Iran on My Mind

Protests in Iran continue today. Because I have Iran on my mind, it seems appropriate to offer up some contextual information for their protests. In no particular order, here it is:

Population of Iran: about 77 million people
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

About 60% of the population is under age 30, and education is free through a BA level college degree http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdzrPFAOGug

All major cities and many smaller towns have full internet access, according to "Telecoms And Technology Forecast for Iran", Economist Intelligence Unit, August 18, 2008

Iran's economy is undergoing a transition right now (from centralized and subsidized to decentralized and unsubsidized), and the average income is about U.S. equivalent of $500 per year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOe3UbEAWg0

About 30% of the population in Iran lives in poverty
http://previous.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=97282&sectionid=351020102
http://www.payvand.com/news/10/may/1316.html

According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), "The [government in Iran] is averaging one execution every eight hours since the start of 2011." http://united4iran.org/2011/02/day-of-action-keep-iran’s-hearts-beating-stop-executions-in-iran/

An Iranian hip hop artist video and interview:
http://www.aslanmedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1744:blazing-a-trail-of-beats-and-rhymes-an-interview-with-iranian-hip-hop-sensation-yas&catid=306:music-artist-profile&Itemid=559

And here is a little bit of my arm chair analysis. The youth (and others who are older too) of Iran are living a double life.

On the one hand, they are oppressed and forced to live under a government system which is corrupt and repressive. Dissent is violently suppressed.Women are forced to wear the veil, and the government has been increasingly cracking down on those who violate the laws. Many of the executions referenced above are of women who violated "clothing" laws. Sexual orientation is not open for debate and being openly gay or lesbian will get a person killed or imprisoned. These are just a couple of examples to show the repression individuals experience on a daily basis in Iran.

However individuals in Iran are able to access ideas and information about the world beyond their borders. And it's this access that makes for a double life. With the help of technology, the youth (and others) are connecting with the West and Western attitudes. Music, fashion, culture and values are desired by the youth of Iran. At discreet "house parties" Iranian youth display these desires. They drink and socialize openly in the comfort and privacy of their homes. Women are able to take off the veil and reveal their fashionable blue jeans and hair cuts. Men are able to socialize with women, and Western influenced music accompanies their flirtations. All of this is unacceptable to the "old school" government and religious officials (who are largely men over 50 years old) but it is an important aspect to the underground culture in Iran today. The youth see what the West does and they replicate it in secret, and at their peril.

This is the double life that Iranians are living. And now, because their population has reached a critical mass (60% under age 30) and because they are encouraged by what took place in Tunisia and Egypt, they want to come out from under the oppression. They want to live singular, free and honest lives, untethered by the old school religious dogma of the past.

The youth of Iran are the future of Iran, while the political and religious leadership of Iran represent the past.

The cynical among us may suggest that the violent repression that we saw during the last uprising in Iran will be replicated again in 2011. I, however, am a bit more hopeful. The future is the youths' to take, and simple attrition of age will show the youth -- eventually -- achieving rightful control of their country.

As for Western influence on this youthful ascendence of power in Iran: it is limited to culture. This limitation is reflected in the wildly different approach the U.S. government is taking with Iran's protests in relation to Egypt's protests. In the case of Egypt, the U.S. had a relationship with the government. Thus the U.S. was able to tell the Egyptian military to not use force against the protesters. That message was heard by the military and they displayed great restraint, to their credit. In Iran, however, the U.S. does not have a relationship with the government. Thus warnings from the U.S. to Iranian leadership about avoiding violence will not be effective. Hence, U.S. government officials have come out directly denouncing the Iranian government. The U.S. has no influence with them, ergo the U.S. has nothing to lose by overtly criticizing them.

As a result, it will be the individuals from the West who serve as cultural ambassadors to Iranian individuals. Those individuals will one day be in positions of power when the old guard dies. It is that literal. People over the age of 50 in Iran only represent about 10% of the population. They cannot live forever, and when they do it will be the younger generation, hopefully who the West connects with in productive ways, that will take charge. Let's make those connections inspiring and constructive!