Day 34

Hi friends. I just wanted to put my two cents in here. I don't mean to be antagonistic in anyways. There is no way that an educated or informed individual in this world's populous is unaware of what is going on in Iran right now. I believe that condescending views are dangerous to progress. So this is how I see it, and where problems arise, with as little judgement on my side as possible.

That being said....

• I condemn any kind of violence against peaceful protesters and those who wish to express themselves politically. But it is when these protestors start to throw rocks and become a belligerent mob that my feelings on violence change.

At this point in my life I don't know how I feel about retribution, especially since there are so many actors in the world and retribution almost never equals what was done in the first place. The terrible and unproductive mentality of you hurt me, therefore, I will fuck you up and make you feel my pain times x. However, I don't believe that if you are acted against by an unfriendly party, you should just lay there and take it. Pride is a noble, dangerous, and very human aspect.

• Freedom of voice is an important and basic human right. I don't believe that the crackdowns against the Iranian public is ethical. But voices are never the same volume.

The media always has a large influence on any issues. There is a plethora of information out there and it is their role to select what they want to publish. Twitter/Facebook/internet are great outlets. But you have to understand that is not completely what Iran, as a country, is feeling. There are millions of people out in the countryside, a more conservative region in general, without access to a computer much less the internet. It is the younger and urban generation that is getting more of their voices heard. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an unfair situation. Secondly, there are rallies out there proclaiming their joy of Ahmadinejad's disputed win. Do you see coverage of that?

Image of a rally/protest for Iran's public in SF.

• The results and consequences are important to the world, and there are many countries out there with a vested interest in making sure that Iran ends up in a certain way. It's a small step to having these interests and actually doing something about it.

There is a lot of tension around Iran obviously, but I get annoyed when people simplify the issue or are so blatantly one-sided to enact any kind of action. Writing off an entire faction or side because of your inability to understand or accept makes you a fool. From my studies, the Middle East has experienced a lot of trauma in its very fragmented/long history. There have been many instances in which the right of sovereignty or the right of self-determination is circumvented for various political reasons. I don't support having other countries interfere in the political process of Iran. You may not like what's going on over there, it may or may not be right, but that does not give permission to go over there and dictate your views on them.

• Burqa's as symbols.

But it depends on who that person is, who you are, the meaning behind it, the choice of it, etc. Sarkozy, the President of France, recently banned full body burqa's in his country. Now I can try to understand where he is coming from, France has many precedents and a slogan that emphasizes assimilation into a very French culture. He did it because he believes that burqa's are a sign of women's oppression. While I believe that, I know that there are some women out there that would say otherwise. For example, during the revolt against the shah in Iran, women donned on head scarves in support of a more religious government.Taking away their rights to express themselves is still taking a right away.

How do you feel about it?