A debate requires some degree of disagreement. Is there anyone here that doesn’t find the murder of these brave women abhorrent, or that supports the oppressive regime?
It doesn't have to be a 'debate' about whether or not oppression is right or wrong.
But that oppression can still be highlighted, and a discussion about how best to help resist it can be had.
I don't pretend to know the 'best' way to help, but ignoring problems because they seem 'too hard' to tackle is no solution.
'Looking away' or not talking about it, because it's too awful to contemplate, is playing into the hands of this violently oppressive regime.
It's easy, from within our (relatively) liberal society in the Western world, to forget how different cultural norms are in most of the rest of the world. Or even to forget how recently it was that women's lives here were very different - my grandmother was born before women were allowed to vote, and my parents were born before equal suffrage (and those are just the headline inequalities). It's far too soon to take any of this for granted.
Agree and our hard won rights are easily eroded if we don't pay attention.
As a woman even a privileged woman living in this relatively enlightened country the forces of patriachy that seek to control, and to silence women, are still very evident.
Look at the 'debate' over whether women should have reproductive rights or bodily autonomy.
The 'everyday' violence that is done to women, the causes of which are not properly tackled and the 'she was asking for it' excusing that is done.
The push back against feminism .
The 'everyday sexism' in our media.
The normalising of violent pornography.
The gender pay gap, and all the other political, economic and social inequality that's shrugged off as 'just how it is'
Of course the institutionalised oppression of women in places like Iran Afghanistan and elsewhere, are far worse, no one would deny that.
But they're all symptomatic of the same very poor attitude towards women.
Vigilance is required everywhere it would seem.
I understand what you say, and who knows where a debate about the problems of a modern country run as a religious theocracy will go?
Religion - being used as a tool of oppression and control is a fairly regular theme on here .
We've survived discussing it before - just about
There is support from men, certainly younger men, in Iran at the moment. If I can find the video links I'll post them.
It is an heartbreaking situation at the moment but these brave young women are also absolutely inspirational.
I had thought about starting a thread on Iran, and indeed on other topics, but the reality of this forum is that most threads eventually descend into snarkiness, foul language, or personal abuse and I'm not up for that at the moment.
I was in two minds about starting it myself, for some of those reasons..
But if it increases engagement and gives a couple of ideas about how to help.
Then perhaps it's not a complete waste of time.
Anyone wanting to start abusing others over this issue will just be massively telling on themselves, and can safely be ignored I reckon .
