Oscar-nominated
actress Jessica Chastain was recently in the news for lending support to the
protests in Iran.
The
death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody after being detained by Iran’s
morality police for wearing a hijab incorrectly sparked unprecedented protests
across Iran.
Videos
emerged on social media showing young protesters, often women, demonstrating in
defiance and facing a violent response from the police.
The
Iranian government, as they always do, blamed America and Israel for causing
the unrest.
Chastain
tweeted the following in support of Amini and the women of Iran, back
last September.
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/1574165505816121344
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/1574165508756119552
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/1574165510463393800
During a recent interview with
Marie Claire, Chastain revealed that the press seems hesitant to cover the
crisis in Iran
"I've
done a lot of press recently, and a lot of people want to talk about
Ukraine. But when I bring up Iran, no one wants to talk about that"
Chastain
was recently on ‘The View” when co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked her to
reiterate her reasonings about the scant coverage by the US media of the
Iranian protests, which began last year.
Chastain
blamed it on gender bias
“I
really believe it’s because it’s a women’s-led revolution, and we’re not used
to seeing that”
She
blamed it on religious bigotry
“I
also think that Ukraine is a predominantly Christian country. And it’s easier
for American media, and for us to, in some sense, identify with that”
Finally, she
blamed it on racism.
“But
I think it’s really important in this world to identify with people who don’t
look like us, and don’t believe in the same religions or don’t have the same
gender.”
Despite
that claim, Chastain herself has focused more on war-torn Ukraine. She paid a
visit to witness the damage and displacement and even met with fellow actor and
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1556618728955076608
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/1575140900392550403
Chastain
hasn’t revealed any attempt to visit Iran and join the protestors on the ground.
So
why is the US media more focused on Ukraine than Iran?
The US media and the D.C. establishment are keen to sell the war in Ukraine to the American people. This is another chapter of their anti-Putin narrative that began with the Trump-Russia collusion hoax.
So
they lionize Zelensky, compare him to Winston Churchill, and overlook his
proclivities toward totalitarianism. They ignore the fact that Zelenskyy
misused government agencies to target his political
opponents, the Ukrainian news
media who ask questions, and even religious
organizations, accusing them all of being pro-Russia.
With
every passing day, the news media claim that Putin is either ill, dispirited,
or on the verge of defeat, but the war shows no sign of ending.
The
US has dispatched $111
billion to Ukraine to fight the war.
It
is said that foreign aid offers an easy opportunity for legalized corruption.
The fact that Senator Rand Paul's request to add
tracking measures to the funds was rejected makes it perfectly obvious what
the motives are.
The
contracts will be assigned to cronies with quid pro quo agreements, perhaps
some members of the media are recipients of legalized kickbacks.
This
is why the media is focused on Ukraine, religion or race has nothing to do with
it. The same media was once focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both
Muslim nations with a population of people of color.
Now
about the hesitation of the media to cover Iran.
The
exiled Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad talked about the protests in
Iran that began last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7bbWW8g7cU&t=1s
Alinejad
said she grew up in a country where a woman showing her hair, could be
sent to jail and could receive lashes or be killed.
However
Western feminists prevent her from talking about her harrowing experiences
under the Iranian regime because they fear being accused of
perpetuating Islamophobia.
Alinejad
slammed Western feminists who choose
to wear headscarves and veils when traveling in Islamic-dominated countries
like Iran. She said feminists seeking to be culturally sensitive
exacerbate the problem and end up siding with the oppressive regime.
This
is also the mindset of most in the US media.
They
are petrified of being critical of the anachronistic practices in
Iran which are driven by religion because it could lead to accusations of Islamophobia,
xenophobia, and racism.
The
only way they could criticize the Iranian regime is to falsely equate it with Trump’s
MAGA movement and claim both are driven by misogyny.
Being
tolerant of the intolerant promotes intolerance.
But
that is exactly what identity politics end up doing.
The
race, gender, and religion of the perpetrator take precedence over
the tenants of civil liberties and democracy. Instead of focusing on and
condemning any violation, the focus remains on the demographic group of the
violator.
This
mindset isn’t just restricted to the media.
The Manchester
Bombings in the UK that happened in 2017 that killed 23 and injured 1017
could have been prevented. The security guard
on location revealed much later had a “bad feeling” when he saw Manchester
Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi but did not approach him for fear
of being branded a racist.
Lives are lost while liberals have created a climate where the focus remains on the feelings of the perpetrators.
This
is the climate perhaps in most Western democracies.
The question is how many lives will have to be lost and ruined before this madness ends.
Also appears on American Thinker
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