Revolutionary Times

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Table of Contents

Committee Introductions 2

Technology & Economics 3

Equality 6

Security 9

General Evaluation 12

Message from the Editor

When I initially thought of leading the

Media Team of the Revolutionary

Minds Conference, I had no idea where

this path would take me, as I have

never been the editor in any conference

of this kind. On this final day of RMC,

I feel that all the hard work and effort

put into it was totally worth it, as we

have formed strong friendships

between us, we shared amazing content

with the participants and we managed

to have tons of fun while doing it.

Being the editor of the Revolutionary

Minds conference was one of the best

experiences I’ve had! This is primarily

because of my wonderful team of

journalists and officials who were

always focused and dedicated to their

tasks.

Andreas Nicolaou

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Revolutionary Minds Conference Committees

Security:

Safety. A priority that is necessary

for the sustainment of our tediously

delightful routines. It is for this reason

that our delegates have gathered in

order to ensure that the issues of

security are masterfully resolved.

Proudly presented by Zoe Kassinis

and Yiolanti Maou.

Equality:

The reminiscent scenes that come to

our minds when we regard the most

assertive committee of the conference

are - Nearchos Aniliades and Sotia

Petrou maintaining the delegates

within a prominent atmosphere of

discussion about equality concerns.

Technology & Economics:

The merging of two committees into

“one” having their own schematic

structure; the chairs: Iryna Friyavena,

Eftichia Constantinou, Giorgos

Hajipavlis and Milica Vukadinovic

had improvised and prudently

constructed an abstract coherency of

the two discussions.

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Technology & Economics By Christos Nicolaou & Marcos Shukuroglou

The usage of technology, inhibited in our social structural foundation leads to

the direct treatment of people as “tools”, purely valued for their functionality in

correspondence to manufactured (industrial) products.

- Immanuel Kant

To exploit others is to take unfair advantage of

them. Although ‘exploitation’ has figured

prominently in Marxist theories, it is

frequently invoked in ordinary moral and

political discourse. This entry surveys various

definitions that have appeared in the literature,

attempts to identify the core elements of

exploitation, and then considers its moral

force.

A word that entails the entirety of humanity.

Ever since Prometheus stole the fire from the

Olympians, we've been trying to reach them

and even go beyond. The fact that our life

expectancy is so high, and that our parents

could expect our births without worrying that

we might die is a godlike achievement.

The Odyssey, to our excitement, might never

end. The committee of Technology will have

to investigate the possibilities that this century

offers to the evolution of our livelihoods.

Every aspect of development will be under the

microscope, in order to ensure that these

breakthroughs might be at least as important as

the ones that came before them.

War never changes. It's means, however

change by the minute. The military has always

pushed some parts of technology forward, and

we must always ensure that these pushes don't

throw us over the edge. How can losses as well

as damages be minimized? This is where our

delegates come in.

To reach the Olympian Gods, we must travel

to their home. Yet, space has been neglected in

the past few decades. How do we re-kindle the

fire? The possibilities that the cosmos offers

are endless, and hence, we cannot just let it

remain stagnant.

Very soon, 40% of professions will be

unemployable. This is not reason for concern,

for it will be caused by automation. The easing

of our burdens is a task that must be dealt with

carefully, if it is to be done efficiently. Our

delegates will have to discuss on how this can

be done properly.

The Technology committee has a great task

ahead of it. The future gives us the opportunity

to steal fire from the Gods once again. This

undertaking will be the main focus of

discussions. Discussions that will surely be

exciting.

Are refugees a barrier to economic

prosperity?

A question posed on the second day of the

conference. The Chair had presented a

sequence of 5 solutions. Border check for

identification purposes (if possible). Reduced

benefits (below National Minimum Wage) + 6

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month limitFree education for everyone (eg.

teach the language) Abolish refugee camps

and replace it with asylum housing

Occupational training.

Are austerity measures effective in

achieving economic recovery and social

stability?

ADVANTAGES OF AUSTERITY MEASURES:

The delegates contained their response by

concisely stating that the advantages of

austerity measures would include: “Decrease

in debt to achieve favorable government

finance”.

DISADVANTAGES OF AUSTERITY MEASURES:

As the discussions swiftly developed flo , the

disadvantages of austerity measures were

renounced as: “Unemployment, which may le

ad to mental problems and affect health

Poverty and consequential increase in crime

rates”. “Possibility of inflation”. “Fall in

standard of living”. “Uneven distribution of

income, which will cause an increase in the

income gap, and will have an effect on middle

class.” “Reduced environmental care.” “Fall in

the rate of economic growth due to the fall in

GDP-Failing tourism industry”. “Less

investments thus less opportunity for

innovations.” “Existing opportunity costs.”

Chair’s Overview

Speaking overall, we have had a few troubles

along the way which were eventually

successfully resolved by both the chairs

managing to adapt to the situation, organizers

who didn't waste a minute to help, as well as

understanding from the delegates themselves

(and playing along quite a few times).

Concerning the resolutions/conclusions - the

task was quite challenging since the topics

were important in actuality and covered big

issues in general. The delegates possess

extensive and impressive knowledge which

helped them to back up their arguments. That

was, in return, the main problem as with many

aspects to consider it was hard to concentrate

on the actual question and find a perfect way

to solve it. Thus, the main problem for us was

to find a way of how to analyse the

question/problem at hand, come up with

working solutions and further reach a final

conclusion.

Though I must admit the debates were

challenging as a few delegates tended to be

biased and would pick only one side of the

argument, so it was difficult to motivate them

oppose their own views. The delegates are able

to change from a playful to a serious

atmosphere quite easily, which does help to

brighten up talks about economics and

technology topics. That is, of course,

sometimes a distraction, but it sure keeps the

atmosphere neutral, and delegates are able to

adequately discuss the issues. What surprised

me was the fact that even at breaks the

delegates preferred to talk about the committee

topics and that helped to raise the spirits and

sometimes to negotiate, too.

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Equality By Eleni-Maria Papachristodoulou

“That October, my maiden aunt came to visit me in the hospital nursery. I was a

day old, and she found a little tag on my bassinet that announced, “It’s a Girl!”

In the next bassinet was another newborn whose little tag announced, “I’m a

Boy!” There we lay, innocent of a distinction—between a female object and a

male subject—that would shape our destinies. It would also shape Beauvoir’s

great treatise on the subject.”

-Simone De Beauvoir

The concept of equality is close to the hearts of virtually everyone as, one could argue, no one is

immune to bias. But how does one define equality? Where is equality even applicable? Revolutionary

Minds is here to find out by challenging participants to consider:

The issues that arise as a result of gender inequality and what measures could be implemented

to promote gender equality in certain aspects

What are the effects of racial inequality and what can be done to ensure that people are treated

fairly and equally despite their racial background?

What can be done to ensure the safety and global establishment of equal rights for LGBT

rights?

So with a topic so relevant to all, so applicable to almost every person, why do we still not have equal

rights? Why are certain ethnicities targeted more than others? Why does the colour of one’s skin or

the gender with which they identify define them for the rest of our lives? And why does the body from

which the voice comes from matter more than the voice itself? These are the questions we are

challenged to think about not only as Revolutionary Minds participants but as a human race itself.

Equality solutions:

Gender inequality: What issues arise as a result of gender inequality and what measures could be

implemented to promote gender equality in aspects such as education, health care, the labor market,

and representation in political and economic decision-making processes?

Day two has begun the smell of frappe, excitement and desperation is in the air as equality prepares

for yet another day of debate and solution making. So with speeches and participation from almost all

delegates, with topics such as “the aggression gene” and education coming into question regarding

equality, the committee had come to some conclusions. To further promote gender equality, there

needs to be increased education for women, improvements in public health, more child care facilities,

and availing women equal voice in cultural, social, economic and political spheres of public life. The

collaboration of local communities, institutions, national authorities and international bodies is

essential to influencing change and promoting the value of women. They all must act in concert with

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respect to communication, education, leadership, and cultural norms and traditional values in order to

shift the attitude and mindset of the population in favour of gender equality.

Food for thought: It is worth mentioning that when all participants of revolutionary minds were asked

about gender inequality the majority agreed that there is an inequality but modern feminism is not the

way to combat it with many male participants admitting that they would consider themselves

feminists but only in the 20th century sense.

What happened in equality?

Media log - Day One

The day started simply enough: delegates and officials were energetically partaking in team building

activities, friendships were made, Nerf guns were shot, all in the preparation of the heated debate to

follow.

Debate 1: Gender inequality

The question was simple: What comes to mind when you think of gender inequality. The answer: Job

opportunities, social inequality and the ever so controversial wage gap. This topic produced a fruitful

debate with highly opposing views in which the difference in physical ability between the sexes was

used as an explanation for the pay gap; with some thinking it is an unfair comparison of the sexes

(where a delegate compared the wage of a male CEO with a female cleaning lady) with others

considering it as an integral part of gender inequality.

Debate 2: Racial Inequality

This debate was not quite as controversial with the general consensus being that racism is a very real

problem that affects many but is in fact manipulated by the media. The discussion soon progressed to

police brutality especially since –according to one delegate- 32% of black people shot last year were

unarmed, proving yet another huge part of the inequality certain races face today. It is also worth

mentioning the agreement that the word ‘’racist’’ is used very liberally but that doesn’t mean that

racism isn’t very relevant today.

Debate 3: LGBT rights

Much like Debate 2 this topic didn’t spark quite as much controversy with the general consensus

being that there is in fact a huge inequality towards LGBT individuals that needs to be combated.

To sum up, society’s questions and opinions can easily be seen through this small sample of people

with all ideas and ethical viewpoints considered, producing a fruitful yet respectful debate overall.

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Chair’s Overview

The first day for the Equality Committee was a

very productive one. While presenting the

topics, the delegates had a chance to

brainstorm and discuss points centred around

gender, racial and LGBTQ+ inequalities. After

some ice breakers and energizers, Equality

split up into respective teams and constructed

their own rendition of a cohesive "resolution",

aimed to tackle some of the most serious

issues in regards to the topics. The delegates

were active, engaged and very comfortable

with the debate. Lots of laughter, surprise

visitors trying to fix the air conditioning (I'm

looking at you, El Presidente), calm

background music, intense committee work

and a "What’s in my Mouth" challenge all

sum-up the day at equality. Well...mostly!

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Security By Christos Nicolaou & Marcos Shukuroglou

Security is a very strong ideal. The continuation of our daily lives

depends on security. This is why the delegates have an exciting

adventure awaiting them.

“According to received doctrine in scholarship and general intellectual discourse, the prime

goal of state policy is “national security.” There is ample evidence, however, that the

doctrine of national security does not encompass the security of the population. The record

reveals that, for instance, the threat of instant destruction by nuclear weapons has not ranked

high among the concerns of planners. That much was demonstrated early on, and remains

true to the present moment.”

– Noam Chomsky

The perks of being secure are vast. We all

want to go to bed with a degree of certainty

that tomorrow we will wake up alive, go to

safe schools and workplaces, and then back

home. The issue of security as such, however,

is far from simple.

It is for this reason that the committee of

Security exists. They are here to ask the

questions that matter in regards to our safety.

Take for example, the “rivalry” between

Security and Privacy. Taking the “Apple V

U.S. Government” case and the encryption of

the San Bernandino shooters’ IPhones, the

committee will delve into the delicate

problems that arise in balancing these two

concepts. Which of the two ideals is more

important? That’s what the delegates are here

to answer.

The topic of Terrorism is a very current topic,

obviously. The Brussels and Paris attacks have

forced us to reconsider the concept of Security.

Every aspect, from the influx of refugees to

the functionality of the Schengen Agreement is

fair game in discussion. Our delegates will

attempt to make a cohesive, rational and

complete policy that will entail everything that

matters in terms of Security.

The right to bear arms and its implications.

Debates have been going on and have been

very heated. This right is based on a

constitutional amendment, and many consider

it to be a sacred human right. Our delegates

have a long way ahead of them. If people will

be allowed to bear arms, the legislations will

have to ensure that guns are secure and that

sensitive groups are protected.

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The Security committee had a very, VERY

heated debate session. The solutions that they

came up with were very complex and very rich

in detail. This is but a sample of the exciting

work that was done.

On the question of Terrorism we had some

intriguing and unexpected ones. Following the

examples of PLO in 1974, one delegate

recommended that Terrorist Organisations like

ISIS should be invited to speak at the UN.

Understanding the difficulties of defining

terrorism as an act, they also stressed the fact

that it is important to identify that terrorism is

a source of domestic, long term social

problems, and that it can take different forms.

Ehen the question of refugees and their strain

on a country came up, the idea that there

should be a quote of refugee admissions per

country came up. It was agreed that this quota

should be based on the country’s GDP, HDI

and population density. The country’s priority

should be to maintain the welfare of the

citizens.

It is a fact that people are drawn into terrorist

organisations through sophisticated electronic

propaganda. Our delegates recommended that

a group of IT specialists should be set up to

shut down the websites of terrorist

organisations and pages on social media.

It was also agreed that a percentage of national

budgets should be redirected towards national

security

Gun laws and their implications were the focus

of very extensive research. The solutions here

were just as intriguing.

It was agreed that Semi-automatic and

automatic guns that have ammo clips with

more than 10 bullets should be restricted to

only SWAT and Military. It was also agreed

that in order to use and carry guns, one must

be subjected to background checks, age

restrictions,

Finally, it was agreed that there should be a

preference towards non-lethal arms when

prioritising self-defence gun laws.

There were other solutions, but the committee

was too prolific for just one small article. The

fact of the matter is that the solutions were

extremely detailed and that the debate

produced very profound results.

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Chair’s Overview

Saturday in the Security committee was fun!

Even the initial technical difficulty of being

unable to turn off the climate control which

was set to 27 degrees, baking delegates and

chairs alike, added an excitement to the tense,

heated debate. The delegates were passionate

and interested and after engaging icebreakers

of snowball and a girls vs. boys hula hoop

challenge, brainstorming on the first,

controversial topic of 'Privacy vs. Security'

ensued—we found it challenging to define

‘privacy’ and ‘security’ because the committee

realized immediately how subjective even the

basic premise of the debate was. Everyone was

well-researched and interested, sharing their

unique perspectives and insights in an effort to

come up with solutions to the case of Apple vs

US government court case after the San

Bernadino Shootings. The most challenging

aspect of the day was remaining on topic; the

delegates were so enthusiastic that they were

able to extend every issue raised, looking at all

aspects of the controversies. Due to time

constraints, we had to cut the discussion short

and continue with the even more enthralling

issue of ‘Terrorism’ which all delegates

seemed even more excited about. Definitely,

the most memorable part of the day were the

committee’s props! Our lightsaber, sword,

Nerf guns, nunchucks and handcuffs made the

rest of the conference jealous.

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General Evaluation There was a general evaluation established during the conference, which gave us through the

process of general questions an outcome of the delegates’ beliefs:

The key to our future: How can we overcome the problems of life if we can’t ask questions to

get answers? One Chinese proverb says:

“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes, but he who

does not ask is a fool forever.”

We asked the humans of RMC questions that relate to their topics and

we got some pretty interesting answers.

If someone told you that “Immigrants steal our jobs”, how would

you respond? Would you say, “Oh yeah, mate!” or re-enact the

trailer of “Captain America Civil War “? The answers were pretty

interesting.

Security: “Of course, the illegal

immigrants are stealing our jobs. The fact

that most blue collar jobs are done by

immigrants isn’t a difference to me.”

Organiser: “I disagree, it’s the employers’

problem, most Cypriots would not work

for anything below the minimum wage,

and most immigrants work in these

positions.”

Chair: “No, they are not. The Westphalian

system has worked so far, but migration is

natural and inevitable. Most countries have

been enhanced by migration.”

Economics: “I would say, do your

research and don’t be ignorant. People

tend to be self-conscious about their job

positions and blame ignorance on others.”

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Technology is everywhere in our lives. Of course, with miracles

come challenges. In order to find out about those challenges, we

asked the following question. What’s the biggest technological

challenge that humanity will face in the next century?

Economics

“Robots, in twenty years’

time will do in one hour,

what 100 people do in ten

hours. People might face

difficulties in job

acquisition.”

Technology

“Sustainable energy. The

difficulties in producing

green, unlimited, cheap

and safe energy to all.

How does something like

thermonuclear energy

might be able to be used

universally?”

Organiser

“Artificial Intelligence,

because it will take up

lots of jobs, which will

lead to unemployment

and job changes, as well

as monitoring all these

changes.”

Pretty intriguing answers, don’t you say dear readers? Questions and answers

were very intriguing. The debates will surely be ten times as good.

What is the difference between Justice and Equality?

Equality

“Equality should not be justified; there

should be a natural correspondence of

people needs which will form a society’s

coherency opinion of opinions regardless

on the demands of law.”

Economics

“Justice is privilege, equality is subjective.

–Uganda justifies child labour since the

model of its country law principles agree

on the instrumentalisation of underage

people.”

Security

“The fact that Justice doesn’t depend on

equality, poses the primary insecurities of

each citizen. Internally speaking, due to

notions of discrimination-(that tends to be

a natural human reaction) - we tend to

maintain a barrier of the justification of

principles against what is ethically

correct.”

Meet the Media Team

From left to right: Orestis Leonidou, Phivos Philitas, Katerina Vyurkova, Eleni-Maria

Papachristodoulou, Sara Kallis (not photoshoped), Andreas Nicolaou (Editor), Nafsika

Hadjichristou, Marcos Shukuroglou, Christos Nicolaou