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PROTEST CONTEST
The common themes of protest movements include restless spontaneity, endemic vested interest corruption, economically frustrated jobless youth, aging authoritarian leadership negligence and indifference to the wants and needs of the local populace. The Arab Spring uprisings have effectively called for fairly balanced socio-economic transparency, featuring a vibrant civil society, political liberalization, tolerant multiversity, natural resources eco-consciousness, climate change initiatives and secularism alongside Islam.
Young and impatient, sophisticated techno-savvy activists promoted the egalitarian grassroots character of their activist movement, recognizing that a peaceful uprising was more likely to succeed than a violent one. Progressive change would require better governance and social justice, a clear leadership vision, exports/trade promotion, a more competitive business environment action plan and expanded private ownership tied to social policies.
The widening gap in the distribution of wealth and resources between the rich “haves” and the poor “have nots” can only be solved by improving the living conditions and welfare of those largely ignored but most in need. In Egypt, although the poverty rate represented by wages of $2 a day per person remains constant, the number of people suffering from severe poverty, represented by $1 a day per person has increased significantly.
Pragmatic optimists believe that sustainable reform will be able to build upon existing institutional infrastructure and longstanding traditions of civic engagement. The role of education is essential to the process of producing informed and politically engaged global citizens. Critical thinking and problem-solving life skills will help prepare self-confident students to participate fully in the interconnected new world.
An integrated region featuring a visa-free Middle Eastern free market trade zone, demands secure peaceful co-existence and hybrid identities as prerequisites. Superficial lockstep borders where ethnic and religious divides separate rather than assimilate must yield to more flexible enthusiasm and dynamism. Searching for a new sense of prideful self-esteem, the quality of being worthy of respect, calls for justice, liberty, tolerance and dignity expressed in innovative Information Technology-driven interconnected digital breakthroughs. The heartfelt desire for freedom, however, must be tempered with patience, patience and more patience in order to allow nurtured seeds of growth to take root, bud and blossom.
Charles Frederickson is a Swedish/American/Thai impassioned observer, daring experimentalist and progressive visionary who has
wandered intrepidly through 206 countries, an original sketch and poem for each presented on http://www.imagesof.8k.com. A member of World Poets
Society, based in Greece, his unique poetic style has been featured in: Ascent Aspirations, Auckland Poetry, Blind Man’s Rainbow, Both Sides Now,
Caveat Lector, Contemporary American Voices, Cordite Poetry Review, Dance to Death, Decanto, ESC!, Feelings of the Heart, Flutter Magazine,
Greatworks, Green Dove, Indite Circle, International Poet, Listen & Be Heard, Living Poets, Madpoetry, Melange, Newtopia, New Verse News, Peace
Not War Japan, Planet Authority, Poetics, Poetry Canada, Poetry of Scotland, Poetry Stop, Poets for Peace, Poetry Superhighway, Pyramid, Sz, T-Zero,
Ygdrasil, Ya’Sou! and Zafusy.
Email: Charles Frederickson
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