Bait and switch

November 8, 2004 8:17 PM

Is a government-sponsored Web any kind of Web at all? Iranians will soon find out, including MeFite hoder, prominently featured in the linked piece (and, worrisomely, recipient of his very own death threat this week). More information on Iranian and Persian bloggers here.
posted by adamgreenfield (10 comments total)

Well, a government sponsored web is just that.... I suppose it comes down to whether or not one feels that their gov. has the public interest in mind.
posted by troutfishing at 9:30 PM on November 8, 2004

Can people get hosting here, or will the sites all be blocked anyway? Has the govt. said what they'll allow and what not?
posted by amberglow at 10:04 PM on November 8, 2004

Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi is suing the US government for blocking publication of her memoirs.
posted by homunculus at 10:23 PM on November 8, 2004

From homunculus' link:
"American companies are banned from publishing books by authors in Iran, Cuba and Sudan."

What the hell is wrong with you people?
posted by spazzm at 2:23 AM on November 9, 2004

Short answer: We believe that America is the Shining City on the Hill, and that by virtue of that, we get to tell you what to think.

If you want reasoning on this, here are some samples I've heard over the years:

[We must be smarter / God must love us more] because he's made us more free.
[We must be smarter / God must love us more] because he's made us richer.
It's clear that the American way is better because [insert reason here]; ergo, you should just do what we do. Or we'll make you.
It's for your own good.
Shut up. Just shut up.

[should-be] Unnecessary disclaimer: I didn't say it was valid reasoning, I just said it's what I've heard....
posted by lodurr at 5:28 AM on November 9, 2004

I'm sorry if came across as rash, I did not mean anyone on metafilter with "you people" (especially not you lodurr).
I'm just flabbergasted at the practice of banning authors based on the country they live in.
Not even the Soviet Union, at it's most paranoid, stooped to banning all books written by Americans.
posted by spazzm at 6:52 AM on November 9, 2004

Human Rights Watch: Web Writers Purge Underway in Iran, Arrests Designed to Silence NGO Activists
posted by hoder at 9:26 AM on November 9, 2004

Hmm...So there ARE Internets!
posted by monkeyboy_socal at 9:42 AM on November 9, 2004

Zing!
posted by dazed_one at 9:59 AM on November 9, 2004

spazzm: hmm...I actually took no offense at it. I think it was a perfectly reasonable question. If anything, I should apologize for having nothing more than a cynical, depressing response.
posted by lodurr at 12:32 PM on November 9, 2004