The below news reels give a background and snapshot of the current goings on in Egypt, where there are protests and anti-government demonstrations with regards to political suppression, corruption and unemployment.
This week I have decided to focus on power after a conversation with one of my close friends who currently attends Western, but is originally from Dubai. I had heard about the protesting that has been going on over the past few days, but my friend was able to give me more details and further insight about the current situation, as much of her family is currently living in Egypt.
This week's reading defined power as the capacity of some persons to produce intended and foreseen effects on others. The reading also defined many different types of power, which I think can be applied to this current global issue. For instance a person can be powerless-lack authority, or the capacity to act, or a person can be empowered-have developed confidence in his or her own capacities. The people of Egypt felt powerless, and started to band together, initially through a simple networking tool-Facebook.
The Facebook group that triggered people to act/ protest was started by one individual and this can be likened to our week four class where a video clip was shown of one person dancing on a hill. Another person eventually joined that single person. A follower who in turn became a leader for the subsequent follower and so on joined the original leader. As soon as about four of five people were dancing, a mass of many others joined. This instance is similar to how the current population of Egypt started their protests. The Egyptians seem to have found their "personal power"/the power from within to act out against a "power-over" situation that they feel to be unfair..... One person started the Facebook group and their friends joined it, then the friends of those friends joined, and so on, this became a "power-with" situation. The group began to gain more power and more confidence as more and more people joined.
For many years, the government has ruled using "expert power" to some degree. The governing body had superior power over the nation, which caused political suppression, corruption and unemployment. "Coercive power" was shown by the government when, in an effort to stop the protests, and the "power of the people", the authorities announced a curfew from 1800 to 0700 local time. At many locations, riot police even fired rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas. Internet and phone services both mobile and landline-have also been disrupted over the past few days. This disruption of communication is an example of "information power", as information that would normally be received through these methods of communication is being withheld. The government is using authority or power that is dependent on fear, suppression of free will, and/or use of punishment or threat, for its existence, which is exactly what our class text claims "coercive power" is. The Egyptian government no longer has "legitimate/elected power" and has started to use "coercive power" because all else has failed.
In class, we spoke about: empowerment, equity, social justice, participation, collaboration, bottom up strategies. We spoke about how choice is THE simplest form of power. The people of Egypt made the choice to change the way their country operates, and to speak out against the injustices they have faced.
They found their Power from Within:
-psychological power
-self knowledge
-perceived control over personal life
......and spoke out against the government (Power-over): One made to do what other wishes…..dominance (forces), like resources, barriers to decision making/agenda setting, information control.
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| Government officials spraying citizens with water cannons. (Greenwich Time, 2011). |
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Egyptian security forces hit protesters and knocked some to the ground before rounding up dozens at a demonstration on Sunday against a police beating that killed a man about a week ago. (Sassywire, 2010). ......Now on March 12th, 2011 looking back on this issue, I have found a great link that documents the goings on of January 25th, 2011 in Egypt, it is shown below: References Youtube. (2011). Egypt: january 25th, 2011. [Video file]. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThvBJMzmSZI&feature=player_embedded Youtube. (2011). Egypt protests inspired by tunisia riots. [Video file]. Retrieved January 27, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrQ0fHI_JFY&feature=player_embedded Youtube. (2011). Egypt's violent day of anger. [Video file]. Retrieved January 27, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgh1iOXI6sQ&feature=player_embedded Guardian.co.uk. (2011). Egypt braced for 'day of revolution' protests. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/egypt-day-revolution-protests Greewich. com (2011). Antigovernment protests in egypt. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/slideshow/Anti-government-protests-in-Egypt-2677.php Sassy Wire. (2010). Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://sassywire.wordpress.com/2010/06/ |
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