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The U.S. media is in a frenzy over the election in Iran. I agree that the results were probably rigged, that it was not a fair election, and I, too, would have liked to see Ahmadinejad defeated. But what amazes me is how un-self-aware we Americans are in the face of a stolen election.
Many articles I am reading seem to be encouraging Iranians to revolt. Journalists seem more interested in egging on angry Iranians than trying to understand the problems with the system that led to this situation. One article describes it this way: "the possibility of choice did inspire what had seemed to be a passive society to protest". There is no doubt about it, the American media wants Iranians to protest. The words "revolution" and "coup d'etat" are not far from their lips.
This strikes me as rash for two reasons, one of which is obvious: Revolutions do not have a history of producing the intended outcome, and Iran is no exception. The second reason is that we seem to have forgotten that not nine years ago, we as a nation calmly rolled over and accepted the results of an election that many of us believe was unfair. In fact, most of the country seems to agree that Gore won the popular vote, that the vote recount in Florida would have given Gore that state's electoral votes, and that the supreme court decision was a political one (reported to have contributed to Sandra Day O'Connor's dissatisfaction with her job and colleagues). Is that very different from what is happening in Iran today? In the end, our election was decided by a handful of people in black robes, too. So why are Iranians being encouraged to put their system of government, their economic and political stability, and even their lives, on the line? Did any of us call for that kind of reaction here in 2000? Isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle "a passive society"?
It seems to me that if the American media paused for a moment of self-reflection, they might think twice about encouraging protests and upheaval. In the end I don't know what the right reaction would be - to the current situation in Iran or to our own situation in 2000. But what I do know is that it's probably easier to see a speck in another country's electoral system than a branch in our own.
