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Weekend Reading: Pyramids of Discontent

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The Great Pyramids of Giza: Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu. Source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/giza-pyramids-pictures/slides/giza-pyramids-menkaure-khafre-khufu-wp.htm

There is a lot of interesting stuff going on the world right now. Across the northern half of the African continent and especially in Egypt right now, people have been rising up in a rage against the stagnation and oppression of the existing regimes; they demand opportunity and change. When a place becomes so corrupt that you need to grease the wheels in order to have a good job and life, then there can be little hope for progress so long as the corrupt regime remains in place.

Will Egypt change for the better, and will the Egyptian people get a government more accountable to its citizens? That remains to be seen. They could go down a brighter path of equal rights and opportunity for all, or they could go down the dark path of theocracy. One thing is certain: Any government’s power ultimately rests on the consent of the people. When that consent fades away and is removed, no government can hold onto its power forever, and things can eventually reach a boiling point and explode.

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Weekend Reading

Highlights

Thanks to Khaleef for mentioning Invest It Wisely on his post “Best Personal Finance Blogs In 2010, And Ones To Watch In 2011“. I am honoured to be part of the list!

Mich at Beating The Index discusses Why High Oil Prices are Good.

In Search of Salt is currently running a giveaway; thanks for awarding me a prize! There are plenty of prizes left, so head over to see what you can win!

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Thanks to The Biz of Life for sharing this.

Have a great weekend, all!

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Comments

  2. Hello Kevin, thanks for the mention. Let’s hope that things in Egypt go down a more peaceful path before many more people are hurt. More likely, a military junta will step in to “restore order in the name of the people”.

  4. What an amazing video. Although our government is far from perfect, I’m still glad to be part of the good ol US of A. We are so fortunate in so many ways.

    Thanks for the link.

  8. Nice video. I can barely wrap my mind around what is going on in Egypt right now. It is just crazy.

  10. Thanks for the mention! On Egypt, it’s amazing how many experts there are in America on the complex situation in Egypt :). I know some actual Eqyptians – Christian minority. They’re not real keen on the departing leadership, but everyone has to question – what next? Is a government influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood gonna be more stable? Doubtful. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but western societies need to temper expectations – even with Democratic elections. When the majority of the populace believes in stone-age and horribly misogynistic practices, is that a good thing?

  11. @Darwin
    Hopefully this is a chance for an improvement, but I agree about tempering expectations; an uprising can always result in another dictatorship or quasi-dictatorship, and there is always the possibility of things becoming worse, as unfortunate as that would be.

    Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

  12. Thanks for the mention, sorry it took me soo long to get here (crazy work schedule)…

    As for Egypt, I’m afraid the President was just a figure head. I wonder if getting him out of office is really going to accomplish much economically for the country. Hopefully it does!

    • I think you’re right; it’s not just about the person in power but about the corrupt institutions as well. Even the best people with the best intentions can do evil things in the name of doing good if the structure itself and the incentives are badly placed.

      • Exactly! The massive Egyptian bureocracy is still in place, along with all the crony sweetheart deals hatched by corrupt govt officials and their counterparts in the business world.