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Iran discovers that media can pacify the masses

Posted by Dan Stasiewski On June - 26 - 2009

Time reports that Iranian television is airing a 9-hour marathon of The Lord of the Rings in order to keep protesters off the streets.

From Time:

In normal times, Iranian television usually treats its viewers to one or two Hollywood or European movie nights a week. But these are not normal times, so it’s been two or three such movies a day. It’s part of the push to keep people at home and off the streets, to keep us busy, to get us out of the regime’s hair. The message is “Don’t worry, be happy.” Channel Two is putting on a Lord of the Rings marathon as part of the government’s efforts to restore peace.

This is definitely a positive. Americans and Iranians have more in common than most people would like to believe. I’m just glad our elections aren’t decided by some panel of partisan jurists.

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