Back Towards The Locus

Mainstream commentators – those who frequent opinion pages, and talk shows on the TV and radio – are doing nothing of worth, and can only harm the Iranian demonstrators.

Nobody Can Be Sure What The Demonstrators Want

“Did you notice how many times [Obama] invoked the word “justice” in his message“, Andrew Sullivan asks, “That’s the word that will resonate most deeply with the Iranian resistance“. Really? How can he be sure? And what was I doing when God was doling out the power of telepathy? Elsewhere, Charles Krauthammer asserts that the protestors “await just a word that America is on their side“. This is, of course, indicative of nothing but his strange, quasi-Ptolemaic view of the world, where the USA is stuck dead centre and the other nations circle, reverently. According to Victor David Hanson, meanwhile, “much of Iran wants what they see going on in Iraq” (I suppose he’s talking about democracy, but, really, who can be sure). Ultimately, though, no one really knows what the protestors want: many, doubtless, want civil freedom, some may want economic freedom, some may just support Mousavi, some may want complete reform. Many, I suspect, took to the streets after seeing the brutality of the repression. It’s plausible, sadly, that there’s some covert involvement. Basically, it’s a mix (a stew, a melting pot), and all the resultant commentators have just slotted it inside ideological drawers; conveniently suiting the chests of their worldviews.

A Statement From Barack Obama Would Be Profoundly Uninteresting

Those demanding forceful statements from Obama argue that it’s futile to worry that they might reflect poorly on Iranian demonstrators because the connection would be drawn anyway. This, however, is beside the point: very few Iranians have a positive view of the United States, so even if the negative effect was minimal it wouldn’t do any particular good. Some have proposed that there’s a moral duty to give overt support, but even if that’s true it’s a duty that the US rejected long ago: we’ve yet to see support for dissidents in, say, Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan.

The Problem, And The Solution

They’re creating too much noise; distorting the issues and in lieu of – y’know – knowledge are smothering the concerns of others under the tidal wave of their egos. I know that’s their job n’ all, but it’s terribly irritating. They should all take off into the countryside. Y’know, just get away from it all – have a big ol’ picnic.