Pinko Magazine Hedonism + Activism

Note: This post was written by a Pinko contributor who didn’t want to give his/her name. Take THAT!
Watching President Ahmadinejad speak at the United Nations was an unsettling experience. He spoke like a mixture of Eckhart Tolle, Sarah Palin, Hafez, and Hassan Nasrallah. He did manage to include several poorly plagiarized sections of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, including the statement that Zionists are responsible for controlling the world’s financial, media, and political institutions, bent solely on world domination. He defended Iran’s nuclear program, called on the coming of the Messiah, and accused America of bullying the rest of the world. Standard stuff. He is, after all, on the campaign trail in Iran, and will face stiff opposition, perhaps even from former President Khatami.

So my advice: talk to the man.

The more shrill the response to him, the more his claims of persecution are validated. His candidacy only benefits from direct confrontation with the US, and the more he can make it seem like he is speaking truth to power, the better he looks to his base. Iranians generally want more openness, better relations with the United States, and a leader who will make changes at home, rather than rattling his saber in the international arena. But trying to shout him down, as many groups are doing, will only empower him (and the factions in the U.S. who crave violent confrontation with Iran).

Entering into dialogue with him undercuts his platform, and forces him to face the music at home–the failed economy, a massive youth movement that is tired of the rule of the mullahs, and a people eager for more contact with the West. Entering into dialogue with Iran has a lot of benefits for the future, and the Iranians have a lot of legitimate grievances with the US, but right now, entering into dialogue with Amadinejad has a real strategic benefit: the more he talks, the more out of touch he looks.

Every Iranian knows they have gays there, every Iranian knows that the Zionists are not the cause of the mismanaged Iranian economy; every Iranian knows that a war with Israel would be disastrous for Iran, and most (but sadly not all) Iranians know that Jews are not bloodthirsty world conquerors. Most know that not even all Israelis are Zionists. Even he acknowledges these things.

You want regime change in Iran? Let their president talk. Talk to him. Introduce him to your friends. Let his voice carry. Ahmadinejad’s administration can cerainly survive confrontation; it thrives from it. It cannot survive engagment, beacuse conflict and fear are pretty much the only cards he has to play in the coming elections. Sound familiar?

About The Author - Ben Wyskida is a writer, activist, conscientious hedonist and political communications strategist living in Brooklyn. - Visit Ben's site.