I really enjoyed reading the article about YOUSTINK I honestly had no idea that these issues were even happening in Lebanon. I thought the article was very well written and I absolutely loved the Photojournalism project. I found the images to be very striking. Each Imagine alone provoked strong emotions within.
I can not imagine being in a country where you are forced to live in your own and others peoples trash. people may read this article and not think its that big of a deal but if you can only imagine how much trash you use in a week and then picture how much trash your roommates use and then imagine not knowing or having any place to put that trash forcing the person to live in pure filth it would make anyone upset and sounds like its a horrible living environment. It is very hard to try to understand what that would be like given the fact that all of us live in the United States and basic sanitation is taken care of. This class continues to remind me how lucky we are to live in America. The pictures really helped me to understand to the extent of what was going on. When reading the article, I attempted to put myself in the people of Lebanon’s shoes and imagine waking up and going to sleep to the smell of trash. It would truly be horrible and I commend the people for protesting. I think we should all make not of what the people of the Middle East our doing and keep in mind the power of revolution and being able to protest.
FAMST 165DA - Digital Activism and New Media in the Middle East 
I agree, I think that a major component of this class is making ourselves aware of how lucky we are in so many ways that we haven’t had to be faced with these types of human rights issues and violations here in the U.S. and in California that others in the Middle East have been facing. I think that it’s funny you made the comparison to the amount of trash use we have on our own and also that our roommates’ use because as a neat-freak I am constantly overwhelmed by the garbage and dirty dishes left around in my apartment, and it just shows me that the level of discomfort I am feeling is so incredibly minute compared to that of the public in Lebanon.
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I like how you made a personal connection to the issue by imagining what it would be like. I also value how this class opens our eyes not only to issues,but how those affected react towards them. Seeing how people come together for a common cause is amazing to witness. Unfortunately they gather to address issues that aren`t being dealt with.
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I agree I can’t imagine a place where people are forced to live with garbage. I think a lot of people are unaware of what Lebanon was known as in its prime and in the last 20-30 years it has dramatically changed as a popular travel destination. I also think its important to note that this isn’t the first digital campaign from Lebanon, in fact they are one of the leading nations in the Middle East and in the world that has advocated for gay/lesbian rights in a dominant Muslim society. So they aren’t new to government and societal problems.
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I liked the personal perspective that you gave about situation in Lebanon. It really makes it think of all the things we take for granted in this country despite the different problems that we have in our society. It’s important to note that many of us did not even know about the garbage crisis in Lebanon and as Sana points out in her comment, they aren’t new to government problems so why are we (not speaking for everyone) learning about this now? These people should have basic human rights and they have every right to protest against their government who still cannot find a solution to this crisis.
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Ya, trash sucks, can’t really argue with that. It’s surprising that the government has let this crisis carry on for as long as it has, considering that the same official I assume also have to deal with the smell. Picking up trash is the most basic standard of living that a government can offer its people. The protesting should continue until the streets don’t smell like shit.
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I also found the picture article to be fascinating and was surprised that people had to live in conditions like that. I can’t imagine having this type of issue in our country and having to live in trash basically. So many health issues can come from just leaving trash out in the streets and then when it rains it can contaminate water. I hope that the country is able to find a way to help the people and listen to there demands.
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I also agree that it wouldn’t be pleasant to live in a place filled with garbage and your personal connection you made to Lebanon was very interesting. You make a great point about how we are very lucky that we don’t have to face this issue
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I couldn’t agree more. When I first saw those pictures, I couldn’t believe that was really happening in Lebanon. It was a great article because it really made the #YOUSTINK campaign and trash crisis in Lebanon make much more of an impact on me because the pictures were just… Wow. If California had a trash crisis of this magnitude, it would be unbearable.
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I think we are all on the same page here on how it is unbelievable that a system of a country is letting this happen. I am more worried of what kind of solution they will find. For instance, is it to late to form some kind of process in where they can reduce the trash and not hurt the people of Lebanon? I hope that they find some sort of solution that doesn’t cause another issue on the people.
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