This blog is about fairness; about looking at objects from multiple perspectives. Stable transformation comes only slowly; and only if the environment is free of sporadic jitters of passion and anger that destabilize growth. I strongly believe that the path to peace crosses through the battle with self.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Now that Maziyar Bahari is free, let's see what kind of reports he did
The funniest quote: I could smell them before I could see them.
I have to go to work but intelligence and ideas are oozing out so I have to write this!, This guy seems to be cashing out of this experience big time, being on prestigious 60 minutes (did he have a talk with Al Pacino, Insider!?), on BBC, writing for newsweek, however my impression is, Roxana couldn't make it that far, or am i wrong? there are more media attention on this guy than there wereon Roxana, Here another question, why the Islamic republic arrested this seem to be enough harmless guy? Is this an strategy or there are ignorant...
While your intelligence, enriched by your Persian experience of conspiracy-finding/fighting, is righly tuned to the media attention this fellow is receiving; you might want to consider the following factors as to WHY the differences.
1) Listen to these two individuals. Roxana, if I may say so, seems like a much more composed, wiser character, a private character, who worked for NPR and not corporate media as is newsweek.
2) Roxana got less attention because she was not arrested AFTER election but before.
3) Fareed Zakharia, the boss of Bahari, is probably a more influencial.public figure than is the boss of Roxana.
4) 60 minutes and BBC and etc look for stories; and Bahari's the latest "sensation" out of Iran-Election. What remains "unsaid" in all his interviews is the FACT that he is a CANADIAN and not an American! I find this really disturbing that no one even talks about what Role Canada may have played in getting his freedom--of course, knowing the current Canadian government, it may very well be ZILCH!
In this particular case, he may be used to "promote" clinton's "diplomatic-stick-waving-authority"??! Nonetheless, he is a witness to a form of "mild" treatment a journalist can receive in the Iranian prison!What I CAN attest to, and confirm from his recounts is: 1) psychological torture: promise of death penalty on a daily basis in solitary confinement. 2) STUPIDITY and bigotry of the interrogators; their hatred for things and people who look good/clean/fed/educated. Their hatred for "clean" and handsome people seems like a joke, but it is so very true. 3)Are they ignorant? You mean the Iranian authorities? YES! Why did they arrest HIM? Because they arrested many others as well; many still remain in prison; they beat the hell out of many foreign journalists but he they couldn't kick out because he is an Iranian.
The question you shoudl be asking, though, is "why isn't Kian Tajbakhsh getting any attention?" And the answer would be because a) he is NOT a media playboy, an eye candy for MSM to flag and make millions out of. b)Kian tajbakhshh was an urbanist who really cared about Iran, and not about getting some network's rating up by "masterminding news reporting".
Naj, I have to say your intelligence almost matches mine ;-) Agree with your points. I had to laugh at the New Jersey bits though. New Jersey truly matches Darvaze Dulab of Tehran (well I have not been to Darvazeh Dulab, but it sounds as nice as New Jersey!!
Your point three: I watch CNN mostly to see the chicks not their reporting and interviews. But I think Fareed Zakaria is an exception there and he is quite intelligent. I have ordered his new book, will let you know!
Mr. Shahmohammadi is the one who does the 'estekhareh'!
Naj, I remember when Zahra Kazemi died, his VERY good looking son got a hoard of coverage, a million times more than she did when her case was still being questioned. I distinctly remember HUGE blown up pictures of HIM on the daily papers. WTF?! If you're going to run a story of Zahra Kazemi, why use her son's photo?!
But, could it be that Zahra Kazemi's son got coverage BECAUSE he was alive, and because he was very proactive in seeking justice for his mother? And perhaps he would have gotten the same amount of coverage if he was ugly and proactive.
(by the way, he is not THAT good looking, to my taste :) but Maziar and Mr Shahmoradi are ;)
Ok, my fault for being confusing. I meant two things which have nothing to do with one another:
1. Mr. Shahmohammadi (that's what I hear, 3:53 on the first video. Does he say Shahmoradi?) is the guy who does the estekhareh and the guy who I wanted to talk to but couldn't reach.
2. I read your comments to Roozbeh and remembered Zahra Kazemi's son. He was very proactive, but I really don't think he would have gotten huge spreads like that (even in the Sun) if he wasn't good-looking (I don't even remember what he looked like, I just remember girls saying he was really handsome). Anyways, I do wonder where he is or how is after all these years.
Aaah I see, shahmahmoud, shahmorad, shahmohammad all the same to me :)
Zahra Kazemi's son is still very active; I have seen him in many Iranian events--he vehemently protests to any even even slightly assisted by the IRI embassy criminals!
I don't think his media attention was related to his good looks. That was a SHOCKING event for Canada; after which the until-then-good Iran/canada relations took a dive! When these things happen to Canadians, OF COURSE you get a lot of media attention, because there is not really much drama happening in Canada.
That said, I don't think Kazemi's son got any more coverage than others in similar cases.
Maybe off-topic, but as I'm with pleasure studying the blogs of both Naj and Pedestrian for 1,5 years now (which often provide me with some alternative and very interesting insights about the daily events in Iran), I'm again and again astonished by the subtle religious undertone of you guys. And often it results in this kind of weird islamic frowst within your discussions (e.g. I love this and that handsome akhond; pretended/constructed/glorifying childhood memories of Iran etc).
C'mon ladies, this is not your humor, isn't it?
I mean seriously: Why don't you guys just return to Iran to celebrate the status-quo with these so-called "reformists"? Why don't you guys make a martyr of yourselves, if you really feel that patriotic for Iran?
Honestly, I don't have a distaste for patriotism, religion, philosophy, and even proletarianism, as long as they do not embody any historic lies, backwardness, and hypocrisy.
While I'm aware of the fustiness of the (still Islamic-coined) society in Iran, this omnipresent religious and proletarian undertone within your weblogs is just out of place nowadays.
With your (sometimes contradictory) opinions and conclusions you may mislead some European/North-Americans (such as the weblogger "German"), but not those Iranians experiencing the daily sorrow and struggle in their exile framework.
I did really try hard not to use terms such as narcissism, egocentrism, and parochialism while describing your "patogh", that is obviously your online environment.
Some fascistic-like censorship on Pedestrian's weblog may prevent me from posting these comments there, but perhaps more fortune here.
:) You are entitled to your opinion. I cannot speak for Ped; but I speak for myself.
I am no fan of religion for myself; but I have grown up in the religious state of IRI. That has been the one form of government that I have been used to. I wanted it removed, mildly. But now, a FASCIST military group is ousting the Mullahs; and it is unsettling me.
It also unsettles me if some Mullahs of IRan are compared to other mullahs of the world!
So, keep these factors in mind! And keep visiting.
I always smile when I see my name, Ped's and "German" in one comment ... lol
16 comments:
Now I know what the Salem witch hunts must have been like.
read the whole news week report and didn't think it had enough meat... he recycled the same stuff on BBC. But I have to say the guy looks good.
definitely better looking than astonishingly intelligent. But he's a kid. the Mullah documentary's really nice though. funny Sane'i.
I LOVE Mr. Shahmohammadi.
Don't get mad at me, but I called twice to see if he'd pick up but he never did :(
:)) who's Shahmoradi??
I have to go to work but intelligence and ideas are oozing out so I have to write this!, This guy seems to be cashing out of this experience big time, being on prestigious 60 minutes (did he have a talk with Al Pacino, Insider!?), on BBC, writing for newsweek, however my impression is, Roxana couldn't make it that far, or am i wrong? there are more media attention on this guy than there wereon Roxana, Here another question, why the Islamic republic arrested this seem to be enough harmless guy? Is this an strategy or there are ignorant...
Roozbeh,
While your intelligence, enriched by your Persian experience of conspiracy-finding/fighting, is righly tuned to the media attention this fellow is receiving; you might want to consider the following factors as to WHY the differences.
1) Listen to these two individuals. Roxana, if I may say so, seems like a much more composed, wiser character, a private character, who worked for NPR and not corporate media as is newsweek.
2) Roxana got less attention because she was not arrested AFTER election but before.
3) Fareed Zakharia, the boss of Bahari, is probably a more influencial.public figure than is the boss of Roxana.
4) 60 minutes and BBC and etc look for stories; and Bahari's the latest "sensation" out of Iran-Election. What remains "unsaid" in all his interviews is the FACT that he is a CANADIAN and not an American! I find this really disturbing that no one even talks about what Role Canada may have played in getting his freedom--of course, knowing the current Canadian government, it may very well be ZILCH!
In this particular case, he may be used to "promote" clinton's "diplomatic-stick-waving-authority"??! Nonetheless, he is a witness to a form of "mild" treatment a journalist can receive in the Iranian prison!What I CAN attest to, and confirm from his recounts is:
1) psychological torture: promise of death penalty on a daily basis in solitary confinement.
2) STUPIDITY and bigotry of the interrogators; their hatred for things and people who look good/clean/fed/educated. Their hatred for "clean" and handsome people seems like a joke, but it is so very true.
3)Are they ignorant? You mean the Iranian authorities? YES! Why did they arrest HIM? Because they arrested many others as well; many still remain in prison; they beat the hell out of many foreign journalists but he they couldn't kick out because he is an Iranian.
The question you shoudl be asking, though, is "why isn't Kian Tajbakhsh getting any attention?" And the answer would be because a) he is NOT a media playboy, an eye candy for MSM to flag and make millions out of. b)Kian tajbakhshh was an urbanist who really cared about Iran, and not about getting some network's rating up by "masterminding news reporting".
Naj, I have to say your intelligence almost matches mine ;-) Agree with your points. I had to laugh at the New Jersey bits though. New Jersey truly matches Darvaze Dulab of Tehran (well I have not been to Darvazeh Dulab, but it sounds as nice as New Jersey!!
Your point three: I watch CNN mostly to see the chicks not their reporting and interviews. But I think Fareed Zakaria is an exception there and he is quite intelligent. I have ordered his new book, will let you know!
Roozbeh
Naj, I have to say your intelligence almost matches mine
Extremely humbled! Thank you!
Mr. Shahmohammadi is the one who does the 'estekhareh'!
Naj, I remember when Zahra Kazemi died, his VERY good looking son got a hoard of coverage, a million times more than she did when her case was still being questioned.
I distinctly remember HUGE blown up pictures of HIM on the daily papers. WTF?! If you're going to run a story of Zahra Kazemi, why use her son's photo?!
Okey now I am confused even more:
So the cutesy who does estekhareh is Shahmoradi.
How is he related to Kazemi? Or Kazemi's son?
But, could it be that Zahra Kazemi's son got coverage BECAUSE he was alive, and because he was very proactive in seeking justice for his mother? And perhaps he would have gotten the same amount of coverage if he was ugly and proactive.
(by the way, he is not THAT good looking, to my taste :) but Maziar and Mr Shahmoradi are ;)
Ok, my fault for being confusing. I meant two things which have nothing to do with one another:
1. Mr. Shahmohammadi (that's what I hear, 3:53 on the first video. Does he say Shahmoradi?) is the guy who does the estekhareh and the guy who I wanted to talk to but couldn't reach.
2. I read your comments to Roozbeh and remembered Zahra Kazemi's son. He was very proactive, but I really don't think he would have gotten huge spreads like that (even in the Sun) if he wasn't good-looking (I don't even remember what he looked like, I just remember girls saying he was really handsome). Anyways, I do wonder where he is or how is after all these years.
Aaah I see, shahmahmoud, shahmorad, shahmohammad all the same to me :)
Zahra Kazemi's son is still very active; I have seen him in many Iranian events--he vehemently protests to any even even slightly assisted by the IRI embassy criminals!
I don't think his media attention was related to his good looks. That was a SHOCKING event for Canada; after which the until-then-good Iran/canada relations took a dive! When these things happen to Canadians, OF COURSE you get a lot of media attention, because there is not really much drama happening in Canada.
That said, I don't think Kazemi's son got any more coverage than others in similar cases.
Maybe off-topic, but as I'm with pleasure studying the blogs of both Naj and Pedestrian for 1,5 years now (which often provide me with some alternative and very interesting insights about the daily events in Iran), I'm again and again astonished by the subtle religious undertone of you guys. And often it results in this kind of weird islamic frowst within your discussions (e.g. I love this and that handsome akhond; pretended/constructed/glorifying childhood memories of Iran etc).
C'mon ladies, this is not your humor, isn't it?
I mean seriously: Why don't you guys just return to Iran to celebrate the status-quo with these so-called "reformists"? Why don't you guys make a martyr of yourselves, if you really feel that patriotic for Iran?
Honestly, I don't have a distaste for patriotism, religion, philosophy, and even proletarianism, as long as they do not embody any historic lies, backwardness, and hypocrisy.
While I'm aware of the fustiness of the (still Islamic-coined) society in Iran, this omnipresent religious and proletarian undertone within your weblogs is just out of place nowadays.
With your (sometimes contradictory) opinions and conclusions you may mislead some European/North-Americans (such as the weblogger "German"), but not those Iranians experiencing the daily sorrow and struggle in their exile framework.
I did really try hard not to use terms such as narcissism, egocentrism, and parochialism while describing your "patogh", that is obviously your online environment.
Some fascistic-like censorship on Pedestrian's weblog may prevent me from posting these comments there, but perhaps more fortune here.
Thanks for your attention and keep on writing.
Truam,
:) You are entitled to your opinion. I cannot speak for Ped; but I speak for myself.
I am no fan of religion for myself; but I have grown up in the religious state of IRI. That has been the one form of government that I have been used to. I wanted it removed, mildly. But now, a FASCIST military group is ousting the Mullahs; and it is unsettling me.
It also unsettles me if some Mullahs of IRan are compared to other mullahs of the world!
So, keep these factors in mind! And keep visiting.
I always smile when I see my name, Ped's and "German" in one comment ... lol
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