A couple of wealthy young folk decide to travel the world while building profiles as social media influencers and get taken hostage in the Middle East.
Am I jaded or something when I react by thinking what the fuck were they thinking?
Muttering 'get a real job' might be too harsh perhaps...
I don't care if they get a real job or not, but I do care that they were so selfish and stupid as to end up needing intervention from our government, using up time and money that would be better spent elsewhere. I wonder if their rich parents will make substantial donations to refugee charities to demonstrate their gratitude.
dumb asses - honestly, Iran? WTF were they thinking...
Well if they risked it for the right intentions it might have been worth it, what were they actually doing there? Trying to expose their poor human rights or something?
They were unbelievably stupid to go to Iran; how the devil could they NOT have known that visiting the M.E. isn't always the brightest move to make? Assuming that they're reasonably intelligent & have the capacity to read news reports, they really should have been well aware of that.
And yes, since their families are well off, perhaps they should make some contribution to getting these two twits safely out.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/10/26/great...-iran/#_=_
"Travel bloggers Christopher 'Topher' Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray were believed to have been held in detention in the conservative Islamic Republic since entering the country in July.
"The New Zealanders we have been supplying with consular assistance in Iran have now left the country and they are safe and well. For privacy reasons we are unable to comment further," MFAT said this morning.
"Over the past several months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and New Zealand Government has been working hard to ensure the safe exit of two New Zealanders from Iran," Ardern said. "I can't give much more detail, but I can confirm that that has occurred and it has been particularly difficult I understand for the two individuals involved.
"I have been advised this morning of their safe exit from Iran and I can tell you it was with great relief that I learnt that news."
When asked why the pair were detained, Ardern said that other details of the incident should come from the family and couple."
(26-10-2022, 01:56 PM)C_T_Russell Wrote: [ -> ]Well if they risked it for the right intentions it might have been worth it, what were they actually doing there? Trying to expose their poor human rights or something?
Social media influencers were they not? Not a category I would rate highly on any humanitarian scale...
Money, power, celebrity = success as an influencer. These young people wanted that success and were willing to challenge risk in order to boost views and gain followers. With an instagram like theirs they entered a strictly conservative authoritarian state and thought they could use it for their own purpose.
Epic fail.
It is EXACTLY the same as those kids doing ram raids on Tik Tok. Just dressed up to look more socially acceptable. 21st century corruption perhaps.
and on the news tonight - because of these two the PM had to tone down the govt's response to the treatment of women in Iran
(26-10-2022, 05:19 PM)king1 Wrote: [ -> ]and on the news tonight - because of these two the PM had to tone down the govt's response to the treatment of women in Iran
Not good, probably the govt is in talks with them to try and work something out i guess.
What were they even arrested for? Why are we only hearing about this months later?
(26-10-2022, 05:23 PM)C_T_Russell Wrote: [ -> ] (26-10-2022, 05:19 PM)king1 Wrote: [ -> ]and on the news tonight - because of these two the PM had to tone down the govt's response to the treatment of women in Iran
Not good, probably the govt is in talks with them to try and work something out i guess.
What were they even arrested for? Why are we only hearing about this months later?
The media shut up by agreement. Hence we know very little. Privacy they say. For social media influencers?
Now there's an oxymoron.
(26-10-2022, 05:23 PM)C_T_Russell Wrote: [ -> ] (26-10-2022, 05:19 PM)king1 Wrote: [ -> ]and on the news tonight - because of these two the PM had to tone down the govt's response to the treatment of women in Iran
Not good, probably the govt is in talks with them to try and work something out i guess.
What were they even arrested for? Why are we only hearing about this months later?
The lack of public knowledge of this was explained on the TV news tonight but I guess you don't watch that due to CT about MSM.
(26-10-2022, 05:27 PM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: [ -> ] (26-10-2022, 05:23 PM)C_T_Russell Wrote: [ -> ]Not good, probably the govt is in talks with them to try and work something out i guess.
What were they even arrested for? Why are we only hearing about this months later?
The media shut up by agreement. Hence we know very little. Privacy they say. For social media influencers?
Now there's an oxymoron.
Sounds like they are trying to work out a prisoner exchange or something perhaps!
Who knows if we have any Iranian prisoners to send there!
No prisoner exchange or anything like that was contemplated, nor possible CT. Look up the media reports.
(26-10-2022, 05:27 PM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: [ -> ] (26-10-2022, 05:23 PM)C_T_Russell Wrote: [ -> ]Not good, probably the govt is in talks with them to try and work something out i guess.
What were they even arrested for? Why are we only hearing about this months later?
The media shut up by agreement. Hence we know very little. Privacy they say. For social media influencers?
Now there's an oxymoron.
With the emphasis on moron.
Sorry, unable to resist.
(26-10-2022, 06:15 PM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: [ -> ]No prisoner exchange or anything like that was contemplated, nor possible CT. Look up the media reports.
It does seem that they're just idiots who thought that, because they're well known, well off 'influencers' then the rules just didn't apply to them & nothing bad would, or could happen to them.
The one good thing is that with luck, they may have learnt that yes, those rules do apply to them. Something they really should have learned several years ago.
A human rights advocate is slamming two Kiwi travel influencers after they became stuck in Iran despite being warned it was unsafe to travel to the country.
Human rights advocate Samira Taghavi told AM on Thursday the couple's actions were "absolutely reckless" and "self-entitled" in the current environment.
"There was a warning in terms of a travel ban to Iran since 2020 and there were clear warnings you should not come to Iran as a tourist and use drones," Taghavi told AM.
Taghavi said the couple's actions have resulted in the Government taking a softer stance on what is happening in Iran.
"They have put themselves at risk and in the past four months that stopped our Government here for a variety of reasons to condemn unequivocally what was happening in Iran whilst they were focussing on these two New Zealand Europeans," she said.
And the thing is that when they are safe and sound whats the betting they will ride this to the hilt and make as much money out of it as they can by playing the poor victims.
(27-10-2022, 12:20 PM)Oldfellah Wrote: [ -> ]A human rights advocate is slamming two Kiwi travel influencers after they became stuck in Iran despite being warned it was unsafe to travel to the country.
Human rights advocate Samira Taghavi told AM on Thursday the couple's actions were "absolutely reckless" and "self-entitled" in the current environment.
"There was a warning in terms of a travel ban to Iran since 2020 and there were clear warnings you should not come to Iran as a tourist and use drones," Taghavi told AM.
Taghavi said the couple's actions have resulted in the Government taking a softer stance on what is happening in Iran.
"They have put themselves at risk and in the past four months that stopped our Government here for a variety of reasons to condemn unequivocally what was happening in Iran whilst they were focussing on these two New Zealand Europeans," she said.
And the thing is that when they are safe and sound whats the betting they will ride this to the hilt and make as much money out of it as they can by playing the poor victims.
You're probably right, but I'm not so sure many people will have much sympathy for them, in view of both their stupidity & the number of people who've been killed protesting there, which our govt was thanks to their foolhardiness, unable to comment on.
I hope not too many will be daft enough to sympathise with these utter idiots.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63408505
"Despite some speculation in local media, New Zealand's government has insisted that it had not given Tehran anything to secure their release.
"There is no deal, there's nothing in return. Absolutely not ... I can absolutely guarantee you no deal has been done," deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told reporters.
Westerners have frequently been detained by the Iranian regime, which seeks to use them as bargaining chips to secure concessions from governments which have sanctioned it.
As a result, most Western countries - including New Zealand - advise against travelling to Iran.
Some in New Zealand's media have questioned why the couple ignored that advice. Mike Yardley, a columnist with the Newshub media outlet, questioned why "so-called travel influencers were oblivious to that status - or spurned the official advice and threw caution to the wind".
"Either way, self-responsibility was sadly lacking," he added."
And now the entitled morons are requesting "privacy" for themselves and their families. So unaware.
(27-10-2022, 02:56 PM)Olive Wrote: [ -> ]And now the entitled morons are requesting "privacy" for themselves and their families. So unaware.
social media influencer requesting privacy - i'm sure there must be a setting somewhere for that...
Richwhite's dad might be familiar - he was one of the "merchant bankers" who plundered the state after the neoliberal takeover in the 1980s - remember Fay, Richwhite?