From UPI
This was before meeting Obama , already I do not think that the average Joe care that much for Mubarak’s visit , in fact I doubt that he know who Mubarak is in the first place !!??
From UPI
This was before meeting Obama , already I do not think that the average Joe care that much for Mubarak’s visit , in fact I doubt that he know who Mubarak is in the first place !!??
I doubt the average Joe knows where Egypt is on the map, let alone who's it's president. They have drive-through ATM machines, they've got bigger concerns than what's going on in the world!
ReplyDeleteIt depends on who you think the Average Joe is? Just like in Egypt, here in the US, we have people who are not educated or aware of current events. What if we asked a "falah" or a "Sa3adi" gentleman where Washington, DC is on the map? Or maybe he could point to where Pheonix, AZ is located in North America. Doubtful that he would know...just like the Average Joe here.
ReplyDeletePlease give Americans a bit more Credit. Go Masr!
Last comment, youve got a point that we shouldnt dismiss all Americans as ignorant about MENA and Egypt but your comparison fails because believe it or not the "falah" probably knows where is the US, who is the American president and even some of its policies in MENA, the same can not be said about the average Joe, some of them do not even know where the pyramids are and think Gaza is the same as Giza. As for the "sa3adi" do you watch many mosalsalat? Many sa3edis are well educated and well aware of wts going on the outside World again can we say the same about the majority of Americans living in the mid-west? NOPE
ReplyDeleteAs a Canadian I know that Canadians seem to know more about the U.S. than U.S. know about themselves...sad, but true.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I know many Middle Easterns who know a lot about Hollywood stars than actual U.S. as a country.
Ramadan Kareem to all.
Obviously this is subjective given our life experience and who we surround ourselves with. Ramadan Kareem indeed ;)
ReplyDeleteRAMADAN KAREEM....Thank you for your daily report....mostafa
ReplyDelete@Ninja, I won't be surprised
ReplyDelete@lotusmasages, Allah Akram :) that average joe supposedly had better education than those you are speaking about in Egypt
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/07/egypt-in-iraq.html
@anonymous, I agree with you , the radio and its news are still important part of the lives of those in Upper Egypt and North Delta.
@Salma , Allah Akram :)
My dear there are Americans who follow Hollywood more than following Obama and his administration.
@Mostafa , Allah Akram
@lotusmasages: ur last comment defeats the very point you were making in your first one. Good for you if you "think" you are surrounded by American intellectuals. That was not the point, the point was about the majority not the minority. in a country where only 20 % hold passports and presumed to have traveled outside their own country and a country where many ppl wont be able to answer basic questions about World politics or facts, a country where education is better and access to info is better and a country that has made it a point to meddle in the affairs of other countries playing the "super power", you'd think its ppl have some level of awareness.
ReplyDeleteThe case of the majority of red states(mostly average Joes land) and blue states mostly east and west cost (more liberal and more aware of wt's on outside the US), the point has been already made about the 2 Americas, the split America etc.
I loved my short life in the US, and yes my impression is based on my own experience and I found most Americans Ive met pleasant and love my American friends but the level of ignorance of basic facts and world affairs is laughable and regrettable bec of how it allows some to exploit the situation. Of course you will find similar cases in MENA and Egypt but not to that level probably and I personally find that in our side of the World ignorance tend to be focused on religious and basic rights issues and of course that has other implications as well.
The average Joe in the US probably could place Egypt on a map, and probably knows a bit about Egypt - from 2,000 years ago. Too many Americans still think of Egypt as a place of Pharaohs and pyramids... then again, they also think of Rome as a place of gladiators and the coliseum.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, though, you might be surprised - many 'average Joes' in the US have served in the military or with the State Deportment in or around Egypt, and many are from the Middle East (there's finally an Egyptian in my small home town!). There are certainly still those who know nothing beyond what happens in their home towns, but... soon, and already in some areas, white middle- or working-class men (and women) will no longer be the 'average Joe.'
Just my thoughts for the day. :-)
Oh, and one more thing - Ramadan Kareem!
ReplyDelete