Iran lies restless even as the streets are empty, where just a few weeks ago protests raged for over a month calling for the resignation of government officials due to the severe mishandling and continuation of issues that have plagued Iran for decades. The recent announcement of the full truth of the plane crash, a tragedy that happened due to the severe incomptancy of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer, a group which was made to defend the Islamic state, when he shot two anti-aircraft missiles at what he thought was an unidentified plane after receiving no orders to fire. His incompetence caused the aircraft to erupt in flames and crash near the airport, killing all 176 people on board. Initially, the event remained covered up by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who refused even the government to know about it, until it came out, even as the government and President Hassan Rouhani continued to deny that it even happened. (NYT) When it did, he ordered the revolutionary guard to come clean about the event or he would resign.
This caused yet more issues, as when they came out with the full story and people reeled from the news of the tragedy,the killing of General Qassem Suleimani briefly united Iran towards trying to recover and solve the issues that it had been struggling with for years. Still, the cover-ups and misinformation continued, causing widespread confusion as news began to be forced to report inaccurate statements about the plane crash by the desperate Revolutionary Guard.
After a short while, protests and mass gatherings about the issues that affected Iran, such as mishandling of national issues, brutal response to protest, and incompetence of government officials led to a week of mass protest and calls for the resignation of Rouhani. In the wake of the governmental statement confirming the truth of the crash, many people, especially members of the clerical government of Iran who began to gain popularity through their insistence on Rouhani’s resignation, continued to try and push him out of office even as the protests grew more widespread and intense.
News anchors quit their jobs, enraged at having to spread lies to the public, and many believe that this could be the moment that Iran needs to start actually making change. (CNN) In the words of Ali Shakouri Rad, the head of a reformist political party, the issue had finally driven home the growing rift between the clerical and public government. “Covering up the mistake of downing the passenger jet with missiles was throwing acid at the image of the Islamic Republic,” reads a message he posted on Twitter. (NYT)
The protests raged on, with multiple high-profile arrests made by the police as the political leadership of Iran continues to hang in the balance. Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, stated during an interview with Vox news that the protests had a few major flaws, and that they may not be able to effectively get the change that they want.(Vox) She pointed out that most of the protesters are college students, and not the working class of Iran, such as in the significantly larger and more brutally repressed protests of November. All of this came to a sudden and unexpected halt as the Coronavirus spread through the middle east, hitting Iran hard as it tried to recuperate and take control even as it’s political leadership is in question and it’s two political factions find themselves severely opposed with one another.(TIME) Though suddenly gone silent, Iran continues to fight it’s political battles under the oppressive and looming threat of Coronavirus.
Discussion Questions:
Why do people protest against the government? Why is this important?
Why is misinformation and information restriction so widespread in our modern world?
Vocab:
Reformist: A member of a political party that calls for change in the government.
Clerical Government: A part of the Iranian government consisting of advisors and officials focused on dealing with the religious aspects of running the country
Why do people protest against the government? Why is this important?
ReplyDeleteI think people protest the government because they are unhappy with the government's policies but don't have enough power to change it. By protesting, people hope to get their voices heard and make direct changes. Protests and demonstrations are important because its makes people realize they're not alone and have a bigger impact, and it also ensures the minority's voices are heard. Although sometimes protesters are met with riot police and the protest doesn't work, protesting is a right we have to show our opinions.
But, to add on to this idea, can protest alone cause the government to give in and change? Can the government be content to just let them protest, and ignore their message?
DeleteI feel that there has not been many times in history where protest alone was able to cause revolution to a non-democratic government, it was generally coupled by other factors such as a politician or a coup d'etat to forcibly change the government.
I don't think that protest alone can cause the government to change. Governments can be perfectly okay with letting them protest and ignoring their message. Other than Gandhi and his successful peaceful protesting, I can't really think of many other protests that ended up changing a large part of government without further action like a revolution or military coup. When I think of big changes to government, things that come to mind are often violent movements like the French Revolution and the American Revolution. I don't think protest alone can change much, but I do feel like protest is incredibly important for spreading the word of a cause to other people with more power and are more capable of making real change. Protesting is a useful tool to bring attention to a problem. I think the Hong-Kong protests is a perfect example of this, as I believe many people would have no idea about that whole situation and tension if it weren't for the protests that were all over the news for a while.
DeleteTo add on to this idea, protests can sometimes work but usually governments avoid this. They would rather send some sort of riot police to dim the event down and just forget that the protest ever existed. The best way to actually change something in the government is to get others who have power to join you in your idea. If you get some sort of senator or president to support your cause and question the government, they would be more likely to do something about it. The governments don't ignore protests that are massive and have major importance in it.
DeleteDylan Ha
DeletePeople protest against the government if they believe that change needs to be made. Protesting allows people to not only let their voice be heard, but realize that many others are advocating for the same thing. It allows people to come together in fight of one cause. By protesting, people are able to cause a debate because of peoples differences in opinion. This leads to more attention to the cause. With more attention comes more people advocating for the case, leading to the government having to make a change. Although protests do occasionally work, sometimes more force is needed to get a point through.
ReplyDelete^^^ Arissa Low
DeleteWhy is misinformation and information restriction so widespread in our modern world?
ReplyDeleteMisinformation is very widespread in the world because of many reasons. Just like the game of telephone, as time passes, information may become twisted and false. Other times, a piece of information is purposely changed because one person decided to do so, out of spite, fun, and other countless reasons. Additionally, misinformation can be used to protect people or harm others. A reason information restriction is prevalent worldwide, is because governments want to exert control over the citizens of x-country, and prevent free expression that might foment rebellion.
To add on, another reason misinformation and information restriction are so widespread in the modern world is because of the power they hold. The modern world is extremely interconnected relative to the past and information is very important in making an impact on society today. An example can be found in modern politics where people’s perspectives make a huge impact. With so many people in the world and almost all governments being democratic compared to the past, people can have a huge impact on the world based on how they vote. How they vote is often determined by the information (or misinformation) that they receive. Modern American politics is an example where information has greatly impacted society. With the two parties turning into opponents recently, the importance of information and misinformation has never been greater. We see our president repeatedly blaming the press for “fake news” and that severely undermines people’s confidence in the media. Ultimately, people’s votes determine who holds power and misinformation and information restriction are very widespread because they decide who ends up in power.
ReplyDeletePeople protest against the government not only to drive change, but also to feel empowered against the government. By getting together in large groups, people feel more comfortable expressing views that they normally would not, which is what drives change.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people protest against the government? Why is this important?
ReplyDeletePeople protest in order to fight for a change, whether its with a law or with their leader. Protests are in spite for a change that they can't make, due to a lack of power. This is important as people feel as if they're powerless, needing to advocate for the change they want or need. If the protest is dismissed, it can lead to wide spread issues with protests turning violent, for example. Protests are one of the few ways to shed light on the opinions and wants of the people, making it important that these are recognized and addressed.
Why do people protest against the government? Why is this important?
ReplyDeletePeople protest against government to get change. One person doesn't have enough power to make change but if they work together with others they can change their countries for the better. It is important because it gives people a chance to advocate for their opinions and allows them to fight back against people with high power. It allows other who may not normally be heard a chance to voice their opinions.
People protest against the government to further display their interests in changing the way something is being done. This could be anything from climate change to voting rights and it simply increases the effectiveness of the cause. If people are willing to physically protest the government, it can make the government take their beliefs as a bigger deal. This can be important if the government is making changes that don't benefit the majority, and can be detrimental to the rights of the people.
ReplyDeleteJosh Koe
Why is misinformation and information restriction so widespread in our modern world?
ReplyDeleteWith all of the media outlets at our disposal, it is extremely easy to be misinformed or to misinform others. Governments which limit websites, news etc. are trying to shield their citizens from absorbing ideas foreign to the region. Examples include North Korea, where everything on the internet is government monitored, and information comes directly from the government news source. as well as Saudi Arabia which heavily limit online sources, especially non islamic websites.
Why is misinformation and information restriction so widespread in our modern world?
ReplyDeleteMisinformation and censorship by certain governments can be rampant as a result of the power that these states hold. In relation to this situation in Iran, the attempted cover-up of the plane crash demonstrates the extent to which government groups will go to conceal distasteful information from the public. The reason for hiding this was the fact that it was the fault of Iranian military personnel, which, if released to the public, would only incite protest against the already disliked government. Holding back the information, while with the intent of protecting Iran's current government system at the time, only created more problems in the long run. This ties back to the main point; the reason the Iranian government was able to keep this a secret was the power they hold over the people. While Iran has a presidential democracy, the theocratic influence on the government has an effect on their policy. In their eyes, censorship of this event was beneficial to ensure the survival of the government system. The government is supposed to take care of the people, and therefore, the people will probably believe what the government tells them. However, widespread dissent among the populace of state policy in Iran changed that; people became skeptical of the true nature of the plane crash, and when it was revealed, began to protest the mistakes of the government. This goes to show that, though governments may have the power to keep information from their citizens, doing so may not be the best option even if it might seem that way at a certain point.
Why do people protest against the government? Why is this important? I think people protest against the government because they think something is unfair or unjust. Riots and protests start to show they government their opinion and how they want things to change.
ReplyDelete