To Have Limited Sympathy for the Australian Vloggers Detained in Iran?

[NikeDeLaSwoosh]

Obviously I have the usual human sympathy for young people going something so terribly traumatic, but seriously, what were they thinking?

It seems from the limited information currently available that they had deliberately planned their travels to encompass counties with a 'bad rep' for tourists apparently to disprove those reputations.

Then to fly a drone? How incredibly naive.

The tensions in the Straights of Hormuz have been well-documented in the press, and the plight of Nazanin Zachariah-Ratcliffe is never far from the public eye, how could they not have been aware of this?

It saddens me so much when instagrammers risk their lives, liberty, and for women, their chance of motherhood just for the insta-likes.

That poor couple, but gosh what a foolish thing to have done.

AIBU?

but they are powerless and caught in the middle of something that they had no hand in creating

Bollocks. Of course they had a hand in creating the situation they are in!

Audacity NZR is a totally different kettle of fish to this particular case.

YABU to have any sympathy for them.

Now they have (and will) involve a lot of other innocent people in their daft drama.

The Iranian government is adopting a policy of politics by hostage, and most of you seem to be on board. Darwin Awards? Fucking hell.

This. The other woman who has been detained is an academic, apparently. What do you think she did to earn her Darwin Award, get a PhD?

Is it that different? People imprisoned for alleged espionage for doing nothing very much.

Yes, Darwin. I assume they had access to the internet, and they could Google 'things not to do in Iran'.

It is the height of stupidity to go 'that country looks a bit dangerous, if we go there we are sure to increase our instagram following for our perfect airbrushed adventure' . Without doing the most basic checks to help you stay safe.

Bollocks. Of course they had a hand in creating the situation they are in!

If it hadn't been them, it would have been another British citizen. They had no hand in creating the political situation there.

I can't really believe people are reducing this to a ridiculous charge of flying a drone, while sneering at their choice of lifestyle and career.

The Iranian government is adopting a policy of politics by hostage, and most of you seem to be on board.

Even if they didn't ever intend going to Iran, most people know how dodgy the situation is in Iran. To go there and fly a drone anywhere is just nuts.

The editor of the Persian-language broadcaster Manoto TV, Pouria Zeraati, said on Twitter a source had told him the couple had been arrested “for flying a drone near the capital, Tehran”.

Earlier reports suggested the couple had been camping in a military area around Jajrood in Tehran province.

What do people think spies look like?

The other woman who has been detained is an academic, apparently. What do you think she did to earn her Darwin Award, get a PhD? Look! I made no mention of her! NONE! Some poeple end up in awful situations due to exteranal forces. The do nothing wrong but get caught up in someome elses issues. They deserve symapthy, all the aid they can get.

BUT FLYING A BLOODY DRONE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ??? That is, in anybodies language, a fucking stupid thing to do. How did they decide that was going to be OK? Answer: they didn't. They were so wrapped up in ther vlogging reality they forgot about the outside world! THAT I have no sympathy with!

Even pre-internet I managed to get across vast swathes of the world, some places like Iran, without doing anything to piss off local mores and laws! So yes! Darwin Awards. They use the bloody internet to promote themselves and their vlog, areas of interests, hobby horses, etc. But didn't use it to be sure they didn't do anything that would reduce their personal safety? Pshaw!

I can't have a lot of sympathy for rich kids thinking that they know better than everyone else and are above the law. We all know what the Middle East is like, I can't think why any self-respecting woman wants to have any involvement with most countries in that region.

But then you came out with the motherhood line. For that, you are VVDBVVU.

You can feel sorry for someone while also despairing at their incredible stupidity in travelling to Iran in the current climate.
It's amazing how daft and utterly naive apparently intelligent people can be.

So your basic argument is that because they failed to understand the wider political context they pretty much deserve years in an Iranian jail?

What do people think spies look like? that's a v good point too. Media gets hold of some media darlings to whip up ... what?

What do people think spies look like?

Don't they all look like this?

Now they deserve no sympathy because they're rich kids?

Fucking hell. Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Did they do no research on the sensitive area they were visiting?

The British Foreign Office posts warnings and advice for people travelling to certain hot-spots in the world. Does Australia not do the same for their nationals?

Even if you don't agree with a foreign government's security measures, you don't just go and enter the lion's den - and fly a drone to boot!

How naive can you get?

So your basic argument is that because they failed to understand the wider political context they pretty much deserve years in an Iranian jail? Me? No. I don't think they deserve that. But sympathy? No. The wider political context isn't new. In fact it was ONE OF THE REASONS THEY WENT THERE!^

You must think terribly highly of yourself to be an instagrammer/vlogger. It is probable that to do what they did requires a huge sense of superiority and infallibility which is inevitably going to end up badly.

They’re either thick or actual spies but I can still feel sympathy for people who could spend a very long time in prison far from home.

First the "chance at motherhood" nonsense and then you lie about a typo rather than admit you got the country wrong. I have very limited sympathy for you.

Does Australia not do the same for their nationals? Yes! And you need a visa to get in.

Remember they went because they know what Iran's reputation is.

It does seem to be a bit of a Thing - young people, nearly always white, nearly always from well-off families and relatively stable countries, go blundering into dangerous or sensitive situations and get themselves into dreadful messes. Because they have never learned that they are not invincible; that they are not in fact all that special, or that other cultures are other.

What happened to the sailors who was captured in neutral waters by Iran a few weeks ago? Big news at the time but I’ve heard nothing since about if they were released or not? Our navy tried to get there to stop the boat being captured but didn’t make it in time?

Seeing as such events have been in the news I think even going to Iran is foolish at the minute. Iran are desperate for some foreign prisoners by the looks of it to keep as human shields/negotiation tools. Flying a drone is the height of stupidity but yes I do feel sorry for them.

At least these two seem to have only fucked themselves up. There was a story recently about a woman with no medical training whatsoever opening a clinic to look after poor African children - and, naturally, despite her ''heartwarming' blog, a lot of the children died because she had no idea how to help them.