Economics and MetaSociology

It doesn't much matter where you go in Egypt, whether it's Zamalek in Cairo, or the Corniche in Alexandria you will be approached at least a few times by someone trying to sell you a mini-pack of tissues for about 50 piasters, or a little less than 10 cents. The range of vendors varies from very young boys, to very old women, but the archetype appears to be a covered woman with a small child in hand attempting to milk the kid for all he might be worth. You obviously have to be very poor to sell tissues as persistently and as pervasively as these women do, so you'd think some market force would kick in. Rather than racing to the bottom to try to be the most downtrodden looking tissue vendor on the street, why not diversify into a different product? Honestly, I've seen to many kids wrapped in bandages in a wheelchair to be disturbed too much by it now. So diversify to a product that is both higher volume, higher profit, and utilizes certain aspects of Egyptian (ok, mostly of male machismo the world around) society in order to better the life of a street vendor. In order to make a case for diversification, a very brief description of the Egyptian street is necessary.
On any given street in Cairo, but in particular in downtown, the many people on the street can be loosely classified as couples, families, or groups of men my age or younger, or tissue vendors. The tissue vendors are missing an enormous market by failing to exploit peer pressue and social perceptions amongst these groups of young men by not attempting to sell them condoms. Frequently you have groups of 4-12 young men aged 14-21 or so, and when you as as a tissue (now condom) vendor approach a group of young men with condoms, you are going to sell to every single damn one of them, because honestly, who wants to be that guy that everyone else thinks isn't getting any? Of course, it's very likely that not a single of these young men is getting any, unless it's with each other. Hence the rampant, undiscussed gay scenes in the Arab world, due to the simple fact that premarital heterosexual sex is not an option unless you are part of the liberal elite. That and the fact that middle class on down is now too poor to afford marriages exacerbates the situation. Nonetheless, there is a huge opportunity to play with the insecurities and machismo of these young men by forcing them publicly to present the illusion that they might, sometime in the near future, need to employ the services of a condom. Otherwise you're that guy, and no one wants to be that guy. So seriously, tissue vendors, take this as advice. Read this blog, and sell condoms. I'd buy some, if only because I don't want to be that guy. As it stands, I don't buy your tissues, because I've already bought some. From the thirty previous people who tried to sell me tissues. It's the beauty of capitalism baby, learn to diversify!

This all actually sort of ties into the system of baksheesh or begging that is prevalent in Egypt, but I suppose not to the same degree as India or other poorer countries. I base that solely on descriptions by others, not personal experience. Bakseesh is more than simply begging though, however that is a part of it. It's a much larger system of tipping and handing out money for completely trivial services that we take for granted anywhere else in the world. You baksheesh the guy bagging your groceries, you do the same for the traffic police should you want him to halt traffic for you next time you come through, you baksheesh the doormen, but you also baksheesh the women selling tissues and the guy trying to shine your shoes even though you are wearing flipflops.
I've found myself in something of a conumdrum, because I am not quite sure how to handle the system. I find it frustrating because it encourages an incredibly inefficient system that encourages low wages, fosters corruption among public officials, and discourages people from finding meaningful employment. I'm no Republican by any means, but this system is so dysfunctional and counterproductive to actually fostering real growth that I have a difficult time giving out baksheesh and thereby encouraging its perpetuation. Not only that but it feels patronizing and mildly abhorrent to take part in such incredibly degrading power dynamics.
On the other hand however, it's very true that many, if not most Egyptians depends to some extent on baksheesh. It's a legitimate need, not simply the overplayed tripe of conservatives who wax hyperbolic about welfare mothers living the high life on the taxpayers dime. Poverty here is rampant, and overwhelming. As someone in a distinctly well-off position (despite being a poor student) it is incumbent upon me by virtue of the Egyptian baksheesh system to provide small alms. I find it difficult however to distribute money with no discernible effect, to faceless people in a crowd in a city of 18 million. But the need is there, and I can't get past it. How do I take part in a system that to some tiny extent needs me, but that I find abhorrent? Where do the priorities lie, in futilely changing the system by not perpetuating it in my own tiny way, or by taking part in it knowing it does address a need? I posed the same question in a different way to Noga the other day, who is teaching English in Coptic Cairo. The program sounds wonderful. It sounds like it is very effective, and does empower individuals, but when illiteracy in Arabic is so high, where does teaching English come in? It turns out many of the students are studying at Cairo University, in the Engineer and Commerce faculties. Why are the semi-affluent being empowered and offered opportunities, more so than the very poor? Perhaps they are just more accessible. It's easier, right?