"In summary, all of the far-flung activities of the adult person are motivated by the energy of the life and death instincts. Anything that a person does is either (1) a direct expression of an instinct, in which case it would be a simple id object-choice like eating, sleeping, eliminating, and copulating, or (2) it is motivated by a combination of instincts, or (3) it represents a compromise between driving and resisting forces, or (4) it grows out of an ego defense."
- Calvin Hall, A Primer on Freudian Psychology
Quite a succinct summary of human behavior. What's funny to me is just a few pages prior to where I took that quote there is a passage in which the author is beginning his ascent to the previously quoted summary and he dismisses another possible explanation by saying it would't be economical and science likes economy. Whatever is true or not about the above statement, it is undoubtedly economical.
Unlike myself actually. My use of words has precedent only in the confederate states of america's printing of currency and there is I fear a similar phenomenon of inflation. In any case here I am again and tonight I am moved to speak about what is happening in Cairo.
I wish to preface my commentary with a brief but gratuitous explanation of how I heard the news of what's happened in Egypt myself. I've settled comfortably into my nocturnal summer routine and as I was laying down to sleep yesterday I found myself, as I often do, watching Morning Express with Robin Meade. It is something of a guilty pleasure because oh my god is she gorgeous but I rationalize it by telling myself it's news. Which it is...mostly.
Anyways so as I'm going to sleep I hear the military in Egypt told the President to step down or they would remove him. I wake up and they removed him. It's a fascinating occurrence because it is such a clear example of the conflict between idealism and pragmatism in democracy. Here you have a country which two years ago demanded democracy and thanks to the alliance of the military with the people were given a shot at it. A constitution is written, elections take place, a president is elected and a year passes. What appears to be a majority of Egyptians feel too little has been done in the way of creating democratic institutions and allowing for a broad spectrum of viewpoints. So they take to the streets again and again the military sides with them.
Certainly it's not a precedent you want if you are a fan of democracy. The military intervening on a bi-annual basis to assert its authority over the civilian government. However it appears that absent this action democracy would have also been endangered, perhaps more so. Our own history is filled with examples of authoritarian and anti-democratic actions on the part of our chief executive. Washington put down a rebellion between winning the revolutionary war and assuming the presidency. Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus, pushed through a conscription act, an income tax not to mention the 13th-15th amendments under dubious legislative circumstances. And yet these actions undoubtedly saved democracy in our country.
So I apologize that the analysis just given is really no better than some shitty cable news show but it is interesting to contemplate and there is not much to know about it yet. What's left is to wait and see what happens.
Good Times
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