Freedom of Speech

We really take for granted the freedoms we have in the Western world. With the click of a button, I can announce my opinions on various subjects to an audience of thousands. With the ever increasing advances in software, broadband availability and imagination of the public, my opinions can not only be announced through text, but also through audio (podcasting), pictures (online photo-albums) and even video (personal web-space as the only barrier). These sorts of freedoms, that we don't even think twice about, are not available in other parts of the world. Take for example Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian blogger who was arrested and sentenced to 14 years of jail time for criticizing (on his blog) the arrest of other online journalists. We look back at the Holocaust, or the Soviet Union, and think that brain-washing and propaganda is a thing of the past. It's going on as we speak in countries such as Iran. Accusations of espionage, and "insulting the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic" are being thrown around like they're nothing.

What's being done to fight against this? I guess you can say 'blogosphere vigilantes' such as Hossein Derakhshan who left Iran after his newspaper was shut down are taking this matter into their own hands. He is creating opportunities for other repressed Iranian bloggers to speak their minds. Although he is no longer at risk (you would think) in Toronto, he did make a trip back to Iran to cover the recent election.

So, although blogging, IM'ing and emailing seem like second nature to us, we really need to realize how lucky we are to have full access to them. Hopefully nations such as Iran soon realize how close-minded they are, and abandon their stagnant fundamentalist attitudes for something better. A society like ours? Maybe not. We are looking at two complete extremes here, and, as in all things, moderation is key.