February 21, 2004
Get Up & Get Rid
One of the problems I have with this blog is the way people email me so much. Don't get me wrong, I love hearing back from readers and try to answer all of them, but at times I wonder why don't more people just leave some of what they have to say in "comments" section, instead of sending it to me. I am referring to stuff that is essentially not private at all here. Talking to other bloggers, I know they receive only a fraction of number of comments they get in private emails. Mine often seems the other way around. Maybe it's a design thing, maybe not. Anyhow, I'm flooded with over 400 messages and if yours is not answered yet, I apologize.
[400, includes anything from "go back to where you came from" (only after you do, sir!), to "love your style of writing" (I suppose lacking a style is a style on it's own), "you reminded me of a neighbor" (your neighbor was an overweight, bald eyeranian too?), "would you write me an article by yesterday" (have your people contact my people) and "you should hookup with my friend" (as long as she likes overweight, bald eyeranians)...]
But one thing I have noticed by just browsing through the messages, is the way so many people have this "why don't you guys just rise up and get rid of the Iranian regime" attitude. You have also seen it in comments, I'm sure. I don't blame the writers for their rather crude solution. After all, they have probably all only lived in societies where if you don't like your government, you just go vote for a different one next time. If your candidate isn't on the ballot, you write-in another one and if enough people do that, the un-candidate may even be elected. Rarely, a protest may also be needed to force someone to resign their post. Although a petition may be just as effective.
So, for those people to begin to understand why we just don't get up and pick a new system and (thankfully) haven't experienced living under a tyrannical, vicious dictatorship, I have taken it upon myself to simplify the matter a bit. To do it, I chose the Hollywood version, as I know with our ever shrinking attention spans and imagery of forged make-belief stories, it is perhaps the only effective way to do this. Now sit back and "watch" the my Hollywood blockbuster titled; "Why we don't just get up and get rid of our tyrants this afternoon":
SCENE ONE - Day One - Head office of a major bank has been taken over by a band of 10 heavily-armed bandits called el tiranos. There are about 50 hostages including employees and customers locked up inside, as el tiranos are involved in a stand off with the outside world. Many of the hostages, particularly the clients show sympathy with the bandits, largely due to years of mistreatment by the bank officials, extremely high service charges and being forced in to loans and mortgages with double digit interest rates. It looks like a long term showdown, but bank's cafeteria and vending machines are well stocked for many days to come.
SCENE TWO - Day Two - el tiranos start mistreating some of the captives. A woman is sexually assaulted by one and a teller has his nose broken under beating by several members of the gang. Access to food is also restricted and daily rations are announced for the hostages only. The old bank doorman is executed for supporting the enterprise with vigor. Rumors float about a S.W.A.T. operation being planned from outside to end the situation, but nothing happens. The little sympathy some had for el tiranos is quickly evaporating.
SCENE THREE - Day Three - There's heavy shooting between el tiranos and the gang that occupies the bank across the street. While only one bandit is severely injured, 3 hostages are killed in the cross-fire. The outside world supplies the bandits across the street with every imaginable weapons, although much of it is being used against hostages they are holding there. 4 of those hostages are also killed. The battle ends with no clear winners.
SCENE FOUR - Day Four - Hostages attempt a sit-in strike to protest to the worsening conditions inside the bank. The middle-age woman leading the protest is hung from the bank's main chandelier for others to learn a lesson. The protest is quickly broken.
SCENE FIVE - Day Five - A few of the hostages get together and plan for a forceful take-over. They gain the support of over 20 other hostages and the stage is set for a show down. They attack at midnight by killing a lieutenant from el tiranos with the gun they took away from the el tirano injured two days earlier. They then confiscate the dead man's machine gun and a heavy shoot-out starts. Hostages are hopeful the outside world may back their movement, but that proves to be nothing more than a fantasy. In fact, they learn later that a group from the S.W.A.T. team outside was busy supplying the el tiranos with ammunition to finance their own other illegal activities. At the end, their uprising is defeated by the stronger enemy and el tiranos decide to punish the hostages by brutally executing the four original planners, while randomly choosing 5 other ones to be whipped on the bank counters.
SCENE SIX - Day Six - 2 new hostages are chosen to receive public whipping today and the el tirano leader announces that everyday 2 random hostage will be given the same treatment.
SCENE SEVEN - Day Nine - Three of the hostages escape by using the air conditioning ducks in the bathroom. Of the three escapees, one is assassinated two days later by friends of the el tiranos on the outside for trying to bring attention to the plight of remaining hostages, one denies ever being a hostage or even if there are any hostages actually inside the bank and the last one gets a job at a similar bank, buys a house, adopts a dog and is never heard from again. Daily punishment of two random hostages still continues daily.
SCENE EIGHT - Day Eleven - The el tirano injured on day three, dies today. The rest of el tiranos are so upset they execute one more hostage and whip 10 of the hostages today. S.W.A.T. team rescue rumors are hot again, many hostages believe all the noise generated today may cause the outsiders to look for a way to help. Nobody even tries. Two of the hostages now co-operate fully with the el tiranos, occasionally taking over the whipping duties.
SCENE NINE - Day Fourteen - el tiranos announce their plans to be a gentler more humane version of el tiranos in the future. Cafeteria serves a slice of cake for dessert today causing an overall improvement in the hostage's morale. el tiranos promise to even hold elections to govern the daily life of the hostages, but candidates must be approved by the el tirano leader himself. One of the trader hostages is executed for his role in brutal whipping of other hostages.
SCENE TEN - Day Seventeen - One of the el tiranos is caught stashing away some of the bank's gold for his own personal use. He receives a sentence of 20 lashes but then implicates two of the hostages as main culprits behind the effort. Both accused hostages are executed by a firing squad in bank lobby. The original accused el tirano is promoted to captain.
SCENE ELEVEN - Day Nineteen - The first elections are held. Aside from the el tirano leader, the only two other candidates allowed to run are his two captains. The leader wins in a landslide, collecting 6 votes.
SCENE TWELVE - Day Twenty - Following the earlier promises of better conditions and yesterday's elections, the hostages stage a peaceful march through the bank lobby to re-instate their ration of daily cake. Three vigilante el tiranos attack the demonstration (while others condemn it), injuring several of the hostages severely, while arresting several others and sentencing them to solitary confinement in employee's former cubicles. A reporter catches the brutal attack from outside while filming through an unobstructed window. Upon seeing the footage, the outside world shakes its head in disbelief and says "we have you in our thoughts, poor hostages".
SCENE THIRTEEN - Day Twenty Two - Cake is back after lunch but no more television. Apparently some hostages were caught watching a program broadcasting from outside by the S.W.A.T. team. In the program, they were heard threatening the el tiranos and told hostages if el tiranos aren't careful, they might, perhaps, maybe come in for a rescue operation.
SCENE FOURTEEN - Day Twenty Four - Two of the hostages disappeared last night. Nobody has heard from them at all but it is unlikely they may have escaped. The garbage sent out today carried a particularly appalling odor. Most hostages aren't really concerned as they are busy watching their re-instated television sets.
SCENE FIFTEEN - Day Twenty Five - el tirano leader sentences one hostage to death for thinking of escaping while giving another one a sentence of 100 lashes. Rest of the el tiranos celebrate the execution by shooting at the ceiling. The atmosphere of absolute terror is back again but one of the hostages has managed to build a small radio receiver, using parts salvaged from various office electronic equipment. As a few of the remaining hostages who still care gather around the tiny radio, a voice directed at them from outside is heard. The sound isn't clear, but as they listen carefully, they hear this; "why don't you hostages organize together and hold a non-violent protest to get rid of the el tiranos? as long as you don't throw the el tiranos out, the outside world considers you part of the global bandits network. I will personally pray for you. sorry I can't talk for long, I have a dinner reservation I could miss. God bless!". The hostages look at one another, unsure as how to react. They come to with loud screams of the el tirano leader. Two new hostage must report immediately for random flogging.
While the two volunteers head towards the front counter for their punishment, the remaining 28 or so drained, exhausted, fatigued hostages look around at the lingering 8 robust, well-fed, rested and exceptionally armed el tiranos still guarding them in the building. Some start to wonder when will their TV privilege comes back to allow them an escape from this daily misery.
One more reporter finds an open whole to take a few snapshots of the hostages for the world outside before going on his morning coffee break.
Fade To Black - The End.
Posted by Pedram at February 21, 2004 10:50 AMbrillian...absolutely ...hilariously...sadly brilliant...
Posted by: shahriar at February 21, 2004 11:37 AMHiya Pedram, I am leaving a comment here instead of emailing you. Give me a shout as I'm just a bit north of you for a bit.
Posted by: Carrie at February 21, 2004 12:33 PMa few words in persian: "dadash, shoma karo zendegi nadari inhame minevisi??? sooe tafahom nashe ma mokhlesim kheili ham hal mikonim ba in karet, damet garm ... faghat jahate yadavari arz shod."
Posted by: at February 21, 2004 12:59 PMditto
Posted by: Atmikha at February 21, 2004 01:17 PMHello there Mr. Moallemian,
My name is Katie and I am a high school senior from New York. Our APLang class has been studying Iranian society. We watched Children of Heaven and Leila, and we also read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I wanted to approach my paper in a different way so I decided to relate the current increase in Iranian blogs to these three works. Would you mind if I mentioned your site in my piece and perhaps discussed Eyeranian.net? Have you see Leila or read Persepolis? I was going to talk about how these two characters would have availed the opportunity to have a blog had it been present during their struggles. What do you think?
I'm glad I stumbled upon your website. Have a nice day.
_Katie
Posted by: Katie at February 21, 2004 01:41 PM
Pedram,
The more time I spend at this site the more I like it. You are one sharp son of a gun !! You have a real future in Hollywood if you could get access to it.
With regard to your screenplay, if I may take the liberty of co-collaberting from a different point of view....
during the existing days,in a back story, the commander of the SWAT team is an amoral idiot who is only interested in how he looks on the evening news while trying to hide his own problems. Therefor, he allows the hostage situation to take a back seat to his own narcissistic ambitions, allowing the hostages to become more and more demoralized.
However,toward the end of your drama, a new commander is elected to lead the SWAT team and his initial plan is to clear out the situation across the street in order to make the hostages more accessible.
Unfortunately, his plan is complicated by the arrival of more dangerous and deadly weaponry to El Tiranos. This arrival being facilitated by other factions in the area,(he is,after all daeling with a neighborhood hostile to his plans).
His plan is further complicated by the reluctance of the city at large to support him.
He is further shackled by the existence of another group that lives in an adjacent building to the bank.
Most of the rest of the city is perfectly willing to sacrifice the people living in the adjacent building,but the SWAT commander feels that their lives are just as worthy as the hostages.
In the middle of his planning, El Tiranos attack the relatives of the SWAT team in an attempt to intimidate the Commander, but he is not cowed by this. In fact he is more determined than ever to bring peace to the neighborhood.
He carries out the plan on the bank across the street and subdues the bandits that caused difficulty on day 3.
There are naturally difficulties involved in the defeat of the bandits across the street, including El Tiranos sending some of their guys across the street to help the bandits in the other bank, because they feel that the chaos in the neighbor hood will divert attention fron the bigger and more deadly weapons that they have obtained, but the SWAT commander fights on at great cost to his men, at peril to his job, and in the face of opposition from the city at large.
He does so because he feels that his cause is just and in the long run, the benefit to the whole city will be worth it.
The execution of his plan is perilous and fraught with danger, to himself and to the city at large, but he believes in his heart that he is right and if the hostages in the bank can hold their own foe a bit longer he may be able to rescue them without further bloodshed on their part.
Wish i could provide you with a Hollywood-style happy ending, but we will all have to wait and see.
If you are familiar with the classic to be continued.....there are always questions left for the second act,,,,,
,,,,Will the SWAT commander be able to finish off the bandits across the street? I think the answer is "yes", but it will be a large battle, and if he DOES win, it could be pivotal in the battle to free the hostages in the bank.
,,,,Will the people of the neighborhood acknowledge the worth of the people of the adjacent building? The answer to this one is up in the air, but is also pivotal to the outcome of the final battle, weather the neighborhood can be at peace in the end or will there just be another battle tomorrow?
,,,,Can the hostages in the bank hold out a bit longer and possibly provide the SWAT commander with some encouragement as they seem to be trying...
We have the potential for a blockbuster here, but we will all have to wait and see how comes out......God Bless
Bill
Here's the perfect twist to Bill's attempt at changing the ending:
Commander of SWAT turns out to be the person who originally organized and assisted the bandits across the street, so the hostages there had zero trust in him and did not want him to play the rescuer. But he took over the bank anyhow because of the gold in the vaults and the opportunity to provide protection for his boss who lives at a nearby big prison.
As for el tiranos hostages, they keep saying they'd rather remain hostage than to see the SWAT commander destroys their bank, loots their reserves, kills a bunch of the hostages and at the end install his own el tirano leader to rule them. Commander is too stupid to understand any of this.
Posted by: New Reader at February 21, 2004 03:17 PMHi there
I have been reading eyeranian for a while. There are quite a few points in your ideas that I can't agree with (nothing unusual about that). I was actually waiting for a right time to point them out, now that you seem TRIPPING, I got my one shot to take on one of those points. You are talented in English writing especially as an Iranian who was not born in an English speaking country. Please just note that I am not judging you but some of your ideas. We need guys like you to reflect the insight of people living inside Iran.
I liked the story "Why we don't just get up and get rid of our tyrants this afternoon" allot, but I am troubled. It shouldn't be your style. You have been criticizing the use of force to remove SADDAM in Iraq and now somehow you are criticizing those not taking any real action against the Iranian regime. Look I just believe that Democracy is an IMPOSSIBILITY as long as the powers and the forces are not distributed equally. Who ever possess power refuses to give it up and also does not allow the opponent to gain any.
SADDAM wouldn't have been leaving power any other how it happened. Neither any dictatorship would.
It is OK to trip, that is how some people wake up.
I learned about this site today while reading an article in Yahoo news. I was very impressed by your screen play. I think you have captured the essence of the situation in an entertaining way. I found it to be sensitive, sad, and very real.
I wish you great success with this site and I look forward to visiting everyday. Good Luck
I can't beleive some of the American readers are suggesting an ending for the screenplay... it is not an screenplay, it is a METAPHOR for god's sake, for explaining how we can not just have a revolution this afternoon.
Dear Stunt, The reason we hostages don't ask you to save us is that the history shows that your government is more concerned about the deals, the contracts, it can make with the El Tiranos rather than saving the victims. Actually you have your own El Tiranos in power and you don't see them. They are taking over and You are giving up all the civil rights you have, ... the same rights that the other people in the world are dying for, ... and you are busy with watching your reality TV shows.
It's a crazy world. I wish I would have died some"where" in the 70s instead of being born back then. Closing my eyes in those years could be much easier.
I am curious as to what approach for change in Iran might work? especially since it is clear that reform parliamentarianism is a resounding failure.
authoritarian regimes have learned through history how best to avoid dissent and revolution from within. i agree that people often misunderstand what it means to overthrow a government and how its not just about "doing it."
one trend in revolutionary history, pointed out by Weber i believe, is that most revolutions follow failed reformism, illusory reformism, or retracted reforms. i think the time for revolution in iran is objectively approaching, although i am not familiar enough with the subjective elements to speak on them, and it is these elements that are both necessary and sufficient for making an effective revolution.
iran is the future of the region and i believe that in my heart. american forced democratization in surrounding states, even with the best intentions, will never be what a free iranian democracy will be. i hold out hope that change comes soon for the people of iran and that this change is as peaceful and smooth as possible. i fear that peaceful change is an exhausted option.
the relationship that the state in iran has with the religion of the people forms a unique and powerful kind of hegemony that a direct "war of manuevre" would be very difficult to unseat. i am thinking of gramsci's ideas on the relationship b/w state and "civil society" through hegemony and how hegemony in iran points to a long and difficult struggle, a protracted "war of position".
perhaps the changing situations in neighboring countries could help to provide sanctuary for an exiled vanguard of the revolution to develop. maybe provide for a route to begin to chip away at the state hegemony through counter-hegemonic press, which has also proceeded most successful revolutions.
in any case, change will be difficult in iran but i hope it brings to the people of iran a bright future at the lead of a changing region that may be able to teach the western world how to develop economically without depleting cultural resources. always a friend of the future revolution and a fighter if the people of iran would welcome me as such.
One for sure way that no real progressive long lasting (home made) change will take place in Iran would be from sideliners outside of Iran. Once its clear that we (outsiders) are merely spectators then may be we can see how this regime change can take place. But for us ousieders, lets get as much complete and unsensored inforamtion about real issues in Iran as possible. Be carefull of people with agendas!!! Accept the fact that for the forseeable future (25-50 years) Islam will have to be an important part of any political struggle in Iran. If you discount Islam in this process you are doomed to fail.
Finally, on the peresonal level, continue to have contact in any hape or form with people in Iran. Remmeber, a picture often tells a thousand story, so, go to Tehran24.com and see how people are, just look at people. You will see what I mean.
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