Student Led Revolts

Let me preface this entry with some quick background information. My fiance is Libyan and his father's family was essentially forced from their country once Gaddafi took power. Needless to say, this is a very exciting time for my new family and it is this personal connection to the liberation of the people of Libya that has caused within me a diligent interest in the civil unrest occurring across North Africa and the Middle East. Interestingly, I have found many connections between what is happening in Libya/Egypt/Tunisia/Etc. and the potential of our own American youth. 

Firstly, it was very interesting to read the essays of UT students with ties to Egypt (found here). One student, Jordan, was in Alexandria at the time the revolution began. I met Jordan when I first moved to Austin during Ramadan in 2009, and I was instantly struck by her interest and passion for Egypt and middle-eastern culture. Reading her account, it struck me how subtle of a revolution it was. People were in the streets, and somehow this action went from peaceful protesting to a non-violent revolution. In Libya and Tunisia, however, things were a bit different. 

In Tunisia, the revolution is literally being led by students. In this article, there are accounts of the many ways in which young students are going into the streets and demanding the democracy they have been educated on partially through their schooling but mostly through their experience. What is so interesting with this youth revolution led by educated masses is that they are not only calling for a change, but they are suggesting what will be done next. This instantly made me think of the American civil rights movement, where the mass of students involved were demanding a change to the system but, as far as I have studied, did not make demands for what would happen once that change was accomplished. Because of this involvement and awareness factor, I think it is interesting to observe the strength and legitimacy of youth movements.

You can see this power is threatening to those being challenged across the board. In Libya, Gaddafi has famously been accusing the youth in revolt of being high on hallucinatory drugs and drunk on alcohol. As the revolution spreads, he continues to try and crush the reputation of the youth, something that can at times be easily accomplished. But we can see that these students are resilient and passionate about their involvement. In Yemen, the students who are leading the revolution feel it has been invaded by the leaders who are suddenly taking part in what they call "their" movement. (Source: this article) 

A common theme throughout these youth revolutions that ties into our class topics in an interesting way is the disparity in status of those revolting vs. those resisting the call to abandon their leaders. Across communities, while the average youth have been in the street, the wealthier citizens and families have been in hiding, hesitant to fight against the community that allows their power. I feel like this is very indicative of our current culture of education communities. We talked last week about how schools will possibly be shut down, and how many of those involved in the political spectrum have this attitude of "well, it's very necessary, as long as it's not my schools"! I feel like this attitude only serves to further distance the student population from previous generations, something that occurs cyclically, but something that can inspire revolution nonetheless. 

It will be interesting to see not only what results in form of government stability in the Middle East and North African, but also how those dramatic results of student uprising will inspire the youth of America.