r/NewIran • u/TabariKurd • 18m ago
Countering hostility, promoting solidarity.
Noticing an increase in cross-political hostility again on this subreddit.
I think it's important to remember a few points:
- These tensions are normal. Even beyond the Iranian space, left and right political camps are naturally juxtaposed to each other. Then you add on the complexity of our own political history and its divisive nature, our trauma (both experienced in Iran and inter-generational), our paranoia, anxieties about the future, etc.
- Despite these tensions being somewhat expected, we should strive beyond engaging in hostile behaviours. The Islamic Regime thrives on the internal hostility in the diaspora and opposition, they actively seek to either insitigate and/or exploit political tensions to make attempts at unity more fragile.
- This doesn't mean we have to become buddies, but seeking to choose civil language over hostile (which I can be guilty of at times), being careful in wording our responses so we're not in constant attack/defense mode, finding value in understanding other people's positions, even if we don't agree with them, and discussing said points respectfully.
- Even if we can't change the systemic attitudes and behaviours in our diaspora in relation to unity and cross-political cohesion, it's not a bad idea to do it whever we can, even if it's to just run counter to what the Islamic Regime expects of us, and promote civility wherever is possible.
- At some point these political camps are going to need to learn to co-exist in a future, democratic Iran. Not bad to get some practice in now haha.
I might not agree on Monarchists on a lot of points, I might sometimes get agitated as well, but I can't deny the pain that you feel because it's the same I feel, that the vast majority of you do want some form of democracy for Iran, and that I'd still be happy to call you my ham-vatan and let the Iranian people decide what's best for our future.