Tahrir & Tiananmen: Karma Trolls

"The Egyptian people demand that President Mubarak step down"

Since protests overtook Egypt much speculation has focused on whether Tahrir Square of 2011 will end up resembling Tiananmen Square of 1989. At first it seemed unlikely that a western ally would mow down its own people with a military bought and paid for by the U.S. But after Mubarak's "sadistic speech" last night, suddenly the grisly prospect doesn't seem so impossible.


Trolls appear to have sabotaged the karma wheel and now signs with Chinese have begun springing up in the Egyptian demonstrations. What's going on? Are they hoping to address the world's new superpower? Spread revolt to China? Probably not. As it turns out, it's more likely an ironic riff on the English equivalent of, "it's all Greek to me." In other words, Mubarak is such a clueless old sod the protesters' demands may as well be in Chinese.