Iran insanity

I just watched the "Neda" video. I won't post it here because it's incredibly disturbing, and it's easy to find on youtube or facebook if you are so inclined, but if you haven't heard about her, Neda was a young Iranian woman killed while watching a protest. She died in the street. Shot in the heart. The video shows her bleeding out her chest and mouth before she goes blank-eyed.

When all this mess started going down, I felt like a lot of my peers were being overly romantic about the revolts, talking about how we are all Iran and calling them brothers and sisters sort of seemed like folks were just looking for the next Che t-shirt. And maybe most of them are, but I started to read up on the situation. Something like 70% of Iranians are under 35. Most of the protesters are college students. Then I read this article on Jezebel and articles referenced therein about the election's huge effects on women, and the huge effects they are having on the protests. Then I watched the much talked about Neda video and saw someone brutally martyrd just for being there.

It's overwhelming. I just can't wrap my head around the situation. Women my age are being beaten and killed on the other side of the world. It doesn't make me feel romantic, it makes me wonder if I'd be brave enough to lay it on the line for what I believe in, to fight for my basic rights. It's a luxury to have that as a thought instead of reality.