So, why aren't more women (and men) in the U.S., for example, being more vocal about Iran's treatment of women? (Bizarre example: Recent news reports highlight the Iranian government's position that women who have exposed their bodies so much so that they now have discernible suntans deserve harsh punishment--including stoning and whipping. And this is supposedly the 21st century!)
As far as I am concerned, in response to your posting, Frank, I am more concerned about the day-to-day oppression of women in Iran than I am an exclusion of a poet from an anthology, though it is a serious issue.
And I remain baffled that the NOW gang and similar leftist groups remain stunningly silent about fundamentalist Islamic misogyny. What will it take for American women (NOW and others) to wake up and say something? And why aren't American newspapers and TV news outlets showcasing these stories?
The oppression of poets--the imprisonment, the censoring, the political harassment--these are indications of deeper problems in a government. So of course those deeper problems are there in Iran. And we need to remain alert here is the US that no one ever takes away our freedom of expression.
Poets are a serious threat to anyone who is thinking of operating a tyrannical government. These punks and bully leaders, idiots, really, or possibly sociopaths who do not know how to govern or do not care, will try to silence poets and control what is issued as poetry and art. For instance, in Somalia now, there is a ban on music period: Somali radio stations bow to the Islamist ban on music.
When things like ignoring a poet or banning music takes place in one part of the world, it becomes up to the rest of the world to keep that art alive. That's us, at least for the time being.
So, why aren't more women (and men) in the U.S., for example, being more vocal about Iran's treatment of women? (Bizarre example: Recent news reports highlight the Iranian government's position that women who have exposed their bodies so much so that they now have discernible suntans deserve harsh punishment--including stoning and whipping. And this is supposedly the 21st century!)
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned, in response to your posting, Frank, I am more concerned about the day-to-day oppression of women in Iran than I am an exclusion of a poet from an anthology, though it is a serious issue.
And I remain baffled that the NOW gang and similar leftist groups remain stunningly silent about fundamentalist Islamic misogyny. What will it take for American women (NOW and others) to wake up and say something? And why aren't American newspapers and TV news outlets showcasing these stories?
The oppression of poets--the imprisonment, the censoring, the political harassment--these are indications of deeper problems in a government. So of course those deeper problems are there in Iran. And we need to remain alert here is the US that no one ever takes away our freedom of expression.
ReplyDeletePoets are a serious threat to anyone who is thinking of operating a tyrannical government. These punks and bully leaders, idiots, really, or possibly sociopaths who do not know how to govern or do not care, will try to silence poets and control what is issued as poetry and art. For instance, in Somalia now, there is a ban on music period: Somali radio stations bow to the Islamist ban on music.
When things like ignoring a poet or banning music takes place in one part of the world, it becomes up to the rest of the world to keep that art alive. That's us, at least for the time being.