Sunday, March 23, 2008

Iranian bloggers

I'm currently writing two papers on the phenomenon of Iranian bloggers. There's a lot to say about those who've been blogging in Iran since 2003 -- here is a good place to start. Iranian bloggers may very well turn out to be one of the great Internet Age success stories. We'll see.

Mostly, I wanted to share with people one blog in particular. Of the dozens of blogs I've read for these two papers, this one is the one that's really gotten my attention. In order to do this blog justice, you must read it from the beginning, as the diary of bitterly funny, insightful young woman who was born AFTER the Islamic Revolution turned Iran into what it is today. This is enjoyable, painful stuff. I'm floored by the witty, brutally honest way she ridicules her government and her culture. It's almost too far, on occasion. This is the type of derisive, scathing insight I'm talking about:

for me Ramadan means staying hungry for hours and hours, have no energy to work, get headache, and wait impatiently for sunset! it makes no difference if you believe in "fasting" or not, you must be hungry and thirsty because GOD wants so!! this is what living in ISLAMIC REPUBLIC means, this is what stupidity means!

don't need to remind me the old funny story about how Ramadan lets us taste the hunger that hurts poor people!, its just deceiving ourselves! if one of those firm fasting ladies or gentlemen agree to spend even 5% of his/her monthly salary for poor hungry people, then i will beleive they really care for them! but just staying hungry and forcing others fast? has nothing to do with poor people! it is silly!

I'm not even sure I agree, but still -- I'm damn impressed. That's certainly a viewpoint you'd never hear from Iran's traditional media.

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