Where hate grows

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Nazy Kaviani
by Nazy Kaviani
18-Jan-2009
 

Tired of the hate in the world and on Iranian.com, I went to an Iranian American Writers Association meeting today.  I had been looking forward to getting together with my friends and talking about our passion, writing.  It is always a magical Sunday morning spent with folks I have come to love and respect, while we work on our craft.  No sooner had I sat down to immerse myself in the bliss, that I realized the conversation already in progress was about Israeli attacks on Gaza.  And so it was that I was caught with everybody else smack in the middle of another discussion about Gaza.  The topic was what is the responsibility of writers under the circumstances?  Should we go on our merry ways and write about our characters fictional and real, developing plots and storylines and tweaking story structures to please ourselves, the audience, and agents, or should we be writing about the human catastrophe in Gaza and participating in book and essay readings to bring attention to the tragedy?

People engaged in an emotional debate, expressing love and respect for each other, sympathizing with victims, and agreeing or disagreeing on their level of responsibilities about the issue.  Believe it or not, the discussions were a human-grade, face-to-face-gaged, profanity-and-hate-less version of the discussions which have been taking place on this platform for the past couple of months.  Some people thought it is very much the writers’ and artists’ responsibility to speak up and to condemn Israel.  Someone thought it is none of the writers’ business, because writers aren’t pundits, and no one should be allowed to tell a writer what to write about.  Some people thought it is the responsibility of writers to write in support of defenseless children who must be cherished and protected into adulthood and life, and not buried into graves.  Some of the writers who are married to Jewish spouses talked about the way they have been approaching the dilemma of their conflicting politics with their in-laws, barely dodging “anti-semitic” labels.  A Jewish writer was talking about emails she and her cousin in Israel have been having over the subject of Hamas, Israeli soldiers’ being blessed by Jewish rabbis to go to war, and the exchanges the two cousins separated by time and distance have been having over them.

As I was watching some of the most brilliant people I know share their thoughts and ideas, some getting really emotional and others staying calmer but just as focused on the issue, I felt so much better about this discussion than any others I have watched on the site recently.  Though people were passionate and thoughtful, they weren’t losing sight of their mutual love and respect for each other, discussing the issue with all their attention, not without passion, but definitely without hate, accusations, and insults.

Returning home, I willed myself to stay away from Iranian.com, where these days the gaping hole which has left all humanity bleeding has left a crater of ill feelings and disgusting rhetoric for all to see forever and ever.  I told myself I would work on my touchy feely story about relationships, for I am a writer and not a political animal.  As addictions go, however, I couldn’t stay away and checked on the latest blogs and articles.  Catching one particularly disgusting one, where the blogger was congratulating herself on her ideological benefactors’ victory over poor, hungry, and defenseless civilians and children, insulting decent members of the site further, complete with smiley faces, I let it go, the retching feeling of complete overdose on hate, turning into heaves out of my stomach, and tears out of my eyes. 

I so wished I could see the faces of the people saying those words.  More importantly, I wished they could see mine as they were supporting hate and planting additional seeds of it everywhere, making sure that our world which has never been the same since the hateful process of Holocaust began in Europe, will never return to anything remotely peaceful and compassionate for generations to come. 

These days, I think I can handle going to work, to visiting my friends and family, and attending group meetings while the world hurts from the Gaza situation, for I am capable of facing other human beings face to face to engage in discussions.  What I can no longer handle is to watch these shameless hate mongers sit behind a keyboard somewhere far or near, shooting pellets, bullets, and bombs of hate into the weakling and unprepared community of diasporic Iranians on Iranian.com.  I am thoroughly disgusted.

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Dear Nazy, When the soul is

by NJ (not verified) on

Dear Nazy,

When the soul is lost...

What remains to be salvaged in human beings?
I am sorry... sorry for the world.


Free Spirit

Now Kaveh dear..........

by Free Spirit on

Is that the correct spelling for please? Hmmmmm Shall we look it up in the dictionary?

I know how important it is for you that others are grammatically correct. :o)

Wouldn't want for you to fall off the grammatical wagon. lol


Free Spirit

Don't you just love it when........

by Free Spirit on

people come to your blog and tell you how to feel. NOT!

It always amazes me how people don't want you to tell them how to feel but it is some how okay for them to not just tell you how to feel but what to do.

Wouldn't it be nice if they followed their own advice:

"if you're upset, don't read the stuff...........just be quiet and let it GO AWAY."


Kaveh Nouraee

Nazy

by Kaveh Nouraee on

You wrote a very nice article.

If I may, I'm not sure if I would regard the latest online diatribes as hate. Yes, there have been many hateful, nasty comments, but I wouldn't say it's hate.

To: Anonymous comment: Regarding "so now rosie and irandokht are best buddies. puleaz."

I echo that sentiment.

Puhleez indeed.


TheMrs

Fridge cleaning is first Friday of every month

by TheMrs on

I noticed a sign on the office fridge: “We all use this fridge, if we leave it cleaner than we found it, we’ll have a fridge to be proud of”.

 

I’ve been leaving my ir.com workspace cleaner by starting my responses to constructive criticism addressed to me with “you’re right”!

But real life goes on.


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enough already!

by Anonymous comment (not verified) on

with the sensitive and emotional reactions. we all know how you feel. hasn't it torn IC apart enough without your having to vent your dismay. you just keep the emotions running high with this crap. if you're upset, don't read the stuff. but we are tired of hearing how everyone is so upset. just be quiet and let it GO AWAY.

so now rosie and irandokht are best buddies.

puleaz.


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Enough weepy outbursts please

by Anonymous commentator (not verified) on

Nazy,

Lots of female (and a few male) contributors on this site suffer from one form of depression or another. Writing on this site has become a therapuetic cure for their condition. The symptoms you are describing here are clearly signs of clinical depression. But, hey, being depressed is quite normal these days particularly among us Iranians - it seems to be a national preoccupation! So here is my cure for you:

Keep writing but not about politics or human relationships. Write about integrating into the American way of life - something many of us here "think" we have achieved vut that is only in our "thoughts". While writing about it you may find a way to integrate into the new world order too, hence, getting of your depressive mood.

Be Happy! Join the Inaugural celebrations. Barack Hussain Obama didn't give in to depression or he wouldn't have become who he is now.


Javad Yassari

Nazy Khanoom

by Javad Yassari on

من در غم شما برای جهانیان و نگرانی شما نسبت به ایرانیان دات کام شریکم.  اما خود را نگران مسافران گذرای این خانه’ دور از ایران نکنید. ما می مانیم.

مه فشاند نور و سگ عوعو كند/هر كسي بر طينت خود مي تند


rosie is roxy is roshan

Well, ID, that's why I DIDN'T do it for so long...

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

because I perceive my PRIMARY role here as a MEDIATOR. That's what I LIKE to be in politics and that's what I'm GOOD at. I don't have a memory for facts and dates and so forth like Q or Mammad or Jamshid to talk about this happened then and this one did this and that one did that...and who threw the stone, then the rocket, etc., I can't DOCUEMNT THESE THINGS, so I'm not even EQUIPPED to be a political polemicist. So I LIKE TO MEDIATE.

And until I saw that...statement about "primitive tribalism" of Iraninans and that...thing...that...blog...that...thing that Zion wrote..I actually thought I could somehow meidate here. And keep it cool and try  to keep everyone cool. But...this time it went too far.

However if you check my blog, even just scan, you will see that I am no longer incensed. I have come to some startling and very disturbing conclusions about Zion and her motives and her role here and I shall proceed with her in future according to these observations and my conscience and what I feel is best for the site.
R.


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Way to go zion! eversince

by siz fire! (not verified) on

Way to go zion! eversince you showed up in this site many people whom used to be impartial about Israeli/ Palestine conflict, have tended to side with palestinian and have denounced Isreali crimes in unprecedented scale. As far as I am concerned, I never remember Iranians in here get involve in pro palestinian activities in such scale. Following your fanatic, biased and uncivilized defence of Israel, they've become a passionate criticizer of Israel and at times sided with hamas!Your defences in many cases reminded us of Aiman alzavahiri's defence of Jihadists. I recently read from Haaretz that israeli government has asked the bloggers to take part in a campaign of repairing the devasteted image of Israel after the Gaza invasion. be careful ! you may get convicted for such a mess you created here! lol


Zion

The"empire" trying to strike back

by Zion on

It is very bad when the purity of harmonious mass speaking with one voice (the voice of its self-declared representatives) is "stained" and "soiled" with horribly criminal voices of dissent that actually disagree, debate and destroy the divine harmony before [especially if they don't just piss off with directed deleting and censorship.] Obviously no way other people might actually have a different point of view out of their own convictions. Clearly others who might agree with another point of view and disagree with the supreme stance of the self-appointed representatives are nothing but fools who 'have fallen for the charade and have joined in with the insulting and expressing cruel and hateful emotions for others. ' and have evidently even lost their humanity this way! [but fortunately ...ehem.. "the majority" still human beings. (sigh of relief)]

Interesting terminology, no? Reminds you of anything? Did anyone mention "hate mongering"?... .


IRANdokht

The sensitive souls hurt the most

by IRANdokht on

Nazy jan

The pain you are feeling is shared by many of us here. Our beautiful gathering spot in cyber space has been stained and soiled in the past few weeks and the blog you mentioned was the stake jabbed in the heart of our iranian.com

Unfortunately some of our own hamvatans have fallen for the charade and have joined in with the insulting and expressing cruel and hateful emotions for others. The majority didn't. Most of us are human beings who care and have been true to our values and priorities... 

I seriously believe that it's up to every single one of us to stop it from totally destorying our morale. We know who's behind the bitterness, the fights, the insults and the bickerings. We should pull together and save our community.

It's up to us. The damage is reversible and we'll heal. We're resilient people, we've seen more than our share of obstacles and hardship and we'll prevail. A couple of outsiders can reek havoc every now and then, but they'll fade away as we start to regroup.

We'll get right back up, dust ouselves off and put this behind us. I promise you!   this too shall pass...

I too believe that the valuable writers of this site should participate and speak up to help with uniting us again. Thanks for the beautiful blog full of heart and pure sentiments.

Don't lose faith

IRANdokht

PS: I am very impressed with Rosie and her denouncing of the nastiness. Rosies a very valuable member of iranian.com who has participated in open communication and keeping the temperments in control. Well done and thank you too

 


Zion

No dear Free Spirit

by Zion on

I never whine about reading other people's stuff. I aksed a question from the site owner about the biased policy of the moderators in systematically censoring and deleting in favor of one particular side. Had nothing to do with my opinion on anyone's writings. I'll read and respond and debate and ignore. There's no problems on my side, dearest.


rosie is roxy is roshan

Yep..right Free, and I DEFENDED her there, her right to

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

voice the complaint and criticized J. for his flippant reply. Just for the record.


Free Spirit

Zion.......

by Free Spirit on

seriously give it a break!

By the way Zion if you can't take it then don't read them either. Did you already forget your whinny blog to JJ? About how you are mistreated....blah.....blah.......blah.

No body asked you to read this blog. GET IT!!!


rosie is roxy is roshan

Naz, if you don't mind..

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

I'm gonna copy that comment to you down there by Zion and move it onto my own blog and address it there.


Multiple Personality Disorder

Dear Nazy,

by Multiple Personality Disorder on

Your blog is well written and heartfelt.


Zion

Ooh, such sensitivity!

by Zion on

It's always fascinating to see mouthpieces of lefti-islamic propaganda machines act like they care about innocent children and preach others on hate. Like how in her enlightened circle all the pro-palestinian side are filled with human emotions but the spouses of Jews have to learn tactics to dodge "slurs" from their in laws or recount emails by evil rabbis. Very balanced and enlightened and void of tacit bias and still cryptic hate mongering. Just like the love for humanity that Hamas feels for everyone.

Here is a kind advice: if you can't take it when people speak up against your hate mongering in the guise of crocodile tears and withstand the avalanche of hate from the general directions of your "lovely band", if that brings tears and heaves out of you, if you can no longer handle to watch your propaganda being disputed and debunked... you don't need to:
Just don't come back to read them.


rosie is roxy is roshan

Leme tell ya something, Naz,

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

we're on a page here.

That blog you speak of made me see red and you KNOW I don't allow myself to EVER see red on political issues because my primary stance is ALWAYS as a mediator and my humitarian and peace activist concerns ALWAYS take precedence over ANY ideology I hold.

But this was...too much.

Too much.

And I had to blog about it too. And I had to post a comment on the blog in question dissociating myself, my Jewish tradition and the Jewish people at large with such a callous, vindictive and ultimately SPORTIVE view on human life. IN VERY STRONG TERMS.

A ceasefire is a solemn occasion. It must be announced with dignity and respect.

I am a pacifist. My side in a war is always: No war.

However for those who are not pacifists, there are legitimate sides to take in a war.

But there is no legitimate side to take in a PEACE.

A ceasefire is ALWAYS good. There are no sides to be taken in a ceasefire. Especially on THIS forum at THIS time when tensions were running SO high.

It was time for everybody to take deep sigh of relief. Not for..such a,,,mean..blog to be posted. Just plain mean. We have a word for it in English you may not know because it is actually German and not used all that frrequently.

The word is schadenfruede. It means taking joy in other people's misery.

Keep the faith,

Love always,
R.