Boaz Bismuth
No one - not even the best expert - knows where the world is headed economically. Some are forecasting a crisis bigger than that of 2008, while others are more optimistic. However, one thing is certain: Western governments have a new phenomenon to deal with, and that is the street. This year, it wasn't just masses in the Arab world who awoke from their apathy; they also did so in the West. The situation in the West is, paradoxically, more dangerous. First, the democratic space in which the protests are taking place (the U.S., Portugal, Spain, Italy and Israel) allows the street to go further, and second, in the West, as opposed to the Arab world, we have something to lose if things get out of hand. These days anything is possible.
It must be said that the writing was on the wall. It is impossible to give credit to the Western protest, which has now spread to Europe, since that young Tunisian who immolated himself on Dec. 17 and ushered in what is now known as the Arab spring. However, it is enough to look at social networking sites of youth in France, Britain, Italy and Canada, among others - many of the users have adopted symbols or flags from Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya as their profile pictures to exhibit support for the Arab masses - to understand how the Arab revolutions have affected the movement in the West.
The Western protests did not erupt accidentally. The Western middle class has, for years, been a prisoner of pleasures and luxuries it does not need (unless its aim is to inflate the tycoons' pockets). However, the middle class has been forced to work longer and harder to pay for these luxuries. After all, no one wants to take a step back. And so the middle class in the Western world has eroded, not because it is starving or can't find work, but because it fears losing the good things that capitalism has enabled it to achieve. Either way, the world has entered a period of uncertainty and the masses are anxious.
With all due respect to the goodwill of the young Arab demonstrators, the Arab world is limited in its options to advance because of tradition and political culture. (We should also salute the achievements of Arab youth, even if they have not led to that longed-for democracy, but only exacerbated the economic crisis in their countries). Yet in the West, anti-globalization protesters have now been joined by middle-class youth who are afraid of tomorrow - and the West is easier to change. In countries like France, where the unions are most powerful, people are unmoved by such protests. Yet the protest bug has bitten in other countries, such as the U.S. and Israel. Of course, seeing citizens wake up from their apathetic stupor is a good thing. But the question is, at a time like this, does the Western world need revolution or does it need repair? Let's not forget that no one truly knows where we are going. We might end up missing the days when citizens take to the streets to demand social justice. It's possible that the collapse of banks in Europe - and it might happen - could bring us back to the days of bread and work protests.
The protests haven't always been as peaceful as they were in Israel (and that should be commended). In Italy we saw how things got out of hand, and during the summer riots in London we saw how the crisis was exploited by hooligans, just as the social protests in France were. I'm not sure we want to live like the citizens of Brazil, South Africa or Mexico, who think twice about walking around with something of value for fear of possible violence.
The worldwide protests include demonstrators holding placards denouncing capitalism and those nostalgically longing for communism. This doesn't quite jibe with demands for a better life, and anyway, there are middle-class protesters mixed in with supporters of communism. These demonstrations have different and often conflicting demands and it is therefore unclear where they will lead. In any case, one thing is certain: What began with a young man who immolated himself in Tunisia has now permeated the West.
Comment: Yes but the composition of the participants is totally different. These people have hijacked the concept and have created a freakish copy destined to fail.
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