rss feedHate Mail on Iran
What we usually call “liberals” have been extremely quick to jump on this bandwagon > to the point where Twitter has set up a page asking people to point out ‘suspect’ pages. Most of the posts / recommendations being made by the general population is either from people pointing out spam Twitter accounts or Twitter accounts that say they are people who voted for and continue to support Ahmadinejad. Which, of course – after watching the news about EYE-fkn-ran for 5 minutes – must mean that you’re informed and so are fully aware of the fact that everyone voted Mousavi. Of course. You’re so smart. You’re so politically en vogue.
From some of these people, I have received hate mail calling me a fascist.
Do you think they’ll remember their brotherly and siterly love of the EYE-ranians when it comes time to bomb the shit out of them and steal their natural resources so that ‘we’ can drive around in our SUVs for cheaper still? Maybe they’ll see it as a means to free and liberate the Shee-height Mozlims from a dictator.
Yay.
(Of course, here I must say that from many of these individuals, I have also received more links and information calling for caution, as well as thanks for a mini head’s up about possible misinformation. Also that individuals who don’t have any sort of label have been asking for more information and are interested in digging deeper. I don’t need to post any of these emails.)
But – my favourite form of hate mail has come from the inidviduals who are so narrow minded that they see any argument – any argument posing even the slightest challenge to their own perspective, in fact – as one which supports Ahmadinejad. The following two are my favourites thus far:
“Shame on you! No wonder you support Ahmadinejad, you have already got enough money from him! You are selling younge Iranians blood killed by his regim to this idiot who most Iranians know him better and hate him. Shame on you. You support a criminal.”
&
“Shame on promotors of facism.
Dear “leftist” :
The enemy of your enemy . is not your friend.
Join the fight against facism, rather than promoting it. Talibanism, Tehran or Kabul style, is at odds with humanity.
Do not presribe that at the expense of my people , and for the sake of your agenda.”
I believe Ahmadinejad is a stain on Islam (& I wouldn’t vote for either him or Mousavi; more to the point, I would never live under any theocracy), and yet, any call for caution and a more nuanced approach solicits this sort of a reaction. Absolutely amazing and fascinating and I love it. People’s ignorance is both prolific and deeply profound.
comment
Please Leave a Reply
TrackBack URL :
9 Comments:
Anonymous Steve said…
This is frigging Awesome with a capital A. It is so cool that you are getting hate mail about something you’ve written!!!! These people have no idea, do they? Are you responding to any of them? This is one of the biggest slams against the “liberals”. People find an issue and they don’t stop to take a closer look at it and just jump on board thinking that everything is black and white. I think it takes away from our strength and makes us look like sheep. I appreciate your call to caution and it seems like these people aren’t responding to your article but to something else entirely.
What’s your agenda?
Are you an Ahamdinejad supporter?
Are you taking money from him?
You’re selling Iranian blood?
You support a criminal?
Where are any of these things in your article? Nowhere, that’s where.
I don’t even know what “The enemy of your enemy . is not your friend.”
I love Dear “leftist”.
You know, it’s interesting – since reading your article, I’ve started noticing that there’s a trend in the coverage not on tv but more written news. People are slowly starting to take a little more slowness.
Steve
Mon Jun 29, 09:16:00 AM
**********
Anonymous Thomas said…
This is really weird. I emailed your article to an entire listserve and beveryone thought it was a really amazing and balanced piece considering the subject matter.
Have you received many of these?
You’re never going to make everyone happy and some people will be hellbent on forcing you to see things your way not your own. Your article’s right though, there are many people who are slowly now coming to the forefront and calling for caution.
I think Obama’s been a fool about almost everything, but I think his public stand on this has been tops. If he was calling for anything else, the “leftist” would charge him with intervening.
Steve I am asking myself the same questions.
Thomas
Mon Jun 29, 09:39:00 AM
**********
Anonymous Anonymous said…
In all of your articles you find a balanced edge to perch on. I think it’s fantastic and I have always enjoyed your perspective because you always offer a lot of food for thought.
Mon Jun 29, 10:55:00 AM
**********
Blogger Gert said…
I’m not surprised at the hate mail. Despite the fact that this kerfuffle remains largely a black box onto which anyone in the West (including Iranian emigrés) just projects his own prejudices about Iran, ‘sitting on the fence’ (for want of a better term) gets you all kind of epithets. ‘Mousavi The Reformist’ v. ‘A-mad Hitler/Saint’ is just a bit too bipolar for me though…
One telling Iranian blogger wrote clearly: ‘WE DON’T NEED the love! Where were you when they bombed the crap out of us?’
Indeed. And where will we be the next time we do so?
Mon Jun 29, 11:40:00 AM
**********
Anonymous Anonymous said…
I’m not surprised either, Maha. I think Gert is on to something when he calls it “sitting on the fence”. People are so volatile about this that they can’t see the need for caution and are pretty much being dictatorial and dogmatic in their response to you.
You’re either with us or against us.
You’re either a fascist or a “liberal” or useless. It is amazing as you say.
I agree with Gert also that it’s all a bit bipolar for me as well and I will gladly tell people I am sitting on the fence if that’s what = an intelligent approach to this bizarre situation.
I like this part the most: Do you think they’ll remember their brotherly and siterly love of the EYE-ranians when it comes time to bomb the shit out of them and steal their natural resources so that ‘we’ can drive around in our SUVs for cheaper still?
It is perfectly in line with Gert’s Iranian blogger.
Keep up the excellent work!
My name is Ming, by the way. I read your blog regularly and I have always emailed you. This is my first time posting a comment.
Mon Jun 29, 11:51:00 AM
**********
Anonymous Maria Calvo said…
You are so strong to not be hurt by this. I would never be able to withstand this. I guess the other emails and support and your own convictions makes up for it? I admire that, I wouldn’t be able to do it though. I hate any kind of criticism even if I know it’s not true.
I LOLd at Shee-height Mozlims !! HAH HAH!!
Hugs,
Maria
Mon Jun 29, 04:33:00 PM
**********
Blogger one female canuck said…
I don’t have a clue as to any of the questions posed above by any of you – I was sort of wondering the same thing myself about these emails. I love the spectrum of responses to any given article, and I try to pay attention and learn something wherever I can – I’m definitely always open to suggestion if someone can make a strong case for their opinion. In these two cases, not so much…
I don’t respond. It was my firs time getting angry feedback, but I still won’t respond. I don’t really think they’ve presented anything worth discussion, to be honest. If they did, then I would take it into consideration for a future article, but I still wouldn’t engage. I don’t think that’s what they’re looking for, anyway.
Gert, I don’t agree with the either/ or representation, either. Clearly, right? I knew this piece was going to cause some dust-up; we anticipated that much…
Maria, it was an interesting exercise that I had to go through with another comment, that made me realize how open and vulnerable we leave ourselves to attack when posting on certain issues such as this….it’s not so easy, trust me. Especially not when my real name is up there, as is my picture, and people troll. Weird and something to get used to, ultimately. Either that or I stop writing, and that’s not an option.
xox
m
Mon Jun 29, 10:31:00 PM
**********
Anonymous lily said…
This is par for the course. Anything anyone puts up on the internets will get trolled by asshole who spend their days doing nothing but trolling. You’re def vulnerable but you’re strong enough to dig it. I’m happy you’ve posted this to share and you’re not upset about it inside. This is political opinion and because of that, you’ll get people who will call you names when they don’t agree with your point of view. You have to ignore them. By the by there are a lot of new reports now coming out and also asking for caution. Tide’s turning and you’re among the first to ride it so naturally you’re going to be among the first to get slammed. Stand your ground, doll. -lily
Mon Jun 29, 11:32:00 PM
**********
Blogger Clay said…
I know you were expecting some flak about this article, but you’re still strong for putting up with it like you do. “Either that or I stop writing, and that’s not an option.” I love your attitude on writing here–it isn’t something you do just to have something to do; it’s a part of who you are that is inalienable.
The thing is that people are out there, and always will be, who just do not really care to hear whatever exists outside their own little sphere of thought. They believe that they are incapable of having conceived of an incorrect notion, so they (arrogantly) vehemently deny any foothold to anyone else, to the point that they see only black and white, with-me-or-against-me style. There is no middle ground for these people.
Tue Jun 30, 10:57:00 PM