Iran Election Crisis: 10 Significant Web Videos

Over at Mashable, Ben Parr has compiled a post with 10 of the most-viewed, and most significant, "citizen videos" to have emerged from the ongoing turmoil in Iran. A snip from his postscript, appended to the post today:

As I built this post, I saw a progression of events through the video. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one. It puts on display escalating violence, mayhem, and turmoil. Iran is a nation in chaos, and as we monitor the situation, we must realize that social tools provide us with unfettered access to the situation. Sometimes, that access can be disturbing. The flip side though is that we can truly know what's going on in Iran.

Video above: Militia firing into crowds of protesters yesterday in Tehran.

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos (Mashable, via Raymond Leon Roker)

[#1 posted by dainel, June 21, 2009 12:00 PM]

I don't understand why they're fighting to decide who will be the spokesman for the country. It's not like they're electing the leader of the country. Perhaps the government is thinking the same thing the hardliners in China were thinking 20 years ago in Tiananmen. "These are counter revolutionaries trying to overthrow the state. Got to defend the state."

[#2 posted by Gilgongo, June 21, 2009 1:31 PM]

From a social perspective it's money and power: who has it, who wants it, who uses it, who loses it.

And so it goes around and around. It doesn't explain the human side of this, but it seems good enough as an institutional analysis. The state exists to subjugate, until the state starts to lose some of that power.

Exactly the same thing would happen in the US if the power of the state over individuals started to crumble (and the right to bear arms wouldn't mean a damn thing).

[#3 posted by decriss, June 21, 2009 3:10 PM]

I keep thinking about "the revolution will not be televised"
It will be youtubed.

[#4 posted by dthomp87, June 21, 2009 8:19 PM]

Wow, this just makes me so sad... I just don't know what to think.

[#5 posted by Anonymous, June 22, 2009 1:19 PM]

The world saw Neda...yes...you would thinks about iranian peaple.they just want FREEDOM and they will die in this way... Neda will send our NEDA (Neda mean VOICE in farsi) to GOD...GOD will help us... we love Neda and who fight for FREEDOM...what is your opinion about differents beetwen iranian peaple and iranian government?

[#6 posted by Anonymous, June 23, 2009 9:42 AM]

"This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions"??? That's interesting.

[#7 posted by Jellybit, June 24, 2009 7:50 AM]

SARTERUS: And not just anyone lighting your newspaper on fire, but possibly your government due to it exposing some unflattering issues. This is really frustrating and saddening on several levels.

[#8 posted by Sarterus, June 24, 2009 7:53 AM]

It looks like it was hit with a DMCA takedown. This is another example of how copyright law can be used to kill free speech and the freedom of the press.

Run into a takedown on content that is news related feels like someone has taken the newspaper I am reading light it on fire. GRR, A mere threat of infringement should not be able to quash a news story.

[#9 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 10:13 AM]

Far between sundown’s finish and midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts, struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing

Flashing for the warriors, whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog soldier in the night
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Even though a cloud’s white curtain in a far off corner flashed
And the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting

Starry eyed and laughing, as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
And we listened one last time, and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed till the tolling ended

Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, srung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
- Dylan

[#10 posted by Takuan, July 19, 2009 2:20 PM]

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/07/19/basiji-militiaman-i-raped-virgins/