Iran: boston.com "Big Picture"

**Amit** · 13th January 2010 09:14 AM

I'm assuming only a few of us here are from the Boston area but the local rag (Boston Globe) has an awesome feature online called Big Picture. It's basically excellent photos taken of (usually) human interest stories.

Here are some recently-taken ones from Iran. Very good pictures

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...s_in_iran.html

**Gypsy** · 13th January 2010 09:23 AM

Those are amazing photos. Thank you for posting the link. These people are so brave. Bless them.

**Blueneck** · 13th January 2010 10:34 AM

I can't help but wonder if the coverage of this is distorted due to the US opposition to Iran's regime.

When I saw the pictures of the "pro" Iranian demostrations, I thought maybe they are the majority and our press just presents it differently than they would if this were some other opposition group trying to overthrow a regime in some other country with which we were friendly.

Great pics, btw. Thanks.

**boontito** · 13th January 2010 01:25 PM

Thanks for the link, amazing photos and amazing people.

**Amit** · 13th January 2010 01:34 PM

[quote name='Blueneck' date='13 January 2010 - 12:34 PM' timestamp='1263404092' post='98532']

I can't help but wonder if the coverage of this is distorted due to the US opposition to Iran's regime.

When I saw the pictures of the "pro" Iranian demostrations, I thought maybe they are the majority and our press just presents it differently than they would if this were some other opposition group trying to overthrow a regime in some other country with which we were friendly.

Great pics, btw. Thanks.

[/quote]

I have family over there. It's a lot different than anything we'd have over here. It's very much so an urban versus rural and young versus old thing.

A sneaking suspicion of mine was that one of the big reasons we invaded Iraq was to get closer to the real problem in this region - Iran. I can remember hearing one of the first things done was that Americans established a network of radio towers along the Iranian border. What did they broadcast? Western music and talk. Our culture is ten billion times more dangerous to the powers-that-be over there than a nuclear bomb. The young generation eats it up and the religious-in-power folks know it's the only thing which can really (quickly) topple them from power.

**Fishmint** · 13th January 2010 02:53 PM

Great pics. It looked like the pro-government protestors were almost all men, and older men who had seen the Iranian Revolution.

**Fishmint** · 13th January 2010 03:09 PM

[quote name='PoliticalHotwire' date='13 January 2010 - 08:34 PM' timestamp='1263414897' post='98624']

A sneaking suspicion of mine was that one of the big reasons we invaded Iraq was to get closer to the real problem in this region - Iran. I can remember hearing one of the first things done was that Americans established a network of radio towers along the Iranian border. What did they broadcast? Western music and talk. Our culture is ten billion times more dangerous to the powers-that-be over there than a nuclear bomb. The young generation eats it up and the religious-in-power folks know it's the only thing which can really (quickly) topple them from power.

[/quote]

I'd say that that kind of thing absolutely factored in to the decision. Iraq was supposed to be a model of democracy in the ME and threaten the theocracy. Instead it was a huge strategic win for Iran. I think we have been broadcasting farsi radio into iran for a long time.

**boontito** · 13th January 2010 03:11 PM

As a social experiment, I'd like to see what would happen if we broadcast a nice selection of good old fashioned morning drive time radio into Iran for a few months.

**Blueneck** · 13th January 2010 04:24 PM

[quote name='PoliticalHotwire' date='13 January 2010 - 03:34 PM' timestamp='1263414897' post='98624']

I have family over there. It's a lot different than anything we'd have over here. It's very much so an urban versus rural and young versus old thing.

A sneaking suspicion of mine was that one of the big reasons we invaded Iraq was to get closer to the real problem in this region - Iran. I can remember hearing one of the first things done was that Americans established a network of radio towers along the Iranian border. What did they broadcast? Western music and talk. Our culture is ten billion times more dangerous to the powers-that-be over there than a nuclear bomb. The young generation eats it up and the religious-in-power folks know it's the only thing which can really (quickly) topple them from power.

[/quote]

Our culture is a weapon we've used successfully in the past (Russia sticks out in my mind) but I also think it's an unintended consequence waiting to happen (China comes to mind).

I'm not sure I think the rest of the world embracing our shallow, self-indulgent, narcissistic, sexually driven popular culture is necessarily going to be good for humanity in the long run.

**Blah** · 13th January 2010 04:40 PM

[quote name='PoliticalHotwire' date='13 January 2010 - 12:34 PM' timestamp='1263414897' post='98624']

I have family over there. It's a lot different than anything we'd have over here. It's very much so an urban versus rural and young versus old thing.

[/quote]

I dont know that sounds a lot like Conservatives and Liberals.