Iranian in New York

This morning on my commute I had to change the station. Actually I changed the station, then put the CD back on. I'm so glad I have music I like.

On the radio, before I changed the station, I was listening to NPR's version of events from last night's address from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and was saddened not only by the way he was treated by the spineless university president, spineless because of the way he caved in to negative sentiment, and saddened by the so called recap of events. The presentation was extremely down on the Iranian president, gave him no credit for coming here, and downplayed any intelligent answers he may have given to questions that address his difference of belief, such as on the Holocaust or homosexuals. I suppose it was as though an atheist was looking at a believer in God, and feeling nothing but scorn.

I thought Time magazine's article was interesting, it emphasized the fact that he faces a tough election at home (despite being called a dictator - in a spineless attempt to associate him with Hitler and make him the evil ruler of our time), and that his words were really directed to his home audience. I can't say that point of view doesn't have merit, and is an interesting spin.

To get on my soapbox for a moment, I wonder who doesn't listen for the spin when they are watching, or listening to, or reading news. I imagine most people can't hear spin that agrees with them, like an accent that one has grown up with, but how many people realize how much has to be left out, and how the news can decide to phrase events which puts one side in a better light than the other.

And then there are the people who take these headlines seriously. If nothing they are good for a laugh, right? Unless of course you're Peter Fallow.