East Jerusalem

I guess this blog is going to be about the rest of the group.  Everyone came to Tel Aviv this weekend for a quick get together.  I have to say, you can tell who is culturally sensitive and here for the experience and who is here for a party atmosphere.  It kind of annoys me to hear people just whinging about how terrible their internships are and their locations.  I'm sure you know who I am talking about, because everyone said they were happy except for the East Jerusalem crowd.  You specifically asked us where we wanted to be and what kind of internship we wanted.  I look at disappointment as the fault of the disappointed.  Not only did they obviously not do any research before they chose a study abroad that could put them IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY, but they are completely unwilling to adapt to the lifestyle.  This really says something about American perceptions on the area and on the conflict.  Some people just refuse to believe that not everyone wants to be American.  I don't think that many of the girls in the West Bank/Gaza/East Jerusalem etc.  even want to be Americanized.  Is it misogynistic, completely male dominated, and it degrades women.  But, you know what, that isn't going to change overnight.  I figure it is at least as disgusting to the women living in these cultures that Americans walk around in short-shorts and tank tops as it is to American women that the woman are living in a male dominated society.  If you don't like it, don't go there.  Like I said, do some research and know what you are getting into.  American's are spoiled.  We have had decades to gradually make our society the way that it is and we expect to be able to change the rest of the world in a weekend.  I can't think of a way to put this better, so I will just say it.  Some societies are not as advanced as we are.  They are not ready for MTV and Lindsey Lohan.  For that matter, maybe they aren't ready for Democracy.  I think it was Socrates who discussed the logical transition of governments.  From Despotism, to Monarchy, to Democracy, to Socialism, to Communism... None of which is a perfect government.  However, we have seen what happens when a society tries to skip a step.  The Soviet Union went horribly wrong without a period of development and democracy before it went into Socialism.  We can't force a transition, it must happen organically and until that time, we must work with them.  Understanding and showing what development has done for us, the quality of life with a relatively educated population and industrialization is the only way to foster that transition.  Education, as always, is the key.  I think we can see that in the Arabs of Israel.  They still want their freedom and their rights, but they don't want to join Palestine and have them bring down the prosperity that being an Israeli citizen has brought them. A gradual transition will introduce new ideas and concepts to the underdeveloped areas.  Industrialization and prosperity will bring about a greater exchange of ideas and they will incorporate the aspects of Western society that they want and scrap the rest.  This is much more plausible than bringing in prefabricated McDonald's and a Planet Hollywood.