Your Turn: Putting the Uprising in Focus

small typo- Iraq?
I have really loved your coverage of these days- the photo of the torn posters was particularly good.

Too bad the Green Revolution has already been taken. However, since that particular form of corrupt capitalism has been exposed for the profit taking it really was, why not use it for THIS greening?
Or, now that I’ve watched Rachel Maddow, perhaps the Mourning Revolution? Mourning being sacrosanct in Iran and used by the revolutionaries themselves in toppling the shah. It’s mourning in Iran? Whoa, I’ve got to stop.

There is kind of an interesting relationship between the protester’s peace symbol and the monument behind him. To my eye, it looks as though the monument (I don’t know what it’s called or what it memorializes) is almost an inverted version of the protester’s hand peace symbol. Also, if you were to draw a circle around the structure of the monument, would that not be nearly identical to what one thinks of in terms of the universal peace symbol? I swear I’m not high.

Whoops, thanks. And thanks.

I saw that too, but I’m not swearing I’m not high.
LOL!
No I do see that – you’re right. I will say that the mask was almost startling at first sight and rather ambivalent for an image of who it is who is rising up in Iran.

The Economist cover image is mine and the monument is called the Azadi Tower, situated in Azadi square. Azadi means “Freedom” in Farsi.
You can read more about the history of the tower here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadi_Tower
… and there’s an interesting 1979 file photo reissued this week that shows the tower:
http://bit.ly/KzjX9
Regards,
Ben Curtis /AP

Thank you. Great shot. Be safe.

The image is captivating and I am intrigued by the anonymity of the image. Given how public yet guarded the uprising seems to have been, this does seem iconic. However, I had not seen any actually masks yet, so I am wondering how typical that is. Nevertheless, the tension of a public display of hidden identity seems fascinating. It is not anyone particular, it is the public, a mass subject, rising up.

The picture that gets me is this one.

I wouldn’t normally expect the Economist to subvert the Neoliberal party line, but in this case their readers are hearing elsewhere what the US audience is not. The “Green Revolution” is a construct of the US press, as orchestrated by US “pro-democracy”destabilization efforts. The photo brilliantly concedes that the “green” reformist is masked, but his identity is revealed his gesture of the western peace sign, diametrically opposite to the Islamic symbol behind him.

Ben,
Thanks so much for writing. I echo Steve’s wishes. Take care.

I’m not a huge fan of this photo but I had a philosopher friend email me this photo out of the blue, he loved it.
What do other non-photographers thing.

Dont miss this image, which shows the dramatic impact of a peaceful uprising with many many many supporters:
http://jontaplin.com/2009/06/17/the-digital-difference/#comments

@Some Guy – many protesters have been wearing masks of some sort e.g. green scarves or anti-pollution masks, in order to conceal identity due to concerns about repurcussions from the authorities.
@eric – the gesture being used is not the western peace sign, it is the victory sign. Iranians use it both ways – fingertips facing forward or back – but it’s used to signify victory not peace.
@MSSS – That’s my photo too, thanks!
Regards to all… BagNewsNotes is a great site…

That is probably a whole lotta adrenaline pumping.

Thanks, Ben, for your work.
I mistrust the Economist and consider it an (admittedly iconic) organ of the great conservative dumb-o-sphere which has revealed itself over these past years.
This individual has by far the most substantial facial covering I have seen so far, and presents an image relatively more likely to be seen as alien and dangerous. To me, that would be a match for the Economist archtype.
That said, I like the economy of purpose of the mask with matching…uhh whatever those things would be called around his fingers.

Non-photographer here. I found the image striking. My first two visceral (and very negative) reactions were associations with 1.) hooded prisoners in Guantanamo & Abu Ghraib, then 2.) hooded KKK members, immediately followed by 3.) a good bit of cognitive dissonance because green has very positive associations/symbolism in Islam.
Once I got past the initial negative reactions and looked at it more closely I thought of several things: The title on the cover is “Iran Rises Up” and everything seems to echo that–the Azadi tower points up towards the sky (and the title), as does the gaze of the young man and the V formed by his fingers.
To take it a step further in terms of Islamic symbolism, one of the main associations of the color green is with the “gardens of paradise”. That the young man is wearing a green mask and gazing up (heavenward) he could be seen as both looking towards God for protection and/or a willingness to lay down his life and become a martyr in the course of striving for a positive Islamic ideal (unlike suicide bomber “martyrs”). This is reinforced for me by the Azadi tower in the background because its center mirrors both the arches & muqarnas found in mosques. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqarnas for info on muqarnas.
For the record, I’m an American woman who has been Muslim for nearly two decades and I’m also a graphic designer, so my interpretation of images related to Islam & Muslims may be a bit different than most. IOW my reactions to imagery tend to be distinctly American/Western, yet simultaneously influenced by my understanding & practice of Islam AND filtered through my designer’s critical eye.

I forgot to add that the darkened sky also brings to mind a sense foreboding. I wonder what the significance is of the two fingers being (apparently) tied together with green fabric… perhaps unity and/or victory being tied to something?
Anyway, excellent photo–the more I look at it, the more I see.

The monument is the Azadi (Freedom) Tower, which symbolizes Tehran the same way the Eiffel Tower symbolizes Paris.

thanks, economist, for ensuring i never buy your filthy rag.

USA media is having a hard time framing this because you can’t talk about a stolen presidential election without raising memories of Florida 2000.

I’m both looking for that iconic/chyrystallizing image
i noticed in videos emerging of the protests, in the aftermath of skirmishes where someone ends up getting shot or beaten up, protesters holding up their hands for everyone to see, smeared with the blood of their fallen comrades, a testimonial to how they are being assaulted and killed.
the economist wouldn’t dare put that on their cover.

Some Guy, keep in mind that the last Iranian protestor to make the cover of the Economist (during the 1999 uprising) wound up in the clink for several years for his trouble. Someone interviewed him the other day, in exile in Virginia. If I was the Econ’s photo editor, I’d run a masked image at this point, too.

another iconic image:
defiant women, persisting in their protests, holding rocks in their hands.