Neda

Last June, Kris shared with us the protests going on in the streets of Iran and specifically addressed the power of social networking.  Kris’ post stirred something in me that had been dormant for awhile.  She stirred up a focus beyond myself and woke me up to the rest of the world.  You see I’ve settled down a bit.  I’ve got a good job, a loving family, and wonderful friends.  I go to bed every night with my head on a pillow and blankets to keep me warm.  When I wake up in the middle of the night it’s from a dog barking or a thirsty 6 year old.  I don’t sleep in fear, have nightmares of a war, or wake up to bombs.  My life is simple and reading and hearing the news is sometimes too much to bear.  I’ll admit it I stopped listening…until I heard about Neda.

Neda was a 24 year old woman from Tehran, Iran.  You may or may not have heard her story.  Unfortunately it is all too common in this world but it’s hers and I feel compelled to tell it.  On June 20th she headed to the streets of Iran accompanied by her music teacher where thousands of protestors had gathered.  It was an intense day of clashing and tear gas was thrown into the crowds.  Neda headed to a nearby medical center to wash out her eyes and then decided to head home.  Wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and white sneakers Neda was shot in the chest 26 steps from her car.  She died almost instantly having a brief chance to say what some think was, “teacher I’m burning”.  The reason they know this is because Neda’s death was caught on video.  CNN ran the video and it was uploaded to YouTube that day.  Millions of people watched Neda die.  At that time she was a nameless victim lying on the street in Tehran.   People created a discussion forum on Twitter to post about Neda naming her a martyr.  One person posted, “RIP NEDA, the world cries seeing your last breath, you didn't die in vain. We remember you.”  Neda’s death became the symbol for a country in upheaval.  She became a martyr and people around the world were shocked by her murder.  This video made Neda’s life and death known to the world and more so it made a countries unrest known to the world. 

Neda’s video told a story of a nation and the media brought it to our homes but was it necessary?  CNN recently spoke with Neda’s mother who hadn’t spoke to the media since Neda was killed.  She said this of the video, "It was the moment of seeing her give her life, the life leaving her body. That was very painful. The look in her eyes at that moment. I wake up with that look in her eyes every morning; I go to bed with the image of that look in her eyes every evening."  The medias intent is to inform the public.  We can’t stop videos from being uploaded nor am I even remotely suggesting the censorship of anything, but is Neda’s video on CNN taking the message too far or is it taking it exactly where it needs to go?  Share your thoughts.

photo credit: here