Misc

Response to Jahanshah:

In my opinion awards and recognitions like the one given by a magazines be it Time or even iranian.com do not and will not play as big of a role in the overall outcomes of grand events -- heck look at yesterday's Senate vote on Bernanke confirmation hearing!

That said as much as I'm proud of the bravery of Iranians inside Iran in the past 7 months lets keep in mind that Time awards this to the person(s) that have had an impact for good or bad on the WHOLE world -- not just a country or region.  

 Now the ethnocentric amongst us may think that the Iranian uprising had had a larger effect in the lives of more people around the WORLD but if one rationally looks at the effects of global financial system and if it had failed (which it didn't) then s/he should derive at the opinion that whomever had a role in not allowing the system to fall into abyss (or at least giving us some time) deserves some credit.  

By the way on your comment about Obama not deserving the Nobel because I assume he hasn't brought about World Peace ... did you have that opinion when Shirin Ebadi won the Nobel or when Desmond Tutu got his before apartheid had fallen? 

Do your target practice somewhere else

I found this blog interesting and worthy of leaving a comment. So I did leave a comment with no intention of initiating a debate or discussion. Sadly it has become part of this site's culture to target a contributor as soon as one doesn't like his/her comment.

On the issue of nationalism; again, we as Iranians suffer from a psychological condition called center-of-civilization-nonsense Persian-Aryan  syndrome. The bitter fact is that we are a poor nation with a huge oil and gas reserve at our disposal who don't know what to do with it (Shah didn't, neither do the mullahs of all colors). It's worth noting that the"oil treasure" is geographically situated at the least "Persian thing" parts of the country...(you guess the rest on your own).

On the issue of effects of the so-called Green Movement on the world and regional affairs; we are jumping the gun. It is time to overcome our hush-hush attitude and concede its state of orphanage. Its econo-social base is ambiguous and historically unqualified for performing a revolution(anything short of a revolution is a total waste).

On the subject of Bernake, in my opinion again; he earned the well-deserved title. 

JJJ in 1979 there was an actual change. In 2009 nothing final.

I'm not too surprised or disappointed by this selection.  In 2009 the biggest news of the world was about the economy.  It was literally 12 months long and counting.  The Iranian uprising started in the 6th month of 2009.

When Time selected Khomeini in 1979 it was because he overthrew a Govt and established his own.  In 2009 his establishment is not overthrown.  It is shaken, like a Martini, shaken but not stirred!  Not yet anyway. It's like selecting Khomein in 1978.

The criteria about selecting the Person of the Year revolves around what was the most important and note worthy news item of the year.  Who made the most news for the better or worse.  Since economy was the most news and the bailout was his brain child and other countries in Europe followed suit and others like in Dubai are doing it again, while everyone was worried sick that the bailout will not work.  Add to it banks paying back the money in less than one year in US and Europe so far.  Unheard of when talking Govt money.

While I'm biased for Iran, I can see from world views' perspective and considering the protests around the world and the reaction to many elections in different countries, they consider our uprising just a student protests or another uprising comparable to the same beatings that other people faced in other countries, in 2009.

Everything is sacred.

Well said SamSam

I'm subscribed to Time and read it yet find their approval of the green movement worthless they can pickle their opinions in a jar and serve it with big macs!

A Poor Choice ...

There was a time when Time Magazine's Man Of The Year actually meant something. I remember that people such as Adolf Hitler, Dr. Mossadeq, Ayatollah Khomeini, etc. who became that. People who actually significantly influenced World Events .. For Good Or Bad!

I guess the Time Magazine is playing it safe. They don't want to deal with the heat that can be generated if they choose someone controversial!

It's Really That Simple :)

Pendare Neek, you bougth the hype

jj addressed your nationalism comment so I'll leave that alone, along with what your comment about Iran gives away. However, there is no real evidence of Bernanke wonder. His inaction in 2006-2008 perhaps paved the way for a crisis. His actions were mostly counter productive but that's a different discussion. Even with the prism of major media view of the world economy, Bernanke did what any run of the mill Fed guy would do. In a nutshell he lowered interest rates to nothing, with almost all benefit going to bankers via interbanking and business (large) guarantees. He certainly did not save the world economy even if you believe he saved the U.S. economy. His policies did not lead to saved jobs, did not help to free lending money to commercial or consumer sectors, did not create a baseline for any long term economic policy, and certainly did not support any regulation, even if you believe that Fed actually has the power and intent to 'manage and support' economy for public good.

So, in the context of Time's pick I really don't think it matters all that much and it is just another talking point for media circles. To the extent it may mean anything, there were a dozen events and individuals more impactful . From German management of labor markets, to Chinese well timed and efficient stimulus, to Brazil and India's solid performance deserved recognition, even if we agree that this manufactured financial "crisis" made economy top agenda. Certainly Lula Da Silva, given long term work he has done on Brazilian economy, deserves a lot more credit than Bernanke turning interest knobs.

Broadly, with all kinds of conflict going around the world, the nature and impact of global warming and its economic impact, Human Condition crises, the very nature and speed of the America's decline...deserved top view.  In that context Neda, Sohrab, the Iranian youth rebelling against the very system that tried to brain wash them for 30 years, the Green belt/islamic disaster, and so on were at least as important. It seems Time is increasingly irrelevant to what matters so no loss here as far as I can tell.

OKtaby

Inferiority complex of Ommaties..hiiih

pick me pick me ....Ahhh, you bad Imperialists, white red necks, baby killers blah blah...why didn,t you pick me... After all it doesn,t matter what we think of us but what you think of us Ommaties..pleeeez make us count & legitimize us with one of your dime a dozen magazines who once chose the God father of Ommah Imam Rouhollah as person of the year :). 

Path of Kiaan Resurrection of True Iran Hoisting Drafshe Kaviaan //iranianidentity.blogspot.com //www.youtube.com/user/samsamsia

Ben Bernanke is the Antichrist

Or a pawn. Ya, Time Magazine once again demonstrates how Americans genuinely believe the world only revolves around them, and no one else.

Neda Aghasoltan should've been the Person of the Year yet they pick this so and so.

Nationalism?

Pendar Nik, we Iranians certainly do have strong nationalist feelings. But in this case our grievance against TIME's choice is justified.

You say Bernanke is the right choice because "he is one of the reasons, if not the main one, that you and me still own our computers instead of having been forced to pawn it in order to buy our daily food."

So you're saying our basis for judgment should be the state of the (U.S.) economy. And we should primarily thank him for printing a trillion or so dollars and bailing out banks and institutions that created the crisis in the first place. I disagree.

TIME picked Khomeini as Man of the Year in 1979 because he led a revolution that brought down a powerful monarchy and started a radical fundamentalist movement that swept Iran and the entire Middle East. You can trace all of today's jihadists to Khomeini's brand of political Islam.

In 2009, the Iranian people rose up against everything Khomeini stood for and for the first time in their history have demanded democracy, in addition to freedom and justice.

The impact of this shift inside Iran goes far beyond its borders. It constitutes a reversal of fortunes for the Islamic movement in the entire region and the Islamic World as a whole. Iran is the first Muslim nation where political Islam has failed miserably and lost all its initial allure and popularity.

If that is not important enough to recognize in a world trying desperately to deal with radical Islam, then I congratulate Mr. Bernanke and wait for the day in the not too distant future when the world financial system will collapse again under mountains of debt he has helped create.

Have a bite on your nationalism ...

Our nationalistic sentiment should not hinder our judgment about world affairs. Our beloved homeland is not, never was and will never be, the center of the universe. Choosing Ben Bernake, in my opinion, is most justified; remember, he is one of the reasons, if not the main one, that you and I still own our computers instead of having been forced to pawn it in order to buy our daily food during the recent market crisis.

I nominate the 7 detained Baha'i's

known as the "Ya'ra'n" for the "Iranian of the year" .  The have been kept at the Evin prison for close to 19 months.  Their trial has been delayed 4 times.  They have not been formally charged with anything.  They have had less than 10% of the visitor privileges of any other prisoner or group of prisoners at Evin.  

All this time, non of the 7 individuals has repented or turned against the others, despite numerous threats to their immediate families lives.

As of September of this year, 2 prison security guards assigned to the Baha'i' group have resigned from their post because they could not stomach the injustice that has been done to them.

Who should be Iranan of the year?

Offer your suggestions on Nazy Kaviani's blog:
//iranian.com/main/blog/nazy-kaviani/iran...

Then there will be a poll based on your recommendations.

Please write to Time Magazine

I posted a blog on this a day or two ago, I think it is important they hear from us. Not that it will make any difference to this but we shouldn't be silent about it.

write to:  letters@time.com

....

Time looks like a coward to me! Time is afraid of the truth! I am pretty sure that Time is bombarded with readers' questions now. They are having a PR nightmare now! Lets see how Time explains its choice for Person of the Year!!

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"

Let's Boycott Time Magazine!

I used to read Time and the Huffington post. No time  for Time from now on, Just the Huffington Post! + Irandokht, Payvand and Balatarin.

Where is my vote! (again)

//niacblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/where-are...

... "are upset that Time didn’t choose the Iranian protesters as their person of the year, there is some consolation knowing that the rest of the world did. In fact, more than 536,000 people recognized their courage and votes for the Iranian protesters outnumbered the 2nd and 3rd runners up combined. Despite that, it was disheartening to see them eliminated from Time’s shortlist which appeared on Tuesday, a day before announcing their final choice of Ben Bernanke. (See the full results here). But, why even conduct a poll, or election for that matter, if the votes aren’t going to be counted?"

I called our local NPR station during their interview with Michael Duffy, TIME Washington Bureau Chief and asked what happened to the online poll results and why were our votes not counted. He said he had no knowledge of the online poll at all!

IRANdokht

Iranian.com need to have it's own person of the year...

What do you think JJ?

Neda Ahgha Sultan

She should've been the person of the year. I was very disappoined by their choice. It was Neda jan who got 79% of the online vote more than anybody else and there was not even a mention of her and Iranian crisis on the first page, such a shame! Hameh ja donya shodeh party bazyee!

Isn't 'infamous' more appropriate?

Mehrdad

......

 Where is my vote?

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"

Time Magazine's copout

Remember when Time Magazine picked Dr. Ahmadinejad for Person of the Year but they didn't have the guts to go through with it? They picked "You" instead. What a gutless copout.

Who reads Time Magazine anyway? To read that pro-Zionist Fareed? Or what?

It's TIME to abbandon TIME.

Who needs TIME when you have your facebook updates, your tweets and so on?

Same critreia as Iranians of the Day

 JJ jan

May be there were inspired by your criteria for choosing the Iranians of the Day :)

did I hear correctly on NPR that he is one of the experts ...

on the 70's  stagflation model?  Are we sharing the same variables though?

I read: Bernanke also has thoughts about the economy's future — and we'll get to them soon.

I'd like to  wish him the best! 

How he is more extraordinary than all the brave people of Iran, is totally beyond me! 

Irrelevant Media of the Year

This is a perfect example why mainstream media outlets are becoming more and more irrelevant.

Bernanke has had a very important part in dealing with the financial crisis, but he's part of the problem and his actions are likely to make the U.S. weaker and more vulnerable.

On the other hand TIME could have chosen the brave Iranian protesters who received the most votes by far in the magazine's own online survey. Twitter also announced that the Iranian political crisis was the top issue discussed on its network in 2009.

Was there ANY mention of events in Iran in TIME's special feature? Events that have shaken the foundations of the Islamic Republic? Events that could shape not just Iran's but the entire Middle East region's democratic future? If it was mentioned, it was buried deep.

TIME editors can go on and on about Bernanke's qualifications as Person of the Year. But their choice is just as ridiculous as Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

When TIME and other entrenched old-school media organizations announce more losses and layoffs, no one will be surprised. They don't reflect the real world.

Very disappointing!

This was the year of dud awards.  Iranian protesters deserved both the Nobel Peace Prize and The Person of The Year Award.  They were the true heroes and messengers of hope for change and peace in a world run by tyrants and crooks. 

Someone should start a brand new awards program and start recognizing real contributors to peace and humanity, those who are rotting away in prisons  and facing bullets and batons barehanded and oh so bravely.