Today’s NY Times’ article on Cairo’s most dangerous job–traffic officer–grabbed my attention. I remember the crazy drivers in Egypt and have immense respect for anyone trying to control the traffic in any way. I always just closed my eyes when crossing the street.
I especially liked the quote of Salah Eissa, editor of Al Qahira, a weekly newspaper published by the Ministry of Culture explaining that the problem of Egypt is not that the Egyptian people do not like order: “It is the problem of making exceptions in enforcing this order – and this applies to traffic. It is something that provokes Egyptians and pushes them to think that since it is all a question of bullying, then every man to himself and everyone becomes a bully.”
Every man to himself. Sounds like capitalism in its purest form.