Something Is Happening In Iran, Ctd

A reader writes:

I’m was shocked by your latest YouTube video of Iranian young people celebrating on the eve of their election. That scene could be from any major American city.

More importantly: I’m shocked that was shocked. I’m a progressive independent, a long-time active Obama supporter, who has always believed that the Bush stance only served to further radicalize Muslim countries against us, particularly Iran.

That said, these images really surprised me, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit it. After seeing them, I realized that even I had become subject to the deluge of negative, propagandic images we have seen on a daily basis for years: the near-constant conflation of the words “Muslim,” “terrorist,” and “Iranian,” the ubiquitous, hateful, mugshot scowls of people like Mohammad Atta and KSM, the angry, anti-Western sound-bytes from Ahmadinejad. Somehow, despite myself, even I let this barrage influence my own subconscious stereotype of Iranians, until the video you shared shook some sense back into me. Thank you. Clearly Iranians are not the only ones subject to polarizing propaganda that stands in the way of peace.