Hello Readers! The dialogue that we have had in class, in combination with our reading materials, has provoked thoughts about how foreign cultures are actively misrepresented in the western world, and how Global Citizenship -as a concept and as a reality- may be playing a role in mitigating these influences. This topic of discussion stems from “Persepolis”, a graphic narrative that my ASTU class is currently reading and unpacking.
“Persepolis” provides a unique view of Iran from the raw perspective of a young girl. The defining feature of this literature is that the author, Marjane Satrapi, writes with purpose and with an agenda. She uses the writing to demonstrate how Iranian people do not fit the negative mold that the media and that western society has confined them to. Mergi, the protagonist, is a typical girl in a loving family that, along with the rest of their community, has the misfortune of having the corrupt and extremists views of the few poison their political system. Bravely, the community fights against this undemocratic and unjust state, defying the label that our society is so quick to blanket them with.
I find the inherent purpose behind this novel unsettling, not because of what Marjane Satrapi is trying to convey, but due to reality that it is necessary for her to do so. The question is raised as to how have we allowed ourselves to be so ignorant and blind to the strife of others just because we see differences? How have we permitted fear, confusion, and distorted media to influence us enough to discriminate against a group of people, casting blame upon them for the wrongdoings of a repressive and violent radical group? Despite the group’s claim to legitimacy neither the Shah nor the Islamic Republic upheld or acted according to the Iranian people’s needs and wants, yet this is not what we are led to believe, and most people don’t do the work of really digging for truth. The answer to these questions are complex, yet from my perspective one part of the problem is that we have left the politics to the politicians and it’s time for change. To prevent recurrences of this phenomena increased Global Citizenship is paramount. I am not yet sure the ways that this concept becomes a tangible reality, but this world needs individuals whose interests and allegiances are not tied back extricably to the state and whose minds are shaped by shared experiences and cross-cultural immersion. Minds like these are characterized by a deeper empathy and a respect for difference, not a fear of it.
As Global Citizenship and what it means to embrace that concept and transform it to a reality has been on the forefront of our academic agenda, I have been struck by the coverage that has surrounded Pope Francis and his speeches in America over the past weeks. From what I have heard, as someone who does not necessarily subscribe to his faith, his values and his practices exude my perception of Global Citizenship. He does not advocate for assimilation, he does not use the fear mongering methods that dictate so much of the political system, as we’ve seen in the coverage of the Iran war, and he is able to genuinely connect with all people on a level of humanity, setting an example of how we can rise above the ignorance that has become commonplace regarding differences among people.
-Chase T.R
Works Cited
Satrapi, Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Random House, 2003. Print.