03 February 2011

Walk Like An Egyptian

Yeah, I know almost nothin' about Egypt...
I know most people there are poor.
I know there are a LOT of people there.
I'm ashamed to say I just learned this week that most folks there are Sunni Muslims.
A friend emailed and asked what I thought about the situation and what I thought would happen there. I responded that I was pleased she wanted my opinion, but that she probably knew every bit as much about Egypt as me.

Egypt has a HUGE population.
The VAST majority of those folks are home, tending to business.
I think few would argue their lives could not be made better if their government wasn't so corrupt.
BUT-
Those of us over the age of fifty or so have seen something very similar happen in our recent history.
Those of us over the age of fifty warned that Obama looked like a bad memory from our past...
And now we're recalling an incident involving that peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia.
And those of us that remember that nightmare would like to point out that the people of Egypt had better be very careful what they wish for.

Life is bad there.
But it can be MUCH, MUCH worse...
Especially for the females.

2 comments:

Red Shoes said...

Egypt... what a mess. Most of the people living there exist on $2.00 USD equivalent or less per day. Food represents 50% of their expeditures, and the price of food has doubled.

Two weeks ago, in an econ class I am teaching at Alluvial Flood Plain State University, I had asked the class what could happen in our country that would cause them to get out and protest... One was expensive energy costs... the other was expensive food.

~shoes~

Old NFO said...

REd is correct, and the 'given' population of Cairo alone is 18 million... This will turn into another Shia/Sunni battle and as a side note, probably close the Suez Canal to US ship transits.