In the last 48 hours, the Asian media at least seem to have started calling the Egyptian Revolution the "Nile Revolution". Is this name really as good as it gets? Since the brave people on the ground in Tahrir Square haven’t named their revolution, or their name hasn’t made it into wide circulation, let’s take a shot at coming up with a good name or popularizing one the protestors themselves have come up with. Why leave it to the professional media?
I’ll throw out two very bland suggestions today and ask for comments: "Nile Revolution" or "Tahrir Square Uprising". Tomorrow, I’ll post a poll of some of the (hopefully much better) suggestions found in the comments, and some of the other (hopefully from people closer to T-square) names which you bring to my attention as being already in use.
Rules of the game: 1) Make your name better, more punchy! 2) If you have information on other names being used, especially on the ground, please tell the world and we'll add them to the poll. 3) Don’t get uptight about your own proposed name or other people’s names.
Note that this is not just a game. Catchy, evocative names not only make it easy to talk about something, they also frame people's thinking about it. If your product is a tablet PC with a cell phone operating system, calling it "Apple Tablet" is a lousy choice of name. "Nile Revolution" is in that category of clunkiness. (In tomorrow's poll, I'll include "Nile Revolution" anyway.)
A bad name can sink an idea, recall that many years ago GM tried to sell, in South America, a car called "Nova". Months of no sales. Sales only began when they asked someone who spoke Spanish for an opinion and then changed the name (in Spanish-speaking nations)from "No Va" ("No Go") to "Estrellita". (UPDATE: In a neat comment a couple hours after my original post, some other george says this is an urban myth. Good info!)
Give it your best shot! Suggestions today, poll tomorrow!
UPDATE: After about 3 hours we have:
Lotus Revolution (from Al Jazeera imagry)
in Egypt some use thwart al-ghadab
the revolution of anger
but simply now it is "the Egyptian revolution" as there has never been a revolution like this in Egypt.
Facitious:
Egypt-a-palooza
The Home Depot Egyptian Revolution
Tamiya Revolution
Boring:
Nile Revolution
Tahrir Square Uprising