Egads, Egypt-worriers
Feb. 3rd, 2011 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amanda_loddenScrolling through Facebook, I noted a comment on a friend's shared link about Egypt, saying that the commenter "prayed the no one else would die and that the pyramids wouldn't be destroyed."
Yay for praying for a peaceful resolution, but her comment about the pyramids... it occurs to me that some folks might not have a good grasp on what's going on in Egypt. Here is my attempt to spread a little bit of sanity. Feel free to pass it along.
First and foremost, the Egyptian people are protesting primarily because they feel that their existing government no longer serves them well. This is not an invading force bent on the destruction of the Egyptian culture; this is a group of people who love their country very much and want it to be the best it can be. They are unlikely to destroy their own artifacts. If you're having a hard time imagining this worldview, try thinking about what might happen if a bunch of Tea Party supporters decided that they'd had enough of Barack Obama and rioted through Washington D.C. How likely is it that those Tea Partiers are going to pour gasoline all over the Smithsonian and burn it to the ground, taking the Constitution along with it?
Yes, there is the potential for accidental destruction, especially once the protesters are met by pro-government protesters and the mess turns into riots (which it has). Which brings me to my second point:
The pyramids are made of stone and have withstood millenia of harsh desert conditions. The youngest pyramid is over 3000 years old. They have survived wars (though the Sphinx's nose is a famous casualty). They may someday be destroyed, but they will not be destroyed accidentally-- it will take some serious explosive power to do them any real harm. Individual gunfire, even automatic weaponry, isn't going to do it. Bring out the mortar shells, and we'll talk.
I was going to make my third point be about how "The Pyramids" are in fact 139 different structures scattered throughout Egypt, but when I went to map them, I was rather surprised to see how many of them are clustered into a touristy area that's close enough to Cairo to be considered its outskirts. Google Maps has a lovely little "map the protests" option right now; I highly recommend exploring it. Unfortunately, there appears to be some sort of business named "The Pyramids" that's in Cairo itself, which confused me greatly because the mark on the map was pretty clearly not pyramids when you went to satellite view.
The Giza Pyramid Complex, which includes the Sphinx, three large pyramids and roughly six smaller ones (I got tired of counting) and a slew of mastabas, is about 10 miles southeast of Cairo. (To find it on Google maps, look for "Nazlet El Saman", which is the village just outside the complex.) Remember my Tea Party and Smithsonian example? Now imagine that the Tea Party protests/riots are happening in Falls Church, Virginia. Would you still be worried about the Smithsonian?
Yay for praying for a peaceful resolution, but her comment about the pyramids... it occurs to me that some folks might not have a good grasp on what's going on in Egypt. Here is my attempt to spread a little bit of sanity. Feel free to pass it along.
First and foremost, the Egyptian people are protesting primarily because they feel that their existing government no longer serves them well. This is not an invading force bent on the destruction of the Egyptian culture; this is a group of people who love their country very much and want it to be the best it can be. They are unlikely to destroy their own artifacts. If you're having a hard time imagining this worldview, try thinking about what might happen if a bunch of Tea Party supporters decided that they'd had enough of Barack Obama and rioted through Washington D.C. How likely is it that those Tea Partiers are going to pour gasoline all over the Smithsonian and burn it to the ground, taking the Constitution along with it?
Yes, there is the potential for accidental destruction, especially once the protesters are met by pro-government protesters and the mess turns into riots (which it has). Which brings me to my second point:
The pyramids are made of stone and have withstood millenia of harsh desert conditions. The youngest pyramid is over 3000 years old. They have survived wars (though the Sphinx's nose is a famous casualty). They may someday be destroyed, but they will not be destroyed accidentally-- it will take some serious explosive power to do them any real harm. Individual gunfire, even automatic weaponry, isn't going to do it. Bring out the mortar shells, and we'll talk.
I was going to make my third point be about how "The Pyramids" are in fact 139 different structures scattered throughout Egypt, but when I went to map them, I was rather surprised to see how many of them are clustered into a touristy area that's close enough to Cairo to be considered its outskirts. Google Maps has a lovely little "map the protests" option right now; I highly recommend exploring it. Unfortunately, there appears to be some sort of business named "The Pyramids" that's in Cairo itself, which confused me greatly because the mark on the map was pretty clearly not pyramids when you went to satellite view.
The Giza Pyramid Complex, which includes the Sphinx, three large pyramids and roughly six smaller ones (I got tired of counting) and a slew of mastabas, is about 10 miles southeast of Cairo. (To find it on Google maps, look for "Nazlet El Saman", which is the village just outside the complex.) Remember my Tea Party and Smithsonian example? Now imagine that the Tea Party protests/riots are happening in Falls Church, Virginia. Would you still be worried about the Smithsonian?
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no subject
Date: 2011-02-03 06:54 pm (UTC)But given that when most people think "Egypt" they think "pyramids", I suppose it's not that hard to see how the two concepts would conflate in people's minds. Maybe you should point out that the pyramids have *already* been looted/vandalized - limestone coverings, anyone? :D
no subject
Date: 2011-02-04 08:22 pm (UTC)