all the Arab Americans in the room since it was evident they'd all voted for him, he then went to indicate that whether they like it or not, the Middle East will always pop up on the American President's agenda. I argued this point by pointing out that the M.E. doesn't just "pop up" on the U.S. agenda, but is deliberately there and will be there for some unforseeable future. America will only withdraw when it is stretched too thin, public opinion goes down, and its interests in the region wane, but other then that, its there to stay. America needs to identify a common enemy to rally support at home and justify its war crimes abroad. Simply put, America needs enemies to survive and after triumphing over the Nazis and Communists, the US has identified the Islamic civilization as its new enemy so that it can "legitimately" access the region geopolitical resources at complete freewill. Russia is smart enough to realize by installing its own missile system to couteract that being launched in Poland and Latvia by the US.

I believe the message the he drove home was that the US should halt its intervention in the Middle East and let them write their own history. I believe this message resonates the true aspiration of the Arab masses. Unless the US decides to do so, the turmoil will not end and the Americans shouldn't be so foolhardy to question "Why do they hate us so much?"

Anyways, the discussion dragged on and on, but I was truly intrigued by the radicalism of the Angry Arab and he actually revived feelings I had during my Guevarism phase. Anyways, I'll be following the blog and am keen to see how true his predictions of Obama will be. If there's one person that was convinced by his views though, it was definitely me.

Bridging The Gap Between Existentialism and Marxism

Skimming though Critique of Dialectic Reason, sipping on chamomile, listening to Bach in the background, imagining myself philosophizing in the intellectual ambiance of a Parisian cafe, I found the pertinent desire to draw the manifest relationship between the existentialist preachings of Sartre to the Marxist ones of Che. I have just completed the highly insightful Marxism of Che Guevara, where I grasped the true essence of Che's philosophy as an intellectual and renaissance man. As I flipped through the pages of Sartre's work, it hit me that to achieve the true freedom of the existentialist school, it is essential for men to come together through the collaborative effort, with hammer and sickle in hand, to construct a society where the notion that "hell is people" disappears. The only motive behind hell being people is entirely due to the fact that capitalism infests every corner of our society. It is imperative to eradicate every capitalistic belief from the hardwired human mind. As Che preaches, if brainwashing educational programs is what it takes, then let it be.
Factoring Sartre's philosophy, that aims to bridge the gap between the two philosophies, it is evident that in a world where the environment is the sole determinant of our cognitive and behavioral composition, where "existence precedes essence" that since our socio-economic status in the world is beyond our control. It is in this spirit that since we are morally responsible for our position in this world, creating this utopia people define as communism, we must work together in order to build a society that is harmonious. Otherwise, "hell is people" in a society where everyone is out to serve his own interest, as capitalists breach. Moreover, both Marxism and Existentialism preach rejection of the moral structure that the bourgeoisie have subjected upon the masses.
Sure, Marxism and Existentialism may be diametrically different at their core as the former preaches collectivism while the latter preaches individualism, one could also perceive them as being complementary where the latter is a subset of the former. Existentialism advocates absolute freedom for the individual. Isn't that the ultimate aspiration for Marxism? Isn't Marxism at its core the shattering of the proletarian's shackles?
Once the individual's struggle to liberate himself from societal oppression, what could be more benevolent but to share that freedom with society, by forgoing individual freedom for the greater good, which is ultimately what socialism preaches. In a society where there is no rule imposed upon the individual by others, the individual has fulfilled his existentialist aspirations and while giving his fellow man the opportunity to do likewise. Similarly, socialism requires all men to give up their individual freedom for there to be universal freedom so that all could share their part of the freedom pie. It is thus manifest that existentialism cannot exist without socialism and vice versa. The two are complementary. History has not seen this, but the only way for the individual to experience complete freedom is for all of the human race to be free.
Some may advocate that it is too idealistic to achieve this vision, but the writer does not see this to be in the too out of reach. It is possible to achieve absolute socialism within a capitalistic framework. The elite and the intellectual, which govern the masses, have always been groomed to guide the latter. It is through the open dialogue between the two societal forces that the proximity between the two forces can be shortened to achieve an egalitarian society. This will not be a one way dialogue where the elite preach down to the masses, as has been the case throughout history, but so that a knowledge trickle down effect to the masses can take place so that they can learn the essentials of leadership, justice, education, and the other virtues that being an intellectual entail.
Now one stark distinction needs to be drawn. When Sartre preached for the overthrow of the government, one must consider the exact context in which he preached such a communique. Socialism preaches that the state is the ultimate power in the hierarchy, simply because it is a pure representative and protector of the proletarian. The state is made up of the proletarians; therefore, in an ideal socialist environment, there would never be a conflict between the government and the masses. The writer wishes to now draw your attention to the fact that Sartre's denouncement against the government was due to the French student protests of the 1968, which saw the true draconian nature of the bourgeois government. From the regency, to the Church, to the government of De Gaulle, the French government has always been one that is suppressive and coercive, and thus justly condemned by Sartre in La Cause De Peuple.
In conclusion, the writer believes, that existentially, it takes one person to realize the significance of freedom for its virus to infect others. Once the true realization of freedom is sought, the New Man will be born. Only then will this usher an era where the gap between the individual and society will vanish.

Back to being a vagabond

Its 4:15am and I'm cramming for tomorrow. I have so much work, but I wanted to take a minute to report of an absolutely smashing weekend. I went up to DC for the weekend to escape from a depressing Charlottesville. First, I went with a friend to Aladin, an Egyptian Shisha Cafe in Alexandria, VA . I then commuted to DC via Metro. I met Baroudy, Abs, Shafey, and a couple of other high school friends in Prince's Cafe in Georgetown. Later that night, I crashed at Shafey's in Arlington, VA. The next day, I dropped off some documents at the Egyptian Embassy. I later met Baroudy and we cruised around DC for a bit before heading to his place to prepare for what defined out DC trip: Paul Van Dyke's concert at Ibiza club. It was in a sketchy neighborhood, but it was definitely worth it. We were carded and my fake wouldn't trick the bouncer, so we went all the way back for my passport. Later that night, we listened to some of the best electro I've ever encountered. Moreover, the venue was packed and the spirits were high. Van Dyk put on a sick show and people wouldn't stop raving. The night ended pretty wildly though with us having to search for one kid who drank a bit too much and couldn't find his way to the club. I crashed in Alexandria, VA for the night. The next day, I took the metro back to Vienna, VA to catch my metro. The bus back to UVA took us to JMU first, so we got back pretty late, but I got to catch up on reading and sleep on the bus.

Although I'm crunching all my work at the last minute, it was all worth it!

I will never forget...

Doodling in my 3rd language Arabic class in Room 435 in UNIS, a faculty member, whom I can't precisely remember whom, rushes into the room to exclaim, "A plane has just flown into the World Trade Center!" At first, I recall thinking that the World Trade Center was the Empire State building, and thought to myself, what a pity for such a magnificent architectural structure to suffer such a severe injury?! Nothing regarding the death toll ran through my mind whatsoever. I recall it was Faisal, Alyazia and me in that class and we all thought it must have been some sort of aviation accident, never anticipating that this unforgettable event would haunt us for the rest of our lives. I then remember that we were all evacuated to the roof of the UNIS building. Then, I remember Faisal jokingly warns me, "watch out while you're up on the roof in case they might throw us in the East River." Without a clue of what was going on, we middle school kids messed around, joking of what could possibly have happened. Among the faculty though, there was such chaos of what they were going to do with us. They called all our parents to inform them that we must be evacuated at once as a security precaution! In our little bubble called UNIS, we had no slight idea of the history-defining event taking place on the same island of Manhattan where we'd carried out our lives for the past year in harmony.

Once Ben, our driver, came to pick Omar and I up, we realized the insanity that was engulfing this city. There was a mass exodus from Downtown Manhattan to the Upper East Side. Thousands had taken the streets to evacuate the area known as Battery Park. I recall that we were some of the only people in a car, but I was shocked at how orderly the lines of people walking north were. Also, for the first time in my life, people occupied the Queens Borough Bridge instead of cars! We were so unaware of what on earth was going on! Omar and I were quickly rushed to our apartment upstairs. I remember Mom sitting watching the TV. Helicopters were flying everywhere and there streets and avenues of the bustling city of NYC were overflowing with the confused. Despite all the commotion, I recall people being cooperative, helpful, and respective to one another. NYC was an exceptional place where when times would get hard, people would come together as a family.

I wish I could have been in the streets to experience 9/11 as it happened, but instead I was in my own ivory tower, the Landmark, on 59th St. and 2nd Avenue. There, as my eyes were glued to the TV screen, I tried to piece together the different components of the puzzle to comprehend what on earth was going on. CNN first mentioned that it was a terrorist attack. So I wondered whether it could possibly be some splinter Japanese Kamikaze group that sought to avenge their ancestors or something. At that point in time, I was two young to even understand global affairs, but I will never recall that only a couple of hours after the two towers were hit that Osama Bin Laden's face popped up on the TV screen as the prime suspect. There was something a tad bit fishy about the sequence of events. I still wonder how the convict of history's most influential crime could be identified in such a short time. Now don't get me wrong; I don't sympathize with the guy nor do I intend to formulate any conspiracy theories, but I only speak what I remember in my vivid memory. I recall my father working downstairs in the Egyptian Consulate completely oblivious to what was taking place outside. He informed me that my cousin Shady had called him to inform him that the New York was ablaze! My father reminded my that we were going to visit the towers last weekend as we strolled around Battery Park, but Omar and I, being stubborn as we always were in NYC, refused out of laziness. We took photos of the towers instead. I still have those photos hidden somewhere in one my albums. My father came up and we all stood in our balcony as smoke and residue engulfed the skyscrapers that dotted 2nd Avenue all the way to Downtown Manhattan where the towers once stood. Among the buildings that covered the scene, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State, which always clearly visible from our balcony, were now enveloped in ugly brown smog. We tried to make out what was going on in the distance, but the smoke clouded everything in the distance. As we stared intently into the distance with the media coverage clammouring in the background on the TV, the most frightening thing ever happened! All of the sudden, the cloud that surrounded the buildings in the distance collapsed in a sudden uniform descent that shook us all. We had no idea what was going on behind that repugnant veil smog, but all of the sudden, it was announced that the towers toppled in what almost seemed to be an unnatural unison. I had mixed feelings inside me as I horrifically watched this spectacle first hand. I would have never imagined that that fraction of a second with the first tower collapsing with all its might to ground zero would define the rest of my life, and for that matter, the rest of history! As history was in the happening, I recall rushing to grab the camera to record it with my own eyes. I took several photos of the smoggy skyline that painted the ugly panorama we were witnessing before our eyes from our NYC apartment. Surprisingly, in the hours that followed event, residue from Downtown actually reached balcony's windows. I remember wiping a line of residue off the window and wondering whether one of these particles could have possibly belonged to the towers. Later that day, the melancholy that slowly choked NYC slowly sunk in on me. The whole city kept vigil. The following few days, the city became a police state with F-16s hovering around our building and H-1s patrolling the streets.

Seven years from now, America has not changed so much from that memorable day. Mayor Bloomberg is true to his world when saying "9/11 lives forever in our hearts and history." On this day, on every year that has passed, whether I am in Cairo or Charlottesville, I feel like a displaced New Yorker who feels the same sentiments. America must move on though. The events of 9/11 have brought up a neo-Iron Curtain that will polarize the West and East once more. Isolating the Middle East from voicing its views from the political arena will not solve the problem. America should brush off any provocations. Sometimes I wonder what if the U.S. built a mosque on ground zero in response to the terrorist attacks. Wouldn't that completely belittle the terrorists' wrongdoings and show them what true Islam is about. In any case, I don't wish to diverge by proposing what should and shouldn't happen. Seven years on, I remember this event as if it were yesterday. Every time, I see a sign preaching the words "We Will Never Forget." A shiver runs down my spine and I wonder to myself whether the world is doomed to be so close-minded so as to categorize people so stereotypically based on their ethnicity and religion. I, personally, shall never remember, but will never have such an event pose as an obstacle for my dreams and aspirations for a better world. In any case, there is one last hour remaining until the calender flips to 9/12, so I shall post this entry as evidence of my remembrance of 9/11 and my commemorations to its past and future victims.

حررتني يا جبران

Choke's really got me choking!

The only quote that springs to mind when I endeavor to describe this movie is one that has always stuck to mind from Nasser that is profoundly philosophical on such a petty topics. “The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make the rest of us wonder at the possibility that we might be missing something." How relevant Nasser's occupation is to the subject matter is not of my concern, but it is very true. Hollywood has succeeded in shaping what is "normal" in a society. Vulgar sex, moronic drunkness, and the free will of insulting what may be very sacred to others has come to define the film industry nowadays. It seems as if the word "taboo" has come to vanish from the American dictionary. I am not conservative nor close-minded, but the movie I have just seen was revolted even though it received a stand ovation. Serina, a friend at UVa offered for me to tag a long and after hesitating, I succumbed to her peer pressure. We grabbed two salads to munch on while at the movies. Since this was a advanced pre-screening, we were checked by metal detectors so that we wouldn't film it. I got in with my video cellphone anyways. The plot was ridiculous that I won't even bother to go in depth about it. The movie is about a sad, low life, sex addict who is has a weird relationship with all the women in the movies. His flashbacks and sick day dreams pop up throughout the movies. The movie makes it seem as if it is quite normal for us to feel such random animalistic impulses. I personally ate away at my salad throughout most of the movie just to avoid exposing myself to such ugliness. I don't if I'm the weirdo, but I am the only one who doesn't fantasize about these kind of things all the time? Sure I'm a guy, but I guess I have self respect for myself, others, and ethics. Isn't that what makes us different than animals? Anyways, I can't seem to understand why such movies must have such twisted, trivial plots, and receive such acclaim? Both Serina and I were very disturbed by what we'd seen; I know that I'll end up with nightmares for the next couple of nights, but the fact that I realized how screwed up that movie was reassures me that I'm sane and normal, unlike most of the other viewers. Anyways, back to my Zen green tea and trail and books. Oh yea, and may be its good idea to grab a salad whenever going to a movie from now on to dig into for censorship :)