Mohammed Nosseir

By : Mohammed Nosseir

:: Knowing little is less of a predicament than being completely misinformed, while confidently believing that you know it all. Egyptians, unfortunately, believe that they know a lot, but they are not aware that their so-called knowledge is based on countless fabricated narratives that have been shaping their thinking processes for decades. Egyptians are the victims of many well-designed storylines. Their beliefs and the manner in which they assess issues to draw “firm conclusions” are shaped by these narratives.

Information in Egypt is neither accurate nor complete. Citizens have built up their knowledge based on what the state wants to convey to them. It is distorted information that relies in part on the government’s inefficient collection and analysis of data, and which often aims to deliberately misinform citizens. And then there are the many false narratives that are created by Egyptian citizens themselves.

Egyptians who express opinions on Egypt’s socioeconomic and political challenges so confidently should revisit their hypotheses, which are built upon the falsehoods that they have been fed initially.

Garbage in, garbage out

The idiom “garbage in, garbage out” defines the entire intelligence of Egyptians whose mindsets are structured and shaped by numerous fairytales spun by several “talented authors” who manage to entertain us at the expense of concealing the truth.

Egyptians move from one narrative to another; nobody cares that they often do not sync with each other — and who can prove it anyway? Although most of the narratives presented are neither consistent nor coherent, people re-convey them in order to sound knowledgeable, when in fact they are clueless.

An absence of genuine achievements has prompted the state to capitalize on false stories; receiving good news in fairytale form can make ordinary citizens proud for a while.

Mohammed Nosseir

Egyptian culture plays a fundamental part in shaping Egyptian thinking. Fairytales about heroic characters are the most appealing type of narrative, which easily draw the attention of millions of citizens who will do their best to repeat them, after adding their own embellishments. Thus, the creation of these kinds of stories is highly valued; tales in which Egypt is prevailing over the US, the world’s superpower, are well perceived by most Egyptians, pleased to see themselves in a position of superiority, challenging the most powerful nation in the world.

In the absence of a true democratic mechanism wherein institutions determine citizens’ rights and how people interact with one other, many narratives assume the role of shaping and driving Egyptians’ thinking processes. The Egyptian media (state and private) is the main driver that creates these narratives, expanding on them by adding false elaborations and validating them by hosting “experts” who attempt to provide “technical proof.” Our recent invention of a device purported to detect and cure six chronic diseases, which was well perceived by many educated Egyptians, is a clear illustration of the role played by false narratives in Egyptian life.

Egyptians are reckless when it comes to logical thinking. Critical thinking requires critical minds, something neither our education nor our upbringing fosters. In addition, reality would upset many citizens who need to be temporarily misinformed and happy, to raise their morale. The absence of genuine achievements has prompted the Egyptian state to capitalize on false narratives; receiving good news in fairytale form can make ordinary citizens proud for a while. This philosophy is satisfying for both the state and its citizens.

Most well-educated Egyptians who have immigrated to advanced nations have managed to adapt to the Western process of scientific thinking, abandoning the Egyptian false narratives that had controlled their thinking. Meanwhile, the bulk of Egyptians at home are left to believe and adhere to fabricated narratives that have encircled and permeated our society for decades. Discarding these narratives will require a different kind of education, and a government that wants Egypt to develop based on genuine scientific premises. In all likelihood, this will take a long while to realize.

Mohammed Nosseir, a liberal politician from Egypt, is a strong advocate of political participation and economic freedom. He can be reached on Twitter @MohammedNosseir.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

Related articles across the web

• 'SPECIAL REPORT' EXCLUSIVE: Egypt's president: Trump has 'true understanding' of terrorism
• Three Keys to a Coherent, Consistent Corporate Narrative
• From waterfalls to snowy forests, Egyptian wall art shows how a desert-country depicts nature
• Palm Sunday bombings of Egyptian Coptic churches kill 44
• Egyptian court allows Red Sea islands handover to Saudi Arabia
• Narrative simplifies the buying and selling of online data
• Donald Trump welcomes Egypt's president and says he has 'been close to him ever since the first time we met'
• Trump Vows U.S. Support For Egyptian Ruler Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi
• Is the Nestle-Aland Bible against the deity of Christ? No!
• Trump Continues His Love Affair With the Egyptian President