Art of Simplicity

Back from a 2 day conference on Media & Communication in Tehran (below photo), on our way to train station, I and some of my friends were speaking about the topics of conference. The discussion led to a debate on different philosophies of communication. Right at this point, hearing the terms 'philosophy' and 'media', taxi driver asked us: "so, from your view, what is the philosophy of Nancy Ajram?" He was apparently a fan of the Arab singer.

This interruption, though seemingly naïve in the first glance, was deep enough to make me think about it for a while. All the professors we meet in such conferences, with all the tribunes they have, can hardly communicate their message(s) to public audience as effectively as Nancy Ajram does. More surprising is that Nancy speaks a different language, and her success in Iran is mostly due to her well-directed, story-telling video clips.

What is the secret to effectively speaking to public audience? I recall Hanibal Lecter in 'the Silence of the Lambs', saying: "first principle is, Claris, simplicity." Be simple and easily understandable, and people will follow you and sympathize with you as a real element; be complicated, and you will become the make-believe part of the story.

One may claim that 'simplicity' is the exclusive profession of Art. I, however, think that Simplicity is itself an Art; an art that many enlightened figures and thinkers unfortunately lack. People's day-to-day problems are simple, and they expect simple answers for their problems. But enlightened thinkers, who may know the solution much better than others, use complicated words to communicate an even more complicated thought. Here appears a gap between people's demand and thinkers' supply. And in Iran, Ahmadinejad is an example of those who take advantage of this gap. He speaks in a simple manner, and is easily understandable. He offers simple solutions (though his solutions may practically turn into nightmares). And in this sense, Ahmadinejad is an artist. This is why that taxi driver, that fan of Nancy Ajram, had hung a picture of Ahmadinejad in his car.

*****

Conference, under the auspices of Youth National Organization

Ayatollah Haj-Ali Akbari, Head of Youth National Organization

"a photo never lies"

ah, yes, if a photo is not manipulated using photo-editing tools, that will show a piece of truth; but the problem is that you can't be sure that it will be 'all the truth'.
in addition, you may fail to get a true meaning of that pic, specially if the pic is taken in a way to obscure some part(s) of the facts on the ground.

look at this photo:

(source)

this photo was given in a comment to an article on Guardian website. it shows Khatami (ex-reformist-president of Iran) while watching an agent torturing a possibly political prisoner.

dont go so far: neither pic is manipulated nor was Khatami so cruel.
the pic is taken in an exhibition: a former prison of Shah regime was changed to a museum, and some statues of Shah's Agents and also some prisoners were added to show what was used to happen in those prisons. look at this image which shows the officer and prisonor (both statues, not real ones):

this is what one may assume as an illusion!