I will begin the way the NYT article ends: an investigation found that Ms. Faida Hamdy never slapped Mohamed Bouazizi. Her brother calls it "the lie that toppled a dictator."
Destitution and critically low morale contributed to that initial self-immolation on 17 December that has brought the Arab way a long way forward in a short amount of time. But ultimately, it was the alleged slap on the face from the female municipal inspector that drove Mohamed Bouazizi to set himself on fire.
Allegedly, he physically assaulted her. Her colleagues beat him, twice. She is the one to blame though. Naturally. She, and her vagina, humiliated him. It makes for a good story to mobilize downtrodden, destitute people on the brink of believing they have nothing left to sacrifice.
Yes, in the 21st century, rumors based on sexism and misogyny can trigger events that cascade into pan-ethnic and international reaction of yet unknown consequences. This article is called "Faida Hamdy...the spinster the set Bouazizi on fire." Alas, it is just the translated NYT article from above.
What more can one do than sigh...deeply? That and write about it.
Let me extract one win out of this. You can read a translation of the NYT artilcle in Arabic here. This one has a less amusing title.
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