So, if it isn't apparent already, ever since I stopped having a job in November, I've been watching massive amounts of TV. My unemployment status ends on Monday (eeep!), but for now, most of my experiences involve THE TUBE, that old-timey mesmerizing machine of yesteryear. Yesterday, I watched a documentary called Welcome to Tehran where this journalist dude hangs out in Tehran, basically. He interviewed a bunch of people, and a lot of the time, their descriptions of Iran seemed very apt as descriptions for Israel, too. But that's probably because I'm self-centered and relate every TV show to ME AND MY LIFE. (This is completely unrelated, but every time I say the word 'television' in my head, it sounds the way Kenneth would
say it on 30 Rock).
One woman, who runs a cancer non-profit, was saying: Most of my friends have left Iran, but if everyone leaves, who will show the world that we're not really what we seem to them? There will be no one to change things if everyone left.
(And then I was tearing up and yelling "Yeah!" at the TV.)
Then at the end of the doc, the journalist said: The residents of Tehran face many problems, one of them being living in a congested, overpopulated city. And they face a government which seems more and more out of touch with its people. But Iranians have a deep love of their country.
I felt like he was speaking right to me! I know Iran is different from Israel in a lot of ways, but in many ways it's the same. So many people leave or want to leave Israel, and many people have given up on it. No one expects anything good to come out of our government. Yet some of us still live here. A lot of "us" are crazy (and thus are not people I want to put in an "us" category, but more of a "them"), but some of us, aka me, are not crazy! Well, I guess I can be a little crazy, but at least I'm not a racist religious fanatic, so that's a start!
The journalist also talked about the Iranian tradition of offering people things that they're supposed to refuse. The journalist's cab driver invited him to dinner
at his house, and the journalist said yes. After a while, the cab driver and the translator told him about how Persians offer you things like paintings or food that you're really supposed to say no to, and the journalist got embarrassed. This brought back some memories. Chris, I still owe you for doing all those awesome, undeserved favors for me that I was really supposed to say no to.
But whatevs, you offered.
In other tantalizing television news, Shulamit Aloni was featured on a political talk show (aka yelling show) yesterday! She's a little old lady now, but she kicked the asses of the conservative panelists on the show. It was inspiring. She did all the yelling I do at the TV for me. This entire war, I haven't seen ANY progressive voices on TV and it's PISSED ME OFF. (Among other things which have pissed me off). Aloni was a long-awaited voice of wisdom. Whenever the other panelists tried to point out some "fact", she would just yell "no, not true" and shake her head at them. And then a woman called in from Southern Israel talking about how she's for the war but she really "feels for Arabs" and "has a bunch of Arab friends." She actually said "I have Arab friends!" WTF? Sorry, that little story was unrelated to Aloni's awesomeness but I just had to share the retardation. Then, Shulamit Aloni was going on and on about how Israel made Gaza into a jail and the conservative guy said "and who's fault is that?" (that's what they all say on these stupid shows) and Aloni yelled "it's the occupation's fault!"
She brought down the house. Best little old lady ever. Except for my grandma, of course.
In conclusion, there's been some good stuff on TV. The end.
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