My mom, who lives about 90 miles from me, recently had the satellite that receives the Iranian channels installed. I visit her on some weekends and channel-surfed through the 1001 Persian language stations a couple of weeks ago.
There are the old flicks, the many music videos, the continuous plethora of rug auctions with “unbelievable prices not available anywhere”, and, of course, the myriad call-in talk shows. For all the complaining that Iranians can’t agree on anything, there sure is one thing we do well in unison – almost without exception these talk shows are full of backbiting, slander and verbal assault. After what must be more than two decades of free expression over the airways, we still lack a culture of civil discourse. However these shows do serve as a great source for those trying to follow the Persian saying: “adab raa az be-adabaan yaad begir/learn manners from those without manners”.
We pride ourselves on the 2,500-year heritage of a culture that has produced great art and science and this is what we show the world we can do with freedom?
I will be walking a little taller next week when Anousheh Ansari roars into space on a Russian craft. I lived in Dallas when she and her husband ran Telecom Technologies – one of my friends worked there. In the her interview with “The New Times”, she said that “[a] guiding principle of her life . . . is a quotation from Mahatma Gandhi: ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world.’ ”
I guess I’ll just stick to watching the music videos on Iranian T.V. There was one I especially liked, a song performed by the group Arian: “farda maaleh maast/tomorrow is ours” – a hopeful tune with children dancing and playing.
Although, I really wished more of us would seize today – rocket on Anousheh.
the City 