The ‘LOL’ Revolution

If you’re not convinced, just type #whymubarakislate or #themanbehindomarsuleiman into microblogging site Twitter’s search field to sample the wit, creativity and unique spin Egyptians inject into politics.

The rest of the world became aware of our nation’s incomparable sense of humor during and after the 18 days of popular uprisings.From old-school venues such as protest signs, slogans, pictures, graffiti, songs and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth jokes to high-tech media such as tweets, text messages, articles, videos, Facebook statuses and groups and BlackBerry Messenger chats, Egyptian wit spread like wildfire across the wired and wireless world. For the first time, Egyptians were both proud — and at times ashamed — of their often punned “Only in Egypt” moments.

Only in Egypt will you find revolutionaries too young to mutter their first words taking to the streets with their parents wielding signs instead of toys at the playground. Only in Egypt do people get married in the midst of the chaos, mixing cheers with bullets and taking portraits in front of army tanks.

Only in Egypt will you find protesters fighting for a cause and shooting video clips for their latest revolutionary rap or rock song. Only in Egypt can people become creatively useful with headgear using plastic bottles, trashcans and cooking pots for protection.Only in Egypt can you get a complimentary ‘freedom haircut’ from the makeshift Barber El Tahrir. Only in Egypt will you find a Zar ceremony taking place among the crowds, pleading with spirits to rid the Egyptian people of their president and his old-guard regime. Only in Egypt do we set up a stage as a platform for motivational speeches that are quickly supplanted by a music festival.

Even the foreign press caught on to the wit. After regime supporters mounted on a cavalry of animals commandeered from tourist touts charged upon the tech-savvy youth in Tahrir Square, a video posted briefly on BBC Arabic dubbed it the “revolution of laptops versus camels.”