A note on discourse.

If we genuinely care about Iran, we need to center Iranians, not ourselves.

I’ve been seeing a lot of rhetoric lately that uses Iran as a way to call out, shame, or position oneself above others. That kind of language doesn’t help the people on the streets of Iran. It recenters the speaker, not the crisis.

Call-out rhetoric is not mobilizing rhetoric.

Shaming does not educate. It polarizes. And polarization leads to disengagement.

This matters because discourse is not neutral. In authoritarian contexts, protest legitimacy is fragile. Certain kinds of external antagonism, even when well-intended, can be structurally useful to repression.

This isn’t about silencing anyone. It’s about responsibility.

If you want people to care about Iran, help them understand Iran: the economic collapse, the courage and vulnerability of protesters, the risks they face; and the people, language, history, art, and culture of a country living under a brutal dictatorship it wants to break free from.

Curiosity builds empathy.

Empathy sustains attention.

If we care about Iran, the task is simple: center Iranians. De-center yourself.