On Olives and Sake

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

Plato

Kasak Abu Fares, this butt truly is an elegant example of the splendor of creation.

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Winston Churchill – 1947.

I think Churchill had anticipated well that the age of Internet, with its blogs and wikis, was bound to come.

It’s a remarkable experience to be a part of an age where a post-democratic system is in the making, virtually.

I’ve been an editor on Wikipedia for more than two years now. And two of the fundamental guidelines that are invoked and cited almost daily state that: Wikipedia is not a democracy, and polling is not a substitute for discussion. The main and preferred way to tackle a dispute on Wikipedia is discussion, and consensus. Controversial topics may take days and months in discussion over every word and articulation until there is a consensus on the issue. A valid compromise is one that guarantees that the majority can’t coerce the minority or bully it, and at the same time, that the minority won’t disrupt the collective effort of the group by being disgustingly brushed aside.

Yesterday, Al-Mudawen, a Syrian bloggers portal, announced the first Annual Competition for the Best Syrian Blogs. A commendable effort taken by Al-Mudawen to bolster a Syrian blogosphere shaken by a repressive internet censorship regime and its own internal rifts. I was honored to be selected as part of the Judges committee which will oversee the evaluation of the blogs that enter. I was glad and quick to accept this gesture, not as a “contest” but rather a collective effort to bring more attention and more activity to this blogosphere.

When the contest was announced however, a condition which was inadvertently added stirred a certain amount of controversy among bloggers. The condition read:

The contents of which [the submitted blog] must not dissent from the accepted mores and morals (i.e. sex through videos or photos, hostility to religions, cussing, swearing and bad taste).

Abu Fares was very quick to hit back, quite elegantly, at these ambiguous prerequisites and their premise, and I received a few emails to inquire about it.

The discussion that followed was an interesting experience. After years at Wikipedia, I’ve learned to always start a discussion while assuming good faith, and this was very much inline with that. And while there was a major disagreement on the most fundamental issues, Omar Mushaweh, the Admin of Al-Mudawen, (and the only representative from the site in the contest, it should be mentioned), was quite courteous in understanding the reservations that I, and other Judges, had on said prerequisite. And he readily accepted to remove it.

Yes, I personally wouldn’t like to read blogs that are of abusive sexual nature, or ones that completely disregard and insult other people who may differ with its point of view (be it religious people, or homosexual atheists). But if there happened to be a Syrian blog which advocated that, I wouldn’t mind having it add itself to the competition, only to be disregarded later in favor of blogs with actual substance. In fact, it only helps to show how low quality (in any sense) writing, is readily disregarded by most people.

It is interesting to note, that while there was no consensus on the issue itself, there was a consensus on resolving the issue. Not to make a big deal out of it, but it is a refreshing incidence in a blogosphire that is growing more and more apart, and more and more bitter.

Personal disagreements aside, today I’ve come out with greater respect for Omar, and this experiment as a whole. It is worth noting that while Syria Planet and Al-Mudawen do seem to represent very different currents in the Syrian blogosphere, with Syria Planet more heavily influenced by English blogs, and Al-Mudawen by Arabic ones. This should not be an acceptable status quo. Tensions are bound to happen, but voices, ugly ones included, should be, and must be,  represented.

Internet is not a democracy, but a more fundamentally free forum, in the most extreme expressions of freedom. And thus should be treated.

Please do add your blogs here, and let us enjoy a little experiment, in good faith.

I share my birthday with the most adorable Katia, and celebrate it one day after Rime‘s and Mariyah‘s. Images and scents of the loveliest ladies surround and dizzy me, what more could a boy ask for!

August 8th, happens to be my birthday, and I shall reserve the right to indulge myself, and you, my dear readers, in this little trip down memory lane.

April 1987, Beit Jeddo’s terrace. I can’t even imagine what thoughts must’ve been going through his little head.

May 1988, Sanaa countryside, Yemen.

August 1989, Beirut, Lebanon.

August 1987.

January 1st, 1993.

Ssshhhhh! (1989)