Over the weekend a small group of protestors objected to the possibility of war with Iran. Will others follow their lead?

Conor Friedersdorf



On Saturday I spent several hours on the streets of downtown San Diego interviewing passersby about their thoughts on the upcoming presidential election and American politics generally. I'd planned to capture their insights in vivid high-definition video, the better to convey them to their fellow citizens. As it turned out, nearly everyone who I approached gave some variation on the response, "I'd happily speak with you, but I don't really know anything about/pay attention to/care at all about politics." I put away my equipment and reflected on the useful reminder that those of us who read and write about national affairs on the Web exist in a bubble.



Perhaps an hour later, my fancy camera all packed away, the weekend bags of my fiance and I slung over my shoulders, I saw several blocks away some San Diegans with a message. They were protesting the possibility of a war with Iran over its nuclear facilities, perhaps figuring that pro-war forces have long since launched their own campaign. After running awkwardly down the sidewalk, jaywalking, and fumbling for equipment in a way that made me appreciate the action skills of every photojournalist, I managed to capture a short video using all the wrong settings:





Antiwar protest video from Conor Friedersdorf on Vimeo.

As you can see, it was a very small rally. Despite the fact that I'd have tweaked the chant ("No more Jesus kill"?), the optics, and even some of the slogans on the signs, I'd have to call it a success. Observers on the street, many of whom seldom think about politics, were confronted by the idea that America may once again be thrust into a war that a lot of their fellow citizens are against. The dissenters afford a significantly different impression about Iran than the evening news, which tends to focus on the possibility that Iran will get nukes and attendant sabre-rattling.