If you thought the Arab Spring was only for springtime, then you haven't been watching the news throughout 2011. It seems that the Arab Spring is now perpetual, and therefore, I have dubbed it; the Arab Perennial. It seems one thing that the protesters love to do, whether it is the occupy protesters in the United States, Greek citizens challenging austerity programs, or Arab populations - is to get on TV. The protesters in the Middle East play to Al Jazeera, those in Europe wish to make their national TV stations, and the BBC.
Of course, here the United States we have an abundance of news outlets; CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, and FoxNews to name a few. The occupy protesters rely on the media to help keep this energy going, help with their recruitment, and stay in the news. By using the media they are able to project themselves as being larger than they actually are, while the media gets good ratings for broadcasting the sound and fury of the masses. Okay so, let's talk a little bit about Syria, because in Syria it's getting quite serious.
Syrians Protesting for Publicity - Is That What It's All About?
There was a very telling article in the New York Times on the last day of the year in 2011 titled; "Thousands Rally in Syria to Prove Their Discontent to Arab Monitors," by Kareem Fahim and Hwaida Saad. The article stated:
"Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of people defied a continuing government crackdown to fill the streets of several Syrian cities on Friday, intent on showing visiting monitors from the Arab League the extent of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad." And "A protester in Dara'a, who reported huge demonstrations, said: "We want to show the Arabs and the world that we are peaceful protesters, not criminals, or armed gangs. The coming days and weeks will prove our statements, not the regime's story."
Now then, I am sure that one individual demonstrating does not speak for all Syrian protesters, but he probably does speak for a large number of participants in the protests. But consider this, if you wanted to prove that you are having a peaceful protest, then it surely does not make sense to do it out in the street by throwing rocks at police, or shooting at them. In fact, either side could cause a quick escalation at any time. Of course to end it all; the police could simply not show up for the protests, or the protesters could stop protesting, after all springtime is over.
It seems that without the media coverage, the protesters would find no reason to continue, or very little reason to risk their lives in protest. Maybe we need to rethink how the media participates and increases the chaos and controversy, which in the end could spell the end of a government and nation-state, or throw it into complete disarray. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Of course, here the United States we have an abundance of news outlets; CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, and FoxNews to name a few. The occupy protesters rely on the media to help keep this energy going, help with their recruitment, and stay in the news. By using the media they are able to project themselves as being larger than they actually are, while the media gets good ratings for broadcasting the sound and fury of the masses. Okay so, let's talk a little bit about Syria, because in Syria it's getting quite serious.
Syrians Protesting for Publicity - Is That What It's All About?
There was a very telling article in the New York Times on the last day of the year in 2011 titled; "Thousands Rally in Syria to Prove Their Discontent to Arab Monitors," by Kareem Fahim and Hwaida Saad. The article stated:
"Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of people defied a continuing government crackdown to fill the streets of several Syrian cities on Friday, intent on showing visiting monitors from the Arab League the extent of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad." And "A protester in Dara'a, who reported huge demonstrations, said: "We want to show the Arabs and the world that we are peaceful protesters, not criminals, or armed gangs. The coming days and weeks will prove our statements, not the regime's story."
Now then, I am sure that one individual demonstrating does not speak for all Syrian protesters, but he probably does speak for a large number of participants in the protests. But consider this, if you wanted to prove that you are having a peaceful protest, then it surely does not make sense to do it out in the street by throwing rocks at police, or shooting at them. In fact, either side could cause a quick escalation at any time. Of course to end it all; the police could simply not show up for the protests, or the protesters could stop protesting, after all springtime is over.
It seems that without the media coverage, the protesters would find no reason to continue, or very little reason to risk their lives in protest. Maybe we need to rethink how the media participates and increases the chaos and controversy, which in the end could spell the end of a government and nation-state, or throw it into complete disarray. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
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