resistance.

they were all fired up. openly discussing the corruption of kuwait, how despite what the united states likes to think, kuwait is not a democracy! there is little, if any, room for resistance. its not that the people are ignorant--they know. my students understand how their country and government operates--i'd say, much greater than many americans understand theirs. and so, i ask, where's the opposition? who is fighting the power/'the man'? well, in a word (or two), no one.

our coversation in class the past few days centered around globalization and the impacts of the WTO and IMF (which they quickly learned i am not fans of. i tried to be somewhat non-partisan, i did. it just didn't work). did you know one-third of the world's assets are controlled by the 100 largest multinational corporations?! and from this we divulged into the ruling corporations/families (often one in the same) of kuwait.

i've never seen them so engaged in conversation! the ladies were outraged. how the corruption and the desire for the almighty dollar (or KD, as the case may be) controls all. how, as one student said, "if kuwait were to burn tomorrow, some wouldn't care as long as they had their money."and, let me tell you, these are no low-income students were talking about (one gave me a ride home in her brand new mercedes yesterday). and yet, they realize that the pursuit of money corrupts their country. i asked, perhaps ignorantly, if there was any organized opposition to government corruption. immediately and simultaneously the response: of course not.

you oppose, you are an infidel. and in this part of the world, that's not taken lightly. essentially, being labeled an infidel is justification to kill you. and so, the people remain silent not out of lack of knowledge or even desire for change, but of fear.

i came across this quote not too long ago and i love it: "if you don't like the way the world is, you change it. you have an obligation to change it. you just do it one step at a time"--marian wright edelman. and today, i was reminded, that being the change you wish to see in the world is actually a privilege.