Me, Her, the Boy and a Dog

It’s been nearly a month since the contested presidential election in Iran in which incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won by more than 60 percent. Massive protests by the opposition supporters followed the election, which was contested and considered a fraud by most observers.

The Iranian government attempted to shut down Web-based communications as well as traditional media coverage by kicking out foreign press, but the people of Iran managed to stay a step ahead of the hardline Iranian regime and used proxy servers and Twitter to broadcast the violent and deadly crackdown.

I follow #iranelection as do thousands, if not millions of people around the world. And something very interesting is happening - public opinion of the Iranian people has taken a very positive turn, at least from where I am sitting.

I feel that once most Americans got to see first hand what the Iranian people were having to endure, support began pouring in via Twitter with users adding green tints or green ribbons to their profile pictures. Non-Iranians around the world opened their computers and networks up to serve as proxy servers that would allow Iranians to continue getting news out to the world about what was going on in their “democratic” country.

My perception of the Iranian people prior to this series of events was not necessarily negative, but based on lack of information and the public perception of the president they elected - though now I would even question the legitimacy of his original election. Prior to the protests, Tweets and YouTube videos, I had no real reason to follow the daily lives of the Iran people. But, when I saw them being shot and killed for peacefully protesting an election that even their top religious leaders - who usually support the Ayatollah - called illigitimate, I sympathized with them and tried to support their cause by reTweeting their news and educating myself as best I could.

It seems to me that most of the Twitter users I monitor are supportive of the Iranian people at this point. Why? I can only assume that its because those of us in a REAL democractic society can’t imagine having our freedoms infringed upon by our government and are coming to the aid (in a manner of speaking) to those who are fighting and dying for it.

Seriously, think about it for a minute. Can you imagine living in a country where your Internet access and content is filtered by the government? How about living in a country that only allows you to have one child? Imagine not being able to speak out against things in which you don’t believe because you are afraid that masked men will take you away in the middle of night, never to be seen or heard from again. Imagine living somewhere where journalist routinely end up dead because they are critical of the government.

I am often frustrated with my country’s corrupt and greed-fueled political system, but it is still the greatest country in the world and I am constantly reminded of that. All I have to do is read the world news to appreciate even more the freedoms that so many American men and women have fought and died for over the years. I hope and pray that some day, the Iranian people and many more will enjoy the same freedoms.