The inanity of some people drives me crazy.

I’ve been in an ongoing conversation the last few days with someone on the Academy of Art University Facebook app discussing the Egypt protest situation. Today that conversation just went somewhere I never expected: circumcision. That’s right. It went there. How or why is beyond me, but it did. Below are excerpts from the conversation:

Derek Fidler: Who’s ​been ​watching ​the ​news ​intently ​wondering ​what’s ​going ​to ​happen ​in ​Egypt?

Gisele Schoenberger: yeah, ​don’t ​go ​now!

Josh Rincon: It’s ​exciting ​to ​see ​what’s ​happening ​in ​Egypt ​and ​I ​have ​hope ​for ​our ​‘brothers’ ​fighting ​for ​their ​rights ​in ​a ​country ​that ​has ​been ​oppressed ​by ​a ​dictator ​for ​the ​last ​3 ​decades ​in ​which ​the ​United ​States ​has ​supported. ​FREE ​EGYPT!

Derek Fidler: “has ​supported” ​ie “still ​supports”

Gisele Schoenberger: Free ​Egypt… ​requires ​a ​megaload ​of ​education ​for ​the ​people; ​which ​the ​Taliban ​is ​NOT ​interested ​in ​assisting ​the ​humans ​who ​live ​there ​with. ​ ​Why ​are ​they ​so ​backward, ​anyway? ​ ​We ​are ​all ​evolving ​simultaneously ​and ​yet ​there ​are ​no ​expected ​hopes ​for ​each ​generation ​to ​acquire ​an ​education ​especially ​for ​the ​fair ​gender. ​ ​It ​freaks ​me ​out.

Josh Rincon: The ​Taliban ​have ​nothing ​to ​do ​with ​Egypt. ​They ​are ​concerned ​with ​the ​rulings ​in ​Afghanistan, ​not ​Egypt. ​That ​should ​answer ​your ​first ​question. ​As ​to ​your ​second ​question, ​I ​leave ​you ​this ​wonderful ​quote ​by ​Noam ​Chomsky, “If ​you ​assume ​that ​there ​is ​no ​hope, ​you ​guarantee ​that ​there ​will ​be ​no ​hope. ​If ​you ​assume ​that ​there ​is ​an ​instinct ​for ​freedom, ​that ​there ​are ​opportunities ​to ​change ​things, ​then ​there ​is ​a ​possibility ​that ​you ​can ​contribute ​to ​making ​a ​better ​world.”

Gisele Schoenberger: Good ​quote, ​hope ​you ​can ​abide ​by ​it. ​ ​Are ​you ​so ​sure ​about ​the ​taliban ​Not ​being ​a ​part ​of ​this ​insurgence? ​ ​Look ​at ​the ​news, ​the ​internal ​strife ​not ​driven ​by ​Mubarak ​is ​externally ​incited ​and ​names ​(as ​usual) ​are ​not ​being ​divulged. ​ ​Anderson ​Cooper ​was ​inside ​last ​eve ​in ​hiding, ​bcz ​journalists ​are ​being ​beaten ​by ​the ​insane ​wildebeasts ​native ​to ​that ​land. ​ ​It ​is ​not ​a ​highly ​educated ​people ​and ​they ​can ​be ​and ​are ​being ​stirred ​by ​religious ​fanatacism ​in ​the ​surrounding ​regions. ​ ​They ​are ​pawns ​in ​whose ​larger ​and ​eviler ​plans? ​ ​Abinadina- ​jacket ​probably. ​

Derek Fidler: Actually ​Egypt ​has ​one ​of ​the ​best ​educational ​systems ​in ​the ​region ​with ​compulsory ​education ​from ​age ​6-15. ​Over ​93% ​of ​children ​are ​enrolled ​in ​school ​and ​the ​literacy ​rate ​for ​the ​country ​is ​around ​73%. ​(Compared ​to ​the ​US ​which ​has ​less ​than ​80% ​functional ​literacy ​according ​to ​the ​NALS, ​Egypt ​looks ​quite ​good)

Additionally, ​there ​is ​no ​fundamentalist ​Islamic ​political ​organisation ​in ​Egypt ​and ​as ​a ​whole ​the ​few ​fundamentalists ​receive ​more ​publicity ​than ​the ​average ​Egyptian ​which ​skews ​the ​media.

Attempts ​to ​paint ​the ​situation ​as ​a ​fundamentalist ​take ​over ​is ​purely ​the ​western ​presses ​and ​governments ​trying ​to ​make ​up ​for ​the ​fact ​that ​they ​supported ​a ​horrible ​tyrant ​for ​30 ​years ​in ​the ​name ​of “stability/peace ​in ​the ​middle ​east” ​and ​are ​seeking ​to ​ensure ​that ​a ​pro-western ​leader ​comes ​into ​power ​after ​Mubarak; ​whether ​he ​is ​another ​tyrant ​or ​sincerely ​a ​good ​leader ​is ​irrelevant ​as ​long ​as ​he ​can ​be ​co-opted ​into ​the ​US/Israel ​hegemony.

Nevertheless, ​both ​Republicans ​and ​Democrats, ​including ​the ​Obama ​administration, ​are ​continuing ​to ​provide ​billions ​of ​dollars ​in ​military ​aid ​each ​year ​to ​Egypt ​which ​will ​remain ​our ​number ​2 ​recipient ​of ​foreign/military ​aid ​as ​long ​as ​a ​pro-Western ​leader ​is ​in ​power.

Gisele Schoenberger: Interesting ​information. ​ ​What ​kind ​of ​a ​leader ​do ​you ​want ​to ​see ​there, ​one ​that ​is ​of ​anti-western ​thought? ​ ​I ​think ​Western ​thought ​is ​cool. ​ ​The ​whole ​world ​should ​have ​the ​opportunity ​to ​have ​a ​Western ​Education. ​The ​education ​you ​refer ​to ​in ​the ​middle ​east ​is ​already ​sloshed ​around ​with ​anti-western ​sentiment ​until ​western ​thought ​is ​seen ​as ​‘other’ ​and ​not ​good, ​other.

What ​is ​the ​predominant ​religion ​over ​there; ​it’s ​not ​Judeo/Christian; ​ ​I ​think ​they ​are ​muslim ​and ​angry ​that ​everyone ​else ​in ​the ​world ​isn’t, ​so ​therein ​lies ​the ​heretical ​religious ​slant ​or ​tirade ​from ​extremism ​from ​the ​inside. ​It’s ​sad. ​ ​Most ​Americans ​want ​to ​Live ​and ​let ​live ​and ​live ​in ​peace ​on ​this ​planet. ​ ​Nobody ​want ​to ​go ​to ​war. ​ ​My ​dad ​didn’t, ​he ​was ​a ​boy ​of ​14 ​forced ​to ​and ​was ​destroyed ​by ​war.

Unfortunately, ​I ​see ​from ​internal ​journalists ​that ​there ​is ​a ​lot ​of ​bloodshed. ​ ​Anderson ​Cooper ​is ​not ​skewing ​his ​stuff, ​he ​is ​a ​liberal ​and ​he ​cares ​about ​humanity ​ ​... ​these ​people ​who ​are ​ending ​up ​broken ​up. ​ ​Yes, ​there ​are ​political ​forces ​around ​Egypt ​with ​fanatical ​and ​financial-power-gain​ ​viewpoints. ​ ​Who ​are ​you ​kidding?

​ ​Rioting ​in ​the ​streets ​and ​beating ​up ​the ​world ​media, ​c’mon. ​ ​These ​are ​educated ​people? ​ ​ ​Hmmm ​more ​Western ​thought ​and ​education ​needed; ​perhaps ​the ​inherent ​individual ​violent ​natures ​of ​all ​the ​men ​there ​in ​the ​ENTIRE ​region ​ ​would ​be ​better ​off ​if ​they ​were ​circumcised. ​ ​For ​some ​reason ​it ​just ​seems ​to ​stave ​off ​the ​violent ​ ​tendencies ​in ​the ​male ​nature ​in ​the ​first ​place. ​Compare ​world ​societies ​and ​figure ​it ​out ​yourself. ​ ​It ​should ​be ​mandatory ​for ​male ​humans ​born ​onto ​this ​planet. ​ ​Really ​all ​this ​fighting ​and ​aggression. ​ ​It’s ​disgusting ​we ​haven’t ​evolved ​past ​this ​stupidity.

Derek Fidler: There ​are ​stories ​like ​this ​one ​and ​thousands ​of ​others ​that ​prove ​positive ​how ​destructive ​pro-western ​backed ​dictators ​are ​to ​liberal ​ideology ​in ​the ​middle ​east. ​What ​temporary ​stability ​we ​gain ​comes ​at ​the ​cost ​of ​millions ​of ​oppressed ​people, ​trillions ​of ​lost ​dollars, ​and ​an ​increasing ​number ​of ​fundamentalist ​muslims.

We ​must ​realise ​that ​our ​involvement ​with ​politics ​and “aid” ​in ​the ​middle ​east ​is ​actively ​undermining ​the ​spread ​of ​freedom ​and ​democracy. ​We ​have ​continuously ​aided ​anti-democratic ​leaders ​in ​the ​middle ​east ​when ​it ​suits ​us ​and ​turned ​on ​them ​when ​they ​go ​against ​our ​wishes; ​we ​have ​supported ​such ​figures ​as ​the ​Shah ​of ​Iran, ​King ​Abdullah ​of ​Saudi ​Arabia, ​Saddam ​Hussein ​against ​the ​ayatollah, ​Osama ​bin ​Laden, ​the ​mujaheddin, ​and ​the ​Taliban ​against ​the ​Russians, ​and ​countless ​other ​ruthless ​leaders ​in ​the ​middle ​east ​as ​well ​as ​around ​the ​world.

We ​need ​to ​get ​out ​of ​their ​politics ​and ​bring ​our ​troops ​home ​before ​we ​can ​see ​real ​pro-democratic ​change ​in ​the ​middle ​east.

For more information regarding the protests in Egypt please read this article by Maajid Nawaz. The sooner people realise that Western-backed leadership are worse for democracy and freedom the sooner we will see peace in the middle east, an end to our military involvement in the region, and greater prosperity for all.

Image courtesy of New Statesmen