There was much discussion on the twitters in Phoenix about whether or not turning an avatar green was a useful way to show support for Iran. To me it is the same as wearing a pin or putting a bumper sticker on your car. It’s a label, a way of declaring your beliefs. But a fairly painless one that really makes no impact in the big picture. This is what I thought originally, so I had resisted changing mine.
Then my bff, Neda, changed hers and asked me when I was changing mine. Neda is Iranian-American, first generation to be born here of her family. Her husband grew up in Iran and got to vote in this election from the ASU campus. While studying at ASU, I did a year long project about her and her family, learning more about Iran. The idea behind the project was take on, as an individual, the job of understanding another country, one that was in the middle of crisis and transition. If we all took a little time to do that, my thought is there would be a lot more empathy on a global level.
So when she asked, I knew it meant something to her and her family that people were supportive and concerned for their home country. I had a tangible reason to change my avatar to shamrock shades. I can’t help them in any way, but I support their battle. People seeing and knowing they aren’t alone can make a small world of difference.
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