Future of democracy in Iran lost to a media thriller

Michael Jackson may have been many things in his peculiar life, but I am sure that no one expected him to become a hindrance towards the spread of democracy in the Middle East.

As Iran prepared for a monumental election, the world watched and waitied with bated breath, hoping that the nuclear power would elect a more moderate leader. An estimated 80 percent of the population voted in the presidential election held on June 12 and popular consensus, as well as exit polls, named the more moderate Mir Hussein Moussavi the winner with an estimated 60 percent of the vote.

However, the official results did not echo the country's actual voting patterns, as the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was named the election's victor.

With high voter turnout and the possibility of a more moderate life for the people of Iran under Moussavi, Iranians did not take the rigged election lightly. The Iranian people took to the streets both in Iran and around the world in protest of such blatant disregard for the people's decision. Not since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 was such global media attention placed on the political system of Iran.

While the government made no considerable changes, passionate, revolutionary and sometimes violent discussions were being held around the world about the future of Iran and, for once, a majority of Americans seemed to be listening to and truly caring about an issue of international politics. It seemed for a few weeks in late June that a world-changing overthrow of the current Iranian government might realistically occur.

Then the movement that seemed to be gaining ground came to a screeching halt. A legendary 49-year-old American pop star died, and a country of 66 million lost all hope for a fair revote or a radical change in the government. The King of Pop literally stopped the world cold and greatly hurt the possible spread of democracy to a country that has long been a serious nuclear threat to the western world.

I mourned the death of Michael Jackson just like every fan of his music and I believe that his untimely death and painful life are two tragic stories of a historic American icon. However, I for one am extremely discouraged by the chain of events that followed his death in relation to the possible second Iranian Revolution.

It was as if the story of the Iranian people simply vanished from all media outlets for the month following Jackson's death. Mass riots, unfair imprisonment and violent military clashes all continued after Michael Jackson, but for weeks upon weeks, news outlets were nearing around-the-clock coverage of an apparent drug overdose as if the second coming had occurred. It grew into one of the biggest news stories of our lifetimes and the Iranian people were left in the dark.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has since been sworn in for a second term as Iran's president and the violence in that country has remained.

Reports of 30 to 60 deaths directly resulting from post-election conflicts have been released and even more accusations of torture, secret mass graves and false imprisonment are slowly being reported by American news outlets.

What does this say about the American people or, more fittingly, the American media? Our generation is one of complete apathy. When an international issue finally seems to be gaining some support from the American youth, mainstream media ignores its existence and instead replaces it with the continuous glorification of a celebrity's death.

I know that in this economic age, where the money lies is often where the attention is paid and Michael Jackson's death was a large earner for all parties involved. However, some element of responsibility must lie in the hands of the media to cover Iran, a nuclear power at odds with the United States, when massive protests, not seen in 30 years, are occurring.

This is a country with the capability to destroy large populations at the flip of a switch and its government was teetering on the edge of being overthrown. If this type of a story cannot be continuously monitored by the American media, hundreds of other stories of international unrest and violence taking place every day in countries like Darfur and Tibet are in even greater risk of never being heard.

The future of the Iranian people in regards to this recent crisis is something that has to be taken seriously by America and the rest of the democratic world. Bad timing cannot allow this issue to fall away from the forefront of international politics. Aside from the moral dilemma that faces ignoring such an inhumane situation as exists in Iran today it is in our own national security's best interest to cover the aftermath of this June's rigged election.