They Hypnotized The Summer, 1979
Posted on June 13, 2009 by andrew
When I saw R.E.M. last year, Michael Stipe introduced Ignoreland by talking about the Iranian Revolution (in a very Michael Stipe-ish sort of way that ended up confusing most of the people sitting near me, naturally). In Stipe’s view, the events of that revolution were the spark that allowed Reagan to come to power at home, and Ignoreland is his (admittedly bitter) indictment of the Reagan years. In turn, the reason I adore the song is because I find its emotion to be so perfectly parallel to my own feelings regarding the later Bush II years (even if, in terms of pure quality, Ignoreland hardly ranks among R.E.M.’s finest work; see also my feelings on Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief).
Anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that I’m totally fascinated by what is happening in Iran right now. At the moment, events in Iran appear as though they could result in a genuine turning point for the shape of the world. Is an unraveling of that 1979 Iranian Revolution following almost directly on the heels of what many of us hope will prove to have been the final gasps of the Reagan/Bush era in the United States? Or are we looking at a minor and soon to be crushed Iranian version of Tianamen Square? Is it right to even give serious thought to the former when the latter still seems so much more likely?
Like I said, I’m watching this really closely.
Sphere: Related Content» Filed Under 2009 Iranian Election, Iran
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