Alterman is deeply either misguided or willfully misrepresenting the situation in that article. The first tip off can be found in his utterly wrongheaded statement "their protests were never about Mubarak" - that is simply, blatantly, and absolutely wrong. I've been watching and listening to Egyptians for the past 18 days - the removal of Mubarak was, without a single question, the primary goal of those in Tahrir square and beyond. To claim otherwise is to attempt to express a very privileged view of this revolution by claiming "oh, *I* know better than the people in Cairo what this was *really* about" and it casts the rest of the article in a very negative light
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There is a hint of anger in your words, my friend, and I ask that you take a step back for a moment and actually read what I wrote. Put some distance between the lunacy of some of the people that have driven you up the wall already, and consider for a moment what I am actually saying. I am not, nor could I, say that Mubarak and the status-quo needed to remain. There are many things that the man has to answer for
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There is no anger towards you, my friend, as I know your heart and I know that you speak from a place of knowledge that I cannot share - I've not lived where you have lived, seen what you have seen, interacted with the people you have interacted with. I admit to anger at the author of the first article because, bluntly, he was being wrongheaded and thick - whether by intention or ignorance. But there is no anger at you because we are in agreement - this is a beginning, not an end, and only time will tell if this change is for the best or not.
In the end it doesn't truly matter what your or I call it - this is a time for the Egyptian people to, I hope, chart their own course in history. I believe we are both on the same page in desiring only that they have the chance to truly achieve the freedom they suffered and died for in this revolution.
Thank you for your responses, my friend. In truth, I was hoping you would be at least one of the people to write back on this. Your offerings always make me take the utmost care with what I write, and ultimately, bring out the greatest clarity.
Also, please understand, no personal experience of mine invalidates anything you have to say, even should you and I disagree on something. In this case, we don't really disagree, but I wanted to be clear with you on that. You pay attention to the world around you, which is more than I can say for many. While I definitely don't always agree with your conclusions, I believe they come from a place of caring about the world around you.
Anyway, thank you for your response, sir. I am glad that we can understand one another.
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In the end it doesn't truly matter what your or I call it - this is a time for the Egyptian people to, I hope, chart their own course in history. I believe we are both on the same page in desiring only that they have the chance to truly achieve the freedom they suffered and died for in this revolution.
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Also, please understand, no personal experience of mine invalidates anything you have to say, even should you and I disagree on something. In this case, we don't really disagree, but I wanted to be clear with you on that. You pay attention to the world around you, which is more than I can say for many. While I definitely don't always agree with your conclusions, I believe they come from a place of caring about the world around you.
Anyway, thank you for your response, sir. I am glad that we can understand one another.
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