Greg's Blog: Egypt

Abstract

Egypt was and is greatly influence by the infusion of technology from other cultures, specifically from the French and British. The French followed by the British both felt that they could educate and bring culture to the ignorant Egyptians. The Egyptians had learned through the ages that new ideas did not translate into a better life and would not readily adopt the advancements forced upon them by the new invaders. The infusion of new technology does not usually blend well with the old ways of a culture, but the Amish and the conservative Jews have managed the have the best of both cultures.

Whip-em Into Shape

Egypt was and is greatly influenced by the infusion of technology from other cultures, specifically from the French and British. The French influenced the elites into building the new Cairo (Mitchell pg.63) according French Tradition and the British, brought the Elites, their way of government (Mitchell pg.34).

In the winter of 1867–68 Ali Mubarak, an accomplished Egyptian administrator, teacher and engineer, travelled to Paris on financial business for the Egyptian government, and to visit the Exposition Universelle. He stayed several weeks, as he later described in some detail, studying the new Parisian systems of education and of sewerage. He examined the buildings, the books, and the curricula of the new schools, and walked with other visitors along the enormous tunnels of the sewage system built beneath the boulevards of Haussmann's new city. On his return to Egypt he was appointed Minister of Schools and Minister of Public Works, and over the following decade he laid out and began building the modern city of Cairo and the modern system of education. (Mitchell pg.63)

The Ignorant Natives

The French followed by the British both felt that they could educate and bring culture to the ignorant Egyptians and to some extent, they did but only to the elites. The Egyptian peasant class ignored the Brits as another annoying new fangled occupier. Indeed the French felt that virtual enslavement was the only way to get the native to understand how ignorant they were. Control their bodies so that their mind will eventually follow (Mitchell 95).

Another New Boss to Break In!

The Egyptians have learned through the ages that new ideas do not translate into a better life and would not readily adopt the advancements forced upon them new invaders. The poor Egyptians have been exposed to great conquerors and the not so great conquerors for thousands of years. Egypt looks upon conquerors as people they need to get along without resorting to constant violence, instead they practice more of a passive aggressive stance or just plain act stupid and lazy when obviously due to the hard life they live they are not (Hopwood pg.5).

New + Old = Harmony

The infusion of new technology does not usually blend well with the old ways of a culture, but the Amish and the conservative Jews have managed the have the best of both cultures. The conservative Jew still embraces kosher food, traditional dress and ritual customs in the home at a minimum, and many outside the home also. The conservative Amish keep the home free of technology and fancy things, while many at work utilize technology through an intermediary and a very few embrace technology themselves outside the home (Rheingold). In Egypt technology changed the way the entire country farms, but their religion, and poverty levels remain unchanged (LOC). Though the peasants’ economic status remains unchanged, they are displaced from their small farms and forced to moved to the cities where they remain unemployed.

Conclusion

The knee jerk reaction is to think that technology will make everything in everyone’s life better, but in reality not all people embrace technology and certainly, technology fails to make all things better. Technological changes for the Egyptians created a larger elite class and a small middle class while taking away the way of life for the poor peasant farmers whom have lived the same contented way for thousands of years. As an advanced society we assume we have the best life and ancient way equal stupidity, and poverty when in reality those that follow the old ways are not miserable. In many cases ignorance of the new ways is bliss, as the backwards people never realize they are unhappy until they are told (Ronsuskind).

Reference:

http://www.ronsuskind.com/newsite/articles/archives/000033.html - Ronsuskind

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/amish_pr.html - Rheingold

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/egtoc.html - LOC

Colonising Egypt : Mitchell, Timothy. Berkeley University of California Press, 1988 eBook ISBN: 9780585116723 Egypt--Relations--Europe. Egypt--Civilization--1798-