Who Is Not On Facebook

[Matilda]

The social network called Facebook has played a crucial role in the revolutionary processes throughout the Arab World. The young Egyptian protesters communicate via Facebook, and the Tunisians, and the Yemenis, and now the Syrians, too. The Facebook company in the United States is quite modest, they say they never meant to bring about such revolutions. Still, they do not really regret the publicity.

But what about the Palestinians? A group of Palestinian youths started to communicate through Facebook and call for a Third Intifada on May Fifteen. This, Facebook did not really like. Well enough to organize against Arab dictators, but against the Israeli occupation? The Government of Israel lodged a complaint and the Palestinian Intifada swiftly disappeared from the Facebook spaces.

Hosni Mubarak is gnashing his teeth in envy...

http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2011/04/who-is-not-on-facebook.html


Some people are just more equal than others, I guess.

[aquart]

1. What's an intifada?

Is it peaceful like the protests in Egypt and Iran?

Must be that worldwide Jewish conspiracy. Poor pitiful suicide bombers. Why does nobody love them? Why won't anyone sit next to them on a bus?

[Matilda]

2. An Intifada is an uprising.

Just like they had in Egypt and Tunisia, and currently in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.

It may or may not turn out peacefully - ask the Libyans - but it means uprising, literally.

[aquart]

4. Maybe they should have said uprising.

Egypt, of course, is giving them all possible support?

[aranthus]

7. That may be the dictionary meaning, however

the previous two "Intifadas" were quite violent. Because of that, it is understandable that with regard to the I/P conflict, the word connotes violence, and the Facebook campaign could be seen as a call to violence.

[azurnoir]

3. Intifada is an Arabic word that means "shaking off"

albeit most English language translators mistranslate the word to only have a political meaning and only be applicable to Palestinians which is incorrect

[oberliner]

8. No it isn't

It's an Arabic word that means uprising.

It specifically refers to the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation, and was coined in the 1980's.

[LeftishBrit]

11. In the West, it is generally used just for Palestinian uprisings

In Arabic media, it seems to be used to refer to many uprisings, at least those that involve Arabs: e.g. recently in Tunisia. I don't read Arabic myself, but I know several people who do, and they say that it is used in a number of such contexts.

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. Intifada: an Arabic word for shaking off, though it is generally translated as rebellion.

It may refer to:

First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in 1987 to 1993.
1990s Intifada, an uprising in Bahrain demanding a return to democratic rule.
1991 uprisings in Iraq against Saddam Hussein.
Cedar Revolution or Intifada of Independence, the events in Lebanon after Rafiq Hariri's 2005 assassination.
French Intifada, an occasional American term for riots in France in the fall of 2005.
Independence Intifada, demonstrations and riots in Morocco and Western Sahara beginning in May 2005.
March Intifada, a Leftist uprising against the British colonial presence in Bahrain in March 1965.
Second, or al-Aqsa Intifada, the violent Palestinian-Israeli conflict that began in September of 2000.
Zemla Intifada against Spanish rule in Spanish Sahara, beginning in 1970.

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/intifada?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=intifada&sa=Search#906

[Violet_Crumble]

5. The support of free speech seems to be a very selective thing for Americans...

I remember that FB refused to delete fake 'memorial' groups set up about a murdered child from Queensland, even though images of kiddyporn and bestiality had been posted in it, and even though the Queensland Premier wrote personally to FB asking them to get rid of the group. Different treatment from FB depending on who it is, it looks like...

Nice to see you, Matilda. Hope all's well in Barry O'Farrell Land :hi:

[oberliner]

6. Non-Americans seem to not really understand the concept of freedom of speech in the US

I would recommend checking out the First Amendment to the US Constitution to any who are confused.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Is that supposed to be disagreement with what I posted?

See, I gave some examples of FB's double standards when it came to the concept of free speech. Do you disagree with that? Yr response doesn't address the points I made.

Btw, it's rather silly to assume that non-Americans don't understand freedom of speech.

[Shaktimaan]

10. why...

are you judging all Americans because of the decisions made by a single private company? Facebook is certainly allowed to do what it wants, no one has a "right" to post there. But generally Americans tend to hold Freedom of speech in very high regard. We have some of the strictest protections in the world regarding it. But that doesn't mean Facebook is obligated to retain everything anyone posts there. People here have the right to say what they want. They aren't required to provide a forum for everyone else though.

Oberliner didn't say that you don't understand FOS. He said that you seem to not really understand the concept of freedom of speech in the US. FOS is never all encompassing. There are different rules and varying ethical benchmarks in different places.

Would you say that you understand FOS in america?