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It's happening in lots of countries in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA region. Syria, like much of the Arab world, in

by tpmx 3y ago

It's happening in lots of countries in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA region. Syria, like much of the Arab world, inflicts country-wide internet blackouts during exams https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/06/09/syria-like-much-of-the-arab-world-inflicts-country-wide-internet-blackouts-during-exams https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/06/09/syria-li... (https://archive.is/xaNe2 https://archive.is/xaNe2)

hsjqllzlfkf 3y ago
> It's happening in lots of countries in the region. Do you think that Iran and Algeria are in the "same region"? What do you call that region?
- zeroonetwothree 3y ago
  They are about as far apart as NY and CA and yet we group those into one region so it’s not that strange.
- akiselev 3y ago
  It's called the Middle East and North Africa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA Plenty of geopolitical organizations like the World Bank recognize it as a region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena
  - hsjqllzlfkf 3y ago
    TIL, thank you. That map on Wikipedia could as well just be called "islamic world".
- seszett 3y ago
  The comment you are responding to might have been updated, but this region is called MENA and a link to Wikipedia is even included. It's a well-known concept.
pantalaimon 3y ago
It’s handy to have the infrastructure in place in case of an uprising against the government needs to be squelched
- tpmx 3y ago
  I mean, they also shut down internet access for other random other reasons. I don't think they need these exam events in order to test that functionality.
moffkalast 3y ago
Ah yes the Arab world, where the cultural solution to temptation is not to learn to control yourself like a normal human being but to physically remove it using any means necessary. Even if it involves unplugging the entire country from the internet, or forcing half the population to wear black bed sheets at all times. How does one even go through life with that kind of lack of restraint.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  > where the cultural solution to temptation is not to learn to control yourself like a normal human being but to physically remove it using any means necessary. If the self-help/productivity literature and media sector is any indication, normal human beings can't actually control themselves all that well. This approach has a long and tried history in the western culture too, at individual level - from the story of Odysseus having himself tied to the mast of his own ship, to the guy advising US nuclear strategy during Cold War writing a whole book extolling the idea of gaining the upper hand by voluntarily giving up all control over a situation.
  - moffkalast 3y ago
    Perhaps so, but the difference in principle there would be that those involve taking yourself out of the equation, not everyone else. If I think I can't control myself around a bar of chocolate, I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation where I have one, not force a country-wide ban so there's no chance any chocolate can possibly end up near me because then I might have to exercise some self control, that's just outrageously egoistical. If people couldn't actually control themselves to any degree, society as-is wouldn't function at all. We clearly have a high capacity for it, hell even a trained dog can hold itself back from taking a small treat if it knows it'll get a larger one if it waits. But there needs to be a reason for it, if people have nothing to lose I suppose they won't have a reason to hold back from anything.
    - TeMPOraL 3y ago
      > If I think I can't control myself around a bar of chocolate, I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation where I have one, not force a country-wide ban so there's no chance any chocolate can possibly end up near me because then I might have to exercise some self control, that's just outrageously egoistical. And that's also not what those cultures do. Whatever you think of their customs - and I'm definitely not trying to defend their ethics here - those people are not stupid, individually or as societies. BTW. you used an interesting turn of phrase - "I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation". The things that end up discouraged or outright criminalized by governments usually aren't of the kind where you can trivially control them or avoid exposure. With those things, you are going to be put in a situation, whether you like it or not. For any given thing, maybe not you specifically, but enough people will, so it becomes a problem at scale.

by tpmx 3y ago

hsjqllzlfkf 3y ago

> It's happening in lots of countries in the region. Do you think that Iran and Algeria are in the "same region"? What do you call that region?

zeroonetwothree 3y ago
They are about as far apart as NY and CA and yet we group those into one region so it’s not that strange.
akiselev 3y ago
It's called the Middle East and North Africa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA Plenty of geopolitical organizations like the World Bank recognize it as a region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena
- hsjqllzlfkf 3y ago
  TIL, thank you. That map on Wikipedia could as well just be called "islamic world".
seszett 3y ago
The comment you are responding to might have been updated, but this region is called MENA and a link to Wikipedia is even included. It's a well-known concept.

pantalaimon 3y ago

It’s handy to have the infrastructure in place in case of an uprising against the government needs to be squelched

tpmx 3y ago
I mean, they also shut down internet access for other random other reasons. I don't think they need these exam events in order to test that functionality.

moffkalast 3y ago

Ah yes the Arab world, where the cultural solution to temptation is not to learn to control yourself like a normal human being but to physically remove it using any means necessary. Even if it involves unplugging the entire country from the internet, or forcing half the population to wear black bed sheets at all times. How does one even go through life with that kind of lack of restraint.

TeMPOraL 3y ago
> where the cultural solution to temptation is not to learn to control yourself like a normal human being but to physically remove it using any means necessary. If the self-help/productivity literature and media sector is any indication, normal human beings can't actually control themselves all that well. This approach has a long and tried history in the western culture too, at individual level - from the story of Odysseus having himself tied to the mast of his own ship, to the guy advising US nuclear strategy during Cold War writing a whole book extolling the idea of gaining the upper hand by voluntarily giving up all control over a situation.
- moffkalast 3y ago
  Perhaps so, but the difference in principle there would be that those involve taking yourself out of the equation, not everyone else. If I think I can't control myself around a bar of chocolate, I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation where I have one, not force a country-wide ban so there's no chance any chocolate can possibly end up near me because then I might have to exercise some self control, that's just outrageously egoistical. If people couldn't actually control themselves to any degree, society as-is wouldn't function at all. We clearly have a high capacity for it, hell even a trained dog can hold itself back from taking a small treat if it knows it'll get a larger one if it waits. But there needs to be a reason for it, if people have nothing to lose I suppose they won't have a reason to hold back from anything.
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    > If I think I can't control myself around a bar of chocolate, I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation where I have one, not force a country-wide ban so there's no chance any chocolate can possibly end up near me because then I might have to exercise some self control, that's just outrageously egoistical. And that's also not what those cultures do. Whatever you think of their customs - and I'm definitely not trying to defend their ethics here - those people are not stupid, individually or as societies. BTW. you used an interesting turn of phrase - "I'm just not gonna put myself into a situation". The things that end up discouraged or outright criminalized by governments usually aren't of the kind where you can trivially control them or avoid exposure. With those things, you are going to be put in a situation, whether you like it or not. For any given thing, maybe not you specifically, but enough people will, so it becomes a problem at scale.