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Culture shock
30-Dec-2007
Born and raised as a Tehranian, with a High School diploma from Mojtahedi’s Alborz High School, I left Iran when I was 18. My father decided that I needed to be educated in the “West”’s university system, even though I passed the “Conkoor” exam to enter the Daaneshgaah in Tehran under the Shah’s regime.
For those readers who are not in their 20s (see "Looking For A Fight"), back in the 1970s, the Iranian parents wanted their children to become either medical doctors or engineers (ya doctor besho, ya mohandes!!), I was sent to a university in Europe where they fully concentrated only in one subject during the 4 years of undergraduate studies. My father refused to send me to the US because he thought the freedom of choosing courses in a variety of subjects was too much of a “wishy-washy” upbringing to focus on becoming a professional Engineer or a Medical Doctor.
So, I went through a rigorous “one subject specialization” of the European university system, all the way to a Masters degree, never having a course in anthropology, psychology, philosophy, politics, cinema photography or basket-weaving/sports. I became so good in my specialized subject that UC Berkeley offered me a scholarship to come to the US for a PhD.
It was a culture shock in my 20s to come to the US educational system where you can actually “freely choose” what courses you’d like to take. For the first time in my life, I became aware of a subject called “Psychology”. It took me a few years in the US to realize what an egocentric asshole I was brought up by my parents.
As I completely switched from my old European specialization to a newly field of study in human brain and neurophysiology/neuropsychology, I began to analyze and recognize what a bunch of egomaniacs and egocentrics were the Iranians like me. I realized that most Persians, while pretending to know DNA, consider themselves as a part of 5000 year history as if that was programmed in their DNA versus the 13 billion years of the history of universe. As a born atheist (both my parents were atheists – unusual for Iran), I began to question the “God-given” pride of Persian nobility, as being displayed even today by the kids that are born in the West from Iranian parents.
Sorry Virginia. You are not so noble just because you can recite some poems of Sa’di, Hafez or Molana. Your cultural take of Iran is displayed by your love for Chelo-Kabab, a chai-ghand-pahloo, a BMW, or what cosmetic products Benazir Bhuto used before she was assassinated. Your culture is also augmented with HUGE amount of ego and fiss-o-efadeh, as if you had fallen from an elephant’s ass (as koon-e fil oftaadeh-ee?).
I am grateful to iranian.com for providing a forum to wake up (if only a fraction with access to Internet) of Iranians who are still deep in comma, full of their pride and ego – with no real reason. I only wish I had access to such a forum 40 years ago when I was a teenager. Maybe, I would have majored in English language – rather than blindly chasing an inherited belief system (see The God Delusion) or the Medical/Engineering schools.
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you are such an ungrateful
by nush (not verified) on Mon Dec 31, 2007 03:41 AM PSTyou are such an ungrateful individual who is just a whiner. Just thank God that your parents put you in a system where you had no choices because being such a bitter person that you are you would have been a nothing if it was up to you!
iranians' bigotry
by Anonymous-haha (not verified) on Mon Dec 31, 2007 01:20 AM PSTmy friend told me that in orkut, 2500 Iranians joined the group "anti-Arab Iranians". Messages in the group included : "Arabs are lizards,animals...fuck arabs,kill all arabs,because of arabs..Iran is backward".
wtf right?
but then in a Pakistan-Iran group, a Pakistani was bashed by Iranians as backward and filthy.
Iran is perhaps a racist nation. This "we-are-aryans-with-great-ancient-history" brainwashed Iranians to be racist scums.
No amount of Islam or secularism can clean up Iran from this racism.
Re: Curious Joe
by jamshid on Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:51 PM PSTQuote from your article: "Your (Iranians') cultural take of Iran is displayed by your love for Chelo-Kabab, a chai-ghand-pahloo, a BMW, or what cosmetic products Benazir Bhuto used before she was assassinated. Your culture is also augmented with HUGE amount of ego and fiss-o-efadeh, as if you had fallen from an elephant’s ass..."
Curious Joe, are you showing off the type Iranian friends and aquaintances you had over the years? Why else would you think of Iranians as you described?
Why don't you tell your "description" of Iranians to one of those who lost their lives to defend Iran in the war? Or one of those who got executed to free Iran from the IRI? What about to one of the thousands who have contributed to science and medicine all over the world? Many of them Albrozi as well... The list can be long.
How pathetic! Another "bacheh soosool" showing off his degree and his limited world of loser entourage, while putting other Iranians down. The IRI has already put us down enough, we don't need you to add insult to injury.
You don't think nor talk like an Alborzi, but then again, we always had self-appreciative soosools like you even in Alborz.
So you have renounced most of what your paraents taught you
by Rosie T. on Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:05 PM PSTand how they chose your life path for you...and made you into an "egocentric asshole"...and you've found answers on your own, good ones, real answers...like how Iranians are falling out of an elephant's ass..
and you attribute these revelations to the wisdom of your parents' atheism....
something doesn't quite fit here, Joe....it's hanging...like a crooked painting.....
Rosie
PS Let's HOPE they use make-up like Benazir BEFORE she was assassinated...I'd HATE to think it was AFTER...
Those kids will be proud of
by MM (not verified) on Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:33 PM PSTThose kids will be proud of individuals like you too, when they achieve high places.
And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the heart
Finally the reason why
by Sasha on Sun Dec 30, 2007 09:33 PM PSTWell, I finally understand why you are, who you are. :o) Your life was chosen for you at a young age. You know it is not too late to explore other areas of study on your own. It will bring great joy to your life if you simply search out knowledge in many areas, just for the pleasure of it. No deadlines and no one telling you, who you have to be or learn.
solh