January 9, 2004
'Jeegar' vs. political freedoms
If you need a proof that Iranian youngsters don't have any interest in politics, you must see this stats report for the most popular Iranian websites.
You see that a website called Jeegar is on the top with over 100,000 visitors everyday. It's content: links to mainly soft porn material on the Net. The next website is Gooya, a simple but old and lucky directory of popular Iranian websites; next is Baztab, a political news website close to the center of the right; then is Dalghak, an entertainment portal without any particular content; and Gooya News is next which is the most popular news site close to the reformists and the left in general, with only 30,000 visitors.
I noticed the huge impact of Jeegar.com when I discovered the hugest hike in my visitors ever as a result of a link on Jeegar to a post in my weblog about board games; over 4,000 visitors had come to my blog by a single link from Jeegar in two days and they keep coming.
Looking at the details of Jeegar.com's stats report, there is no doubt in my mind that what the young Iranian wants is not necessarily an open, transparent government. They need to have fun like all other people in their age group in the World. Although you sometimes do not know what exactly should come first: the democratic and secular government, or social freedoms.
I guess new conservatives are getting ready to ease the lives of young people as soon as they capture the parliament and the government. I don't really like the conservatives, even the younger ones; but I believe that after a few years of reform process which has actually been effective in many ways, there is need to cross some of the borders; and it's only conservatives that can do that. Did you see how quickly and easy they accepted the change of a controversial street name in Tehran?
Posted by hoder at January 9, 2004 3:45 AM
since when, are teenagers around the world having fun?
In the US, over 55 000 teenagers commit suicide, a year.
what the mullahs are doing to the youth in Iran,
the youth of Iran will be doing to itself,
in about a generation or so.
Happy westernizing!
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I could be wrong, but I don't know if those stats are very accurate. I kind of doubt that the #1 web site in Kazakhstan is a Shakira fan site, and I definitely doubt that the #1 site in the United States is Crackspider.net. It only counts the sites that use NedStats.
But I'm not saying this disproves what you're saying - not at all. The huge hike in your site traffic coming from Jeegar proves your point. I'm just stating I wouldn't trust the NedStat numbers as an accurate measure of the most popular sites in a country.
By the way, nice weblog with an interesting perspective! You've been bookmarked.
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Read Isiah Berlin's "Two Concepts of Liberty" book. What you're describing is "Negative liberty". Negative liberty for Berlin is freedom from: freedom from interference in personal matters, which implies the circumscription of state power within a strong legal framework. "Positive liberty," on the other hand, is freedom to: freedom to realize some greater good in history, freedom to influence your future via democratic means in other words. Read the rest yourself!
Ara.
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I was in Iran recently and saw what you're describing. The mullahs are not in the way of an average Iranian the way they used to. Social liberties are expanding in a way that you wouldn't believe. The economy is imporving too, so there are less incentives for people in general to get involved in politics. I wrote actually something about it in my blog. I saw that as a good sign. When a nation instead of being bogged down with politics looks into the ways to improve the living standard and quality of life, it can't be bad. The rest will be taken care of in the course of time.
I think after constant failures of political way it's turn of the economy to be tired.
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Dear Hoder:
The sangak on the photos page looks delicious!! I've never tasted Iranian cuisine. :( These pics are all extraordinary! You are, by allowing us a glimpse into modern Iranian culture, sort of bridging a gap for us all. Even through something as simple as pictures and diary entries, I feel somehow closer to the Iranian people and your culture. I hurt for what this beautiful country has had to endure, I want freedom for it, Iran deserves SO much better.
Thanks for providing this very educational resource. I know I've learned a lot. This is a mesmerizing journal, you have a fan.
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Perhaps in short term this policy would work, but Iranians, esp youth, after their fun and music needs satisfied, would surely feel the lack of something that conservatives, and mullahs in general, can't fulfill: the real freedom, ine every aspect.
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