Adonis Diaries

Global Internet Communicator Groups; (May, 10, 2010)

There is in Lebanon a new generation of late twenty-something that I call “Global Internet Communicators (GIC)”.  These groups target specific social issues, such as demanding reforms on civil marriage, voting rights for the 18 year-old, equal rights to women in all social and political activities, safe driving, ecological Lebanon, organic food, and dissociating religion from civil government.

The GIC are professionals in art related fields, audio-visual designs, and communications; they attend workshops and are curious in supplementing their knowledge with many “extra curricular” activities.  These activities kinds of extend support to the expertise of the members in the un-official group.  They organize group activities and go trekking to discover the various regions in tiny Lebanon and the beauty of its nature.

It is only natural and reasonable that global problems related to human rights, including clean air, clean potable water, clean foods, and safety in workplaces and on roads be approached in global perspectives.

They would refuse the label of being involved in “politics” but they are the most active citizens in targeted fundamental political reforms that concern the newer generation.  The GIC tailor-made groups are many, and they are quickly and steadily constituting the backbone of pressure groups to social reforms.  They don’t know it yet, but they are the most potent generation because of their fast communication mediums among themselves and their relative economic self sufficiency. With the aid of global news and world events catalyzing their determination for upgraded life style of freedom of expression, and safeguarding all human rights the archaic political structure in Lebanon is undergoing steady incremental willingness to reforms.

The GIC groups are safe from the meddling of governments and archaic political parties for two reasons. First, the sectarian and isolationist political parties and their counterpart of larger perspectives are dinosaurs and lack the proper language to communicate effectively in modern terminologies.  The political and social structure in Lebanon that is a mix of feudal practices and mentality, savage comprador capitalists, and sectarian affiliations is a structure that the GIC groups cannot associate with.  For example, if you mention the names of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, or the head of the Parliament, or even show the pictures of these political “personalities”, the GIC “citizen” will draw a blank.

Second, the new generations who swore allegiance to traditional political parties cannot infiltrate them on account that they have to participate in activities and prove that they are not half-cooked literate.

Continuing education, immersion in global issues that affect mankind, and resolution of global problems by exercising individual responsibility and personal applications in life style, effectively disqualify the half-cooked literate from sustained involvement with the GIC groups.

The archaic political parties in Lebanon are totally out of touch with the GIC circles that demands specific programs and have no patience with general rhetoric. Currently, there are two definite separate mentality and practices in Lebanon society; you have the GIC groups and all the others who are disconnected from effective global link and unable to talk and communicate in the global proper language.

I think the investment of the European Union in cultural activities in the Near East is one of the major catalysts that are holding the GIC groups alive and intact in their activities.  The EU is extending grants and expert professionals to running workshops and publishing works here and in Europe.

As for particular social problems in each State, it is imperative that reforms be tackled by exposing, analyzing, and resolving feasible projects by small resilient groups.  Feasible projects mean handling cases amenable to investigating, collecting data, and disseminating results for input before asking for participation in executing the project.

A feasible project is an educational and training exercise for small groups to learning the proper process into tackling larger projects on national scale.  Patient and resilient steps into the proper methods for effecting reforms and change is the name of the game for reforming the archaic political and social structure in Lebanon.

Note:  I am planning to write series of three parts on the topic “ What degraded my people?” and the first part would explore the  Communication Failure factor.