Crowds of Iranian-Americans took to the streets of Westwood on Saturday to celebrate the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the reported formation of a provisional government by opposition groups, marking a moment many said they never expected to witness in their lifetimes.
Celebrations spilled into the streets near Persian Square with people waving Iranian flags, honking car horns and chanting in joy. Some danced in the streets, expressing hope for a freer Iran.
33 Comments
TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world · 35 pts · 200d
I would wait until you know who will replace Khamenei before celebrating. When despots are killed it creates a power vacuum and power vacuums tend to get filled. Maybe it will be filled with something better, maybe it won't. That's why killing and hoping isn't the best strategy.
tiredofsametab@fedia.io · 9 pts · 200d
Yeah, this seems like it could easily go into premature celebration territory.
Today@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 200d
Any thoughts on Pahlavi?
TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 200d
The Shah became quite autocratic by the early to mid 70s or so. But I think a fair number of Iranians today feel the Monarchy was preferable to the Islamist theocracy. And it should be up to the Iranian people. But if the Iranian people can't come to a consensus, the decision will be made for them, by the Islamists or the monarchists or the US and Israel, or someone else.
Today@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 200d
He says he has the support of the people. He also says he's been talking to the white House so there's that.
The two iranians I've spoken with are hopeful. One woman told me that she begged her brother in tehran not to join the protests - he said he couldn't stay inside when he heard the boots of his people in the street. When the shooting began, people opened their gates and garages to give them a place to hide.
It's really heartbreaking how many they've lost.
Hopeful for them but not optimistic given the US's history of 'assisting' with regime change.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 200d
He would say that, wouldn't he?
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 200d
The former Shah has the support of the people, except the ones he murdered on black friday, 1978.
That day, at least 64 and perhaps 100 or more people were shot dead, and the Pahlavi military injured 205 in Jaleh Square.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 200d
another fucking Shah.
His thugs murdered while he shat on a gold toilet.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 200d
What, none of them is holding up a MISSION ACCOMPLISHED sign?
kingofras@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 200d
These puff pieces are so obvious. There were less than 50 people in Brisbane yesterday, and it was plastered everywhere. But rallies with 500 to 1000s supporting Free Palestine are ignored at best or reported as a bundle of rallies or called anti-Semitic or organised by hate groups.
pycorax@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 200d
I was in Santa Monica a few days ago before it happened and there were at least 200 people there by the afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers hit 300 after I left.
kingofras@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 200d
The number isn’t as important as the tell of the media in how they choose to report them.
As somebody else posted: 9 Israeli lives will stay above the fold for days, and over 80 girls killed at school never gets front page.
Iconoclast@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 200d
I barely even follow the news but have seen reports of this all over.
pycorax@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 200d
Isn't that just dependent on the news sources you're following? There's definitely some bias here and there but that's why you should be following multiple sources from multiple backgrounds anyways.
0ndead@infosec.pub · 10 pts · 200d
Cool propaganda bro
OccamsRazer@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 200d
When is it propaganda and when isn't it?
Iconoclast@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 200d
When it goes against one's personal preferences and agenda.
OccamsRazer@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 199d
Ok good that's what I thought
0ndead@infosec.pub · 0 pts · 200d
When it supports the government’s message that people should be happy we just started ww3
REDACTED@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 199d
I don't think you understand what a WORLD war is. USA and Israel attacking middle east is basically tradition
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 199d
Why are people so dumb?
Yeah, you got a regime change, awesome.
Do you know why and how Khomeini got to power in the first place?
A regime change by the USA... That installed a dictator, that caused a coup which then got these religious right wing nuts into office.
So what do you think will happen next? Are all of you Iranians really dreaming that next up is democracy? I'm fully betting that your next dictator is already being prepared
Don't celebrate this, you're all under attack and this is just "the enemy of my enemy is not my friend"
Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 199d
Jesus Christ dude can ppl not celebrate for five minutes that the asshole who subjugated them is dead?Your smug ass has probably never lived under any remotely that oppressive and youre bitching because ppl are celebrating the death of man who very may well have disappeared their entire family.
They all know nothing good will come of it but its better than nothing
Fishnoodle@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 200d
Literally looks like 5 people with flags. Nice try.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 200d
They are promoting Pahlavi as King. One oppressive regime for another, no democracy. so hawt right now.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 200d
Iranian Angelenos are often former lackeys of the Shah, or descendants of the lackeys.
I've known quite a few. Much like the Batista-loving Cuban-Americans in Florida, but with better food and even glitzier tastes.
Maeve@kbin.earth · 1 pts · 200d
https://youtube.com/shorts/MQA0Z-EsIRA
FaceDeer@fedia.io · 0 pts · 200d
I have also declared myself to be the new provisional government of Iran.
Waveform@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 200d
Are those photos AI? Look at the US flag in the top image (not the prominent flag, the tiny one in the distance above the guy shouting with his arms up). Look closely at the stars... they make no sense!
We are going to have a near-complete filter over everything we see online, aren't we? The data centers need to not exist anymore >:|
gedaliyah@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
No, image is by Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times
Not everything is AI
Waveform@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 200d
Look at the image I've attached. The stars are clearly messed up. It's the same thing I usually see in gen AI stuff: when there's a repeating pattern, it tends to fall out of sequence near a visual border. In this case, the stars get bunched up and new ones added close to flag just to the left.
Perhaps AI was only used to enhance the image? Or it's a homemade flag?
Edit: It's true that not everything is AI. There's a nonzero chance that the flag is warped, which is causing the pattern break, or something else created artifacts. It's just really hard to trust anything right now, no matter the source.
gedaliyah@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 199d
I'm sorry, but you've lost the plot. This does not look at ALL like AI upsizing. There is no AI noise, faces are intelligible. Hands have the right number of fingers, and are attached to people. There is no AI noise. The stars are the correct number and in the correct arrangement (see overlay below). People have a range of expressions. The framing is natural.
Additionally, it is published and credited in a major news source with long-established editorial oversight.
Waveform@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 182d
I admit I was too hasty in calling it out as AI. For my own sanity, I tried drawing lines connecting the stars and determined there is likely a deep ripple in the fabric which causes the stars to be misaligned. It's not, however, straight like the image of the superimposed flag you attached, though.
And yes, I might 'lose the plot' sometimes, but I eventually try to get back on track :)
gedaliyah@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 182d
Hey it's a tough world out there. It's getting harder and harder to identify fake images, which is why I wanted to explain some of the telltale signs that it is real.
I also have a number of friends who are very outspoken in the Iranian-American community. There are a lot of bad actors out there who are trying to discredit their entire movement because Trump happens to be president. Who else are they supposed to appeal to for an international intervention? They just want to rescue their families.