(Many have been claiming that the freska guy isn’t actually real, that he’s just made up to cause a hoax. We’re not really concerned whether or not he exists, but rather the concept of him)
The internet had its moment with “Joe the freska guy” – from people praising him to calling him a fraud, and everything in between. Joe, the freska guy, became a poster boy for the Egyptian youth, meanwhile, he’s been enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.
For those who’ve been living under a rock for the past 2 weeks, Joe the freska guy is a man who sells freska (and apparently “gandofli” too?) on the streets of downtown. He’s well known because he dresses well, and is well educated. Someone took a picture of him and wrote his story, and it quickly went viral. Joe took his fame to talk about how the youth are blaming the country for not finding jobs, but never actually worked hard enough to make a name for themselves and how he should be an example for the youth.
After the huge media attention, Joe got a scholarship from the American University, and it really did make us all happy for him, because he’s a man who worked had enough, and is doing what he loves. He later got attacked by many for claiming that the youth are to blame for their own unemployment; others claimed he didn’t deserve the scholarship.
With the story set, let’s make one thing clear – he’s not and shouldn’t be an inspiration! Joe spent years on education, money on his image, and all he’s become is a street vendor selling freska – illegally.
That said, he’s not the only one who’s selling freksa on the streets of Cairo. He only got noticed because he looks good, because apparently that’s a thing we stop and talk about these days.
We really don’ mean to disrespect the man in anyway. We’re glad he’s doing what he loves, and that the work paid off for him, but he shouldn’t be inspiring just because he dresses well while performing an illegal job. Young adults shouldn’t look up to him. In other words, this shouldn’t be anyone’s “life goal”.
We’re sorry if we sound harsh, but our youth shouldn’t be setting their goals to become freska street vendors. Aspire to have his attitude, but not his career!