Jun
18
It’s Not About The Election
June 18, 2009 | Tagged iranelection | 2 Comments
I really don’t care who actually won the election in Iran. Any outcome would be bad for the people of Iran, which is why I think the current protests in Iran go beyond support for one candidate over another. This is about people demanding real, significant change (not the superficial kind we voted for last year). What is amazing to me is how hundreds of thousands of Iranians and been able to stand up for what they believe in when those of us in the United States barely notice when our rights are trampled on by the government.
This video explains what the many of the demonstrators in Iran want.
The translation, provided by Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish, are below:
1 (Girl in street): Defending civil rights
2 (Boy next to old man): Counterbalancing poverty/deprivation
3 (Boy pushing away donation box): Nationalizing oil income
4 (Man standing on rooftop): Reducing tension in international affairs
5 (Boy sitting next to satellite dishes): Free access to information
6 (Girl sitting besides her mother): Supporting single mothers
7 (Girl with cast):? Knock down violence against women
8 (Boy): Education for all
9 (Boy infront of man locking car): Increasing public safety
10 (Girl on rooftop): Ethnic and religious minority rights
11 (Man on rooftop): Supporting NGOs
12 (Girl in front of wall): Public involvement
13 (Boy and girl): We have come for? change
14: Change for Iran
Regardless of the outcome of the election, these demands will not change. These are demands for basic rights that we take for granted in the United States (even though you could make the argument that we don’t fully have these anyway).
This is why everyone who supposedly values freedom should be supporting the Iranian protesters, regardless of a meaningless election.
Change for Iran means change for all of us.
Comments
2 Comments so far
And what is it that you propose for the US Administration to do? Bomb Iran? Change the regime there? Assassinate the leaders?
We really need less sentimental knee-jerk moral self-righteousness and more common sense. The Iranian people can look after their own affairs. Over 100k people were killed in Iraq, think about that. The US & UK need to stay out this. No more meddling in other countries affairs. Read your history, in particular the history of the UK & the US meddling in Iran’s affairs. 1953, supporting Saddam’s war against Iran etc.. The list is long.
I’m not really sure where you got the idea that I support any involvement by the US government in Iran. I am opposed to violence and would be especially opposed to the US bombing Iran. This would only make the situation worse and would punish the people of Iran more than the Iranian government. (Which is what you point out happened in Iraq).
But, the question still remains. What should we do? I can’t directly support any Iranians who are in the streets today. I can only let them know that I am just one of many people around the world who supports their demands for freedom.
What we can all do is to stand up when our own government restricts free speech, when people in our own country are not allowed to assemble and protest, when our voices are silenced. If we have the courage to do this, which we haven’t had lately, then we will not only be supporting our Iranian friends, but we will be sending a message that no government has a right to control the thoughts and actions of people who demand peace and who demand change.