with the arab spring, the london riots and the less covered israeli summer, a clear message has been sent to governments and corporate leaders alike, in the information age, there is no silent suffering.
Political and corporate leaders have for decades picked easy fights against certain groups in society they were certain to win whether it was cuts public services such as healthcare, education and benefits, or the wholesale outsourcing of what were, until the dying embers of the 20th century and 21st century, thought to be under the purview of the state handed over to the private sector.
Politicians have been extolling the virtues of the market in comically stark contrast of the life sapping quality of state bureaucracy while implementing policies that were business friendly to say the least. This generosity often lead to the cuts, privatization, or the outright defunding of state services that benefit those who suffer silently in society, those groups in almost all cases being members of working and middle class, students or young people in general and the elderly.
Any action taken to either punish or stop abuses of corporate power are headline issues in the media, providing high visibility for corporate plight, these attempt are also met by heavy lobbying of relevant politicians and threat of to government warning of corporate flight to friendlier centres of capital generation.
However, armed with strong intention and a twitter account, these groups have managed get issues heard and more importantly, change the course of history as well as well held perceptions of these groups. the arab spiring has gotten rid the insulting and borderline racist perception that the Middle East will always be run by dictator because there is either no demand for democracy or there dictatorial rule is an inherent trait in arab dominant states.
In Egypt the use of social networking has brought down a dictator now standing trail on corruption charges who led the country for the last 30 years backed by the United States, forced to change their stance and notably their with regard to certain Middle East states.
In Britain, the government has been forced to recognize long standing issues that are rarely covered in the media such police engagement with black males and the growing number of young people who are unemployed. in israel the riots are not over foreign policy but over economic strains effecting the working and middle class. These protests have been the largest in the nations history and are well supported by the general public with over 80% in support of them with even sections of the right wing backing the protest which accounts for the such a high margin.
In conclusion, tracking news stories across the world a pattern emerges, from students strikes in chile to the toppling of well backed strongmen, people who have suffered silently in the last few decades are now actively fighting for change as government across the globe are forced to consider long desired reforms, concede defeat or at least realize the silent suffering have one found their voice and now their walking shoes.
