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On Iran, Islam, and Amazingly Stupid Comments

2009-07-13 · John · watch on YouTube · World affairs · news analysis

John points viewers to Shawn's new Bangladesh video, then answers three commenter objections to his Iran election video, arguing that caring about Iran matters and that Islam, like every religion, is not a monolith.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting (no calendar); Sean's new video about pwning poverty in Bangladesh

  • ★★ John says Nerdfighters have a guy in Bangladesh, Sean, who pwns poverty with their money, and that Sean has an amazing new video about his work there. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Shawn Ahmed, Bangladesh, Nerdfighteria
  • ★ John asks viewers to check out Sean's new video in the sidebar. — 00:00:00 · Shawn Ahmed

00:00:29 — Amazingly stupid YouTube comments on his Iran election video vs thoughtful Nerdfighter comments

  • ★★ Since his Iran election video John has read many amazingly stupid YouTube comments; he says Nerdfighter comments are generally thoughtful and respectful, unlike non-Nerdfighters'. (playful) — 00:00:29 · YouTube, Nerdfighteria, giant squid of anger

00:00:59 — Answering commenters: why care about Iran; why the Iranian president matters despite the Supreme Leader; "all Muslims" objection

  • ★★★ Answering a commenter, John says caring about America and caring about Iran are not mutually exclusive; Iranians must solve Iran's problems, but the two countries share a planet. — 00:00:59 · United States
  • ★★★ John says it still matters who Iran's president is, despite the Supreme Leader: Ahmadinejad ruined Iran's economy and unleashed morality police, and relations were better under his less crazy predecessor. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ To the claim that they're all Muslims who want to destroy America, John replies that Islam is not a single monolithic thing; all religious traditions are massively diverse. — 00:01:56

00:02:26 — Religious traditions are diverse; religion as a response to revelation; the revelation is not the problem; sign-off

  • ★★ John says he is a Christian but theologically probably has more in common with some liberal Muslims than with some conservative Christians. (hedged) — 00:02:26 > «I am a Christian»
  • ★★★ John argues religion is not a set of practices or a monolithic belief system but a response to revelation, which people respond to differently. — 00:02:26 > «Religion is a response to revelation.»
  • ★★ John notes that the Iranian protesters, those fighting them, the Bangladesh work and Bangladesh's corrupt government are all inspired by Islam. — 00:02:26 · Bangladesh
  • ★★★ John concludes that with every revelation, religious or secular, some respond by making the world better and some worse: the revelation isn't the problem, we are. — 00:02:55

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