Self-organizing systems in Egyptian protests | Hacker News Reader

Self-organizing systems in Egyptian protests

nytimes.com

24 pointsdctoedt11 comments

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Tahrir. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'To-morrow is January 25th:' Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars. And say 'These wounds I had Tahrir Square.' Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages What feats he did that day: then shall our names. Familiar in his mouth as household words Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. This story shall the good man teach his son; And the 25th of January shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in Egypt now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us in Tahrir Square.

Half the protesters are women and don't "hold their manhoods" :-) and the other half are mostly college stoners, fruit vendors and intellectual-type nerds. More Woodstock than Braveheart, imo.

I agree! How about: '...but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant...History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of "history" it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time-and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.' ~HST

Really though I feel bad hanging any "western" literary quote on top of the amazing events in Egypt. I'm sure something from Egyptian culture would make a more appropriate quote than either Shakespeare or Hunter Thompson. Trying to follow the unfolding events has brought tears to my eyes of both joy and sadness more than once, and I am in awe of the courage and spirit and dynamic human energy of the revolution in progress.

Nothing wrong with citing "Western" literature, they're doing that themselves :-)

http://totallycoolpix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/30012011_e...

True story, I grew up reading the Grimm tales in Arabic and was SHOCKED as a grown man when I discovered they were not original Arabic works :-)

That's nothing, you should read them in the original Klingon!

Braveheart‽ I am dying, Egypt, dying.

Brave. Heart.

Indeed. Indeed.

If you are a troll you are the best.

http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Henry_V/20.html

Sheesh, that much I know. I used the "Braveheart" label for aesthetic reasons; I choose the film because it's at once virile, chivalrous and patriotic, while also being synthetic, a cheesy Mel Gibson experience that reminds more of his drunken antics today than anything else (though the "Primae Noctis" scene stuck with me.)

Ditto with Woodstock, it's the largest gathering of insignificant nobodies in recent history (when judged by the values of their society and era.) But it turned into an epoch of its own, and everyone there became significant to history just by virtue of their presence. Just like Tahreer square today.

Hacker News, you're not keeping up.

The problem is that they don't actually have a braveheart type there. They don't have a leader, and they will reach no progress. Eventually the military will take power and that torture guy Suleiman will become the leading figure. He will choose a couple of opposition 'leaders' to talk to, implement some fake democracy simulation and carry on the game.

It's really nice to believe that something is going to change, but there is no reality to it. Believing in symbols of western democracy like mass demonstrations - fine. Those people need a ruthless leader and a march against the current government though. And they won't have it.

In my opinion this sort of leaderless organisation based upon rapid electronic communication is an early precursor to automated governance. Recent tax evasion protests in the UK have also drawn similar complaints about being leaderless, but as software mediated collective organisation becomes more sophisticated this may be the direction of the future.

This electronic communication thing seems to be a western myth, the protests took place throughout a week of cut down internet. It's just how we currently observe it, but that doesn't mean it's how it works on the ground.

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