"White Riot" - The Clash
(From the film "Rude Boy" a clip from Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in 1978 -- with Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 joining in on vocals (of sorts).
I suspect that you will be seeing a lot of commentary on the unrest in Egypt, Tunisia, and other parts of the Middle East over the next several days. About the only thing I feel qualified to say about this is that in the end this is not about the United States or Americans and our views on this. It is about people in these countries trying to carve a space out for themselves to have meaningful roles in the politics and economics of their societies. Whether they will succeed against what is certain to be a pretty fierce crackdown remains to be seen. And whether if they do succeed, what follows is a good thing also remains to be seen. In the end though, it is their struggle to be defined by them.
I think the tone thus far struck by the Obama Administration is about right -- we should firmly but quietly oppose repression and violence and other than that stay the fuck out of the way.
Your thoughts?
