Sic Semper Tyrannis

I Don't Know

Many Iranians were very nice to me, when they learned that my mother is American.

In fact, some of the ones who were the nastiest were the Shah's supporters I encountered at Iran Zamin.

I remember that they blamed America for the revolution.

In contrast, some of the nicest people to me were ironically the same ones who were supporting the revolution, the takeover of the US embassy, and were saying "Death to America" every day.

Some of them tutored me for free, when I didn't yet know how to speak, read or write Farsi. 

The world is a strange place. 

Tabarzin

"Native American culture is absolutely superior to the culture of mainstream WASP America."

False Analogies

You're comparing apples and oranges.

Germany was utterly defeated - and not by the US alone, but by at least two other world powers (Great Britain and the Soviet Union, and arguably the Soviet Union contributed most to Germany's defeat).

Red Army soldiers committed the biggest mass rape in history in Germany, and weren't punished. The soldiers of the Western Allies also took advantage of German women, leaving behind a whole generation of bastard children, the offspring of a conquering enemy.

The Germans were powerless to resist. 

Japan was utterly defeated. Its Tokyo was flattened by firebombing in B-29 raids. Its navy and airforce were destroyed. Its helplessness was apparent to the average citizen of that country.

Vietnam was bombed to smithereens, too.

In all those three cases, the countries involved were at war, and were defeated (or in the case of Vietnam, seriously gutted).

A defeat that everyone can see and is convinced of, is different from a king who is not accepted by everyone in the country as their legitimate ruler, or a consciousness that he was installed by some sneaky foreigners who don't directly run the country.

Dear Iran haters/Pahlavi Haters anonymous

Iranian culture is not this disfunctional nonsense we see with the IRI or Khomeini's vision.

Persian culture is not dysfunctional or vindictive.  It's visble in the customs and traditions of people far outside Tehran, it's colorful, fun loving and freedom worshipping at its best.  The language, philosophies and poems have helped shape it.  When the British empire came into Iran to study the culture at a time when Iran was suffering it's worst poverty, they made some flattering observations, namely that the culture that remained despite the deep poverty was the most evolved and worthy of respect because it had given humanity so much. 

That's a misinterpretation of the blog

There is no comparison / denigration of two cultures. This blog is a critique of our culture by comparing the same to three other cultures, none of which are American. In fact, the instinctive and almost knee jerk comparison of Iran with the U.S. is another cultural illness that we have yet to overcome. But that's a subject for another discussion.

Different cultures place emphasis on different things. Some on being industrious and some on being philosophical. Think Germany and post Islam Iran. Which one is superior? Longevity alone is not determinative. The answer is subjective, and depends on one's point of view. I think what you're referring to is richness of a culture, not it's "superiority.". There you will have a proper argument.

Umm

AO jaan, this blog is a denigration of Iranians and your arguing of our cultural inferiority vis-a-vis the Yank. How is what you are saying in this blog not exactly what you are accusing me of? You are very overtly arguing the cultural superiority of the Yank here.

My argument is based on a collective historical experience. I am not just saying Iran uber alles. I am saying all Traditional cultures that have several thousand years of culture behind their belt are culturally superior to the general cultural nescience and philistinism of the whole civilization of the white Anglo-European in North America, i.e. the WASP. I even instanced Native Americans. Native American culture is absolutely superior to the culture of mainstream WASP America. WASP culture is epitomized by those videos I posted - and the critics who made those videos are btw (surprise, surprise!) Jews. You also cannot equate technology with culture either.  Culture inhabits a different space altogether than technology (and this in itself is a whole other discussion).

Brother Salman - you are either incapable of understanding

English or you are pretending to be incapable of understanding it. first, I did not accuse Wahid (who happens to be a distant relative of mine) of being a racist. I know that he is not. Second, the sentence that you have copied and pasted below does not claim anyone's culture to be supreme to anyone else's. It just makes fun of those who claim that we were a bunch of savages who had no cult before Islam.

You do, however, have a point insofar as the title of the comment can be misleading,  The title should be &"claims of cultural supremacy can lead to racism."  I wanted to change it, but it apperas as if you have hit the "reply" button so I couldn't.  I apologize to Wahid if the title is misleading.

Now, Al-Salam-o- alaykum va rah mat-ollah va barekatoh...

Now who is a racist AO? And who is a hypocrite?

Funny you of all people must accuse tabarzin of racism just because hes used the term 2culture". Look at your own words:

 After all that Arabs--especially those of the Arabian Peninsula--have done for us...they brought us a decent religion, culture, humanity, justice...they essentially saved us from ourselves.  And now we have people like "Salman" below accusing them of wanting to fornicate with our underaged virgin girls...

People like Salman have no shame whatsoever!!! 

 //iranian.com/main/blog/anonymous-observer/persian-history-video-inappropriate-citizens-world

These were your sarcastic remarks about Islamic culture back then - suggesting that Iranians were culturally superior. I invite readers to read your blog above and judge for themselves who is a racist and who is a hypocrite. 

The answes are the same! 

For an Islamic democracy

Wahid Jaan - Cultural supremacy is code word for racism

You're a pretty smart guy, and you know that I value your intelligence.  How could you not know this?:-)  

Have you read Mein Kampf?  I have.  I checked it out from my college's library and was late returning it, which meant that I had to go to the circulation desk.  The lady there asked me if I was doing a project on racism.  I said "no, just wanted to read it."  She looked at me like I had two heads.  I think she was Jewish.  Anyway, I just wanted to read it and see what it was all bout.  Hitler talks about cultural supremacy a lot.  So, therein lies the danger of going down that road.  Anytime you get to the point of "we are superior because..." you're at the precipice of a very dark place.  That's the first problem with your argument.

Second, cultural supremacy is very subjective.  What you may consider supreme may look rather inferior to someone else.  What if I disagree with your definition of a superior culture?  What is a superior culture anyway?  One that has many poets and talks about love or one that is industrious and has served humanity by building the jet engine, puttting a man on the moon, discovering penicilin and the polio vaccine?  Does the purity and the longevity of a culture automatically make it "suprior?"  How about a culture that allows criticism of itself (like the videos that you embeded below) to be shown as movies all over the world as opposed to culture who would put you in front of a firing squad for doing so?  Which one is superior?  What if the standard of a supriority of a culture is whether or not its industrious?  Then what?  Who is qualified to set that standard anyway?  See where this is going?  It's going to go back to the first point: a very dark and dangerous place.   

Siavash300

culture and sub-culture

"Anglo-European America has no culture as defined by that term" Tabarzan

The attached video shows a group of "hell angels" bike rider gangs which is representative of "white trash". This sub-culture has nothing to do with Anglo-European culture. Anglo-European culture has been inspired from by industralization, French revolution and protestantism idealogy. It is not even touched by Catholism which is very close to protestanism. Merchantalists from Europe based their idea on working hard and spent less which leading to accomulation of Capital or forming Capitalism is predominant of Anglo culture in U.S  What you see in the Tabarzen posted video is a group of white trash  which has no place in predominant Anglo culture. Sounds a little cultural bias in tabarzen statement.  

    It is like someone comes to Iran and sees the behavior of "Tayyeb gang" or some one like "Ghaysar" or any Lampoons in southern Tehran and immediately generalize those mentality to Iranian culture.  

We are indeed culturally superior to North Americans!

As are most other cultures who have several thousand years under their belt as compared to America's meagre 200+ years. Unless you take the Native Americans as the true representatives of integral American culture, which I can agree with, Anglo-European America has no culture as defined by that term. Its so-called culture is an amalgam of the Protestant ethic of the Puritans that birthed capitalism and came over there destroying the Indigenous civilization, and the paragon of all crudeness. High culture is ours, and high culture is defined metaphysically by this here (which I wrote some time ago elsewhere) and which contemporary American culture does not possess:

In the Persian language there is the word 'mehr'. Etymologically this
Persian word is connected to the pre-Zarathushtrian solar deity Mithras.
'Mehr' in Persian has several meanings and is encountered quite often
in poetry. 'Mehr' is the more high literary word for the 'Sun' (which is
generally *Khorshid*) but also means love and affection. Interestingly
enough (and even though Persian has no gender) 'mehr' is considered to
be female much like the word *shams* (Sun) in Arabic which is
grammatically feminine in that language. 'Mehr' is also a quality the
possession of which is said to distinguish a human from common beasts
although literary fables sometimes embody the quality of 'mehr' within
certain animals (eg. birds, horses, etc). As such 'mehr' is the pivot of
nobility, virtue and simultaneously the cosmic balance. Interestingly
enough, whereas mehr as we said is held to be feminine, all of the
qualities attached to it are said to be masculine. To have 'mehr' is to
be noble whereas to lack 'mehr' is to be ignoble whereby the possession
or lack of possessing 'mehr' then becomes the difference between
possessing class/caste and culture and its opposite. All of these are
qualities said to be bestowed by Heaven, thus mehr is a divine sanction,
and so therefore the implication is the more in possession of mehr one
may be, the closer to Heaven and the Celestial Powers one is as well. To
know Mehr, moreover, is to know Truth. 

In contrast, this is real American culture: //www.everythingisterrible.com/2010/09/show-us-your-freedom.html

And this,

Dear Rea, Thank you for sharing your thoughts (as always)

I do have to say though that I do not believe in collective guilt, but rather national responsibility.  Collective guilt denotes a situation where a nation is blamed for a ruler's actions long after that ruler is gone, which is what you allude to in your comment.  I don't think you should feel guilty or embarassed.  Why should you?  You weren't even born at the time.  

However, adult Germans of the 1930's and the 1940's (just like adult Americans of the 1960's and 1970's and adult Iraqis of the Saddam era and adult citizens of all other belligerent nations) should feel responsible for what their respective governments did, even if they actively disagreed with it.  After all, they brought those governments to power and sustained them.   As an American citizen, I have to say that I feel responsible for what George W. Bush did, even though I didn't personally support him.  

AO provocative as usual, for better or for worse ;o)

Accordingly, comments on the blog got rather personal. 

Just one thing from me. About collective guilt, it has always puzzled me.

Every time I come across (whether reading or talking to people) something about my country's shameful behaviour during ww2 I feel terribly embarassed. Yet I wasn't even born at the time. See, even for someone who refuses the notion of collective guilt, I must admit it does exist.

PS. not much to do with the blog but had to say it. 

Tabarzin - thanks for the free psych eval. But I don't think so

Our "culture" needs a lot of self examination and correction. And it's not going to improve by us fooling ourselves into believing that we are somehow culturally superior to everyone else. The fact that we are incapable of accepting the slightest criticism and call those who criticize all kinds of names and label them with whatever we can think of (your friend VPK's hysteria and personal attacks being perfect examples) should alarm us, or at least it should alarm any objective culture that strives to improve itself. But, of course, not us. We are just too perfect of a species to accept criticism and change. We are perfect just the way we are...and that's why our country is being ruled by the only theocracy in the 21st century!
As for America, this blog is not a comparison between the U.S and Iran and I am not a representative of the American people. Nonetheless, please feel free to criticize America as much as you want.

I am with VPK here and 2nd Siavash's comment

Ethnic or national self-hatred is one of the conspicuous signs of what some may call "selling out." Some of this may be self-inflicted. Most of it however comes from a bombardment of white racist propaganda throughout the mainstream American culture that is deliberately designed to socially engineer and instill psychological inferiority complexes upon non-white, non-Anglo-European immigrants towards the dominant white culture.  I saw this alot amongst many of the various Iranian sub-cultures in the USA in the 10 years I lived there. This is where much of your views may be socially located, viz. you are a victim of the dominant race's denigration of your existential cultural and psychological dignity and makeup. 

You may actually benefit from reading Frantz Fanon as to what the complexes are here. And on that note, here is an article that reveals the nature and depth of demonic American conservative depravity during the Bush years:

//www.truth-out.org/welcome-boston-mr-rumsfeld-you-are-under-arrest/1316537165

If this is the freedom America wishes to export to the world, they can take their freedom, liberty and way of life and shove it where the sun don't shine!

You have a good point Siavash

Thanks for pointing it out. A bit too much. I agree.

Wow......

"we are too busy performing fellatio on each other " Anomonous observer

I couldn't believe when I read the above sentence.

My friend,  seems we are getting out of intellectual conversation.  

AO

I remind you that insulting other posters is a good way to join Fesenjoon. Your post is so indicative of you I will not flag it. Because I want everyone to read it. To see how you "argue" with others. By calling them names and insults. I do not have an obsession about "your" blogs just don't like baseless insults to Iranians. What I see is that Iranian.com is becoming "Iranhating.com". Don't worry I will probably just leave this site as many others have done by now.

My posts do not insult other people. They provide reason and logic. I want your post to stay as they say "Ta mard sokhan nagogte bashad; eyb o honarash nahofte bashad". May people be the judge of whether I am a buffoon.

What are my attacks? I am just saying that people who blame others do it due to guilt. It is a well documented phenomena. I ask one more time why should I be guilty of what I did not do. I already gave a ton of examples. You chose not to read them. Do yourself a favor and deny being Iranian. You got have your US citizenship by now. Why not just melt in the melting pot and forget your past. Be done with it and leave Iran to other people. They will go their way you go another.

VPK - You're a simple minded buffoon

spare me the manufactured outrage that you spew everytime there's an affront on your delusions of granduer.  Of course there are always domestic victims of dictatorships.  But that doesn't absolve the majority of a nation that brings that dictator to power and/or supports and sustains it by remaining complaisant and obliging.  The Germans are coming to terms with that reality:

//www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/14/germany-first-hitler-exhibition-opens

It's time for Iranians to do the same.  Oh, wait, we are too busy performing fellatio on each other and telling ourselves how great we are to pay attention to such things that may improve our clusterf**k of a culture.

As to the rest of your mind numbing personal attacks, I won't dignify them with responses.  Speaking about needing mental health care, you seem to have developed an obsessive compulsive complex as it relates to me and my blogs.  Don't you have a life to attend to? 

Guilt Complex

Generally people who go off blaming others have a guilt complex. Maybe they got involved in the revolution. Or maybe feel they could have done more to prevent it. Maybe have family members involved in some action.

In general innocent people do not feel guilt. Not by association as AO wants to push on us. I feel absolutely no responsibility for the hostage situation. Nor for the other despicable actions of either IRI or any other nation. Because I did not do them. I suggest AO examine his own conscience. Find out what troubles him. Maybe there is a reason for the guilt he feels. A trained specialist would be the right way to go. I am not trying to be funny. This kind of guilt is not healthy.

Blaming other people is less healthy because it tries to absolve one by sharing guilt.

More nonesense

from AO about "nations being responsible". Are American people responsible for slavery including those running the "underground railroad". Are the "Native Americans" responsible for their own genocide?

Man this guy is so out in the right field. By the way my family came here after the revolution. We all worked paid taxes and never took a penny from the government. Therefore those "food stamps" AO lived on were paid by my taxes. A "Thank You" would in in order. But I am not holding my breath. 

As for Iranians being "imbeciles". All my family members hold post graduate degrees. That is not my definition of imbecile. On the other hand generalization indicates a lack of understanding. Most the time people making generalizations are talking about themselves.

AO

You argument lack logic specially when it comes to non democratic governments. Why should I be responsible for actions of IRI when I did not vote for or support it. When they wanted to put my father in Jail? 

By that arguments the Jews in Nazi Germany would be "responsible" for Hitler! The victims of Stalin would be responsible for being put in Gulags. Do you even grasp how outrageous your statements are? You so lack reason and logic to be beyond hope.

I can handle criticism of my actions. But I am not going to take responsibility for other peoples actions. Do you claim that the people Khomeini killed and Khamenei is torturing are responsible for it. In America the word is "blame the victim".

Iraj Khan - Stick to your favorite subject: Palestine

Iranian issues have nothing to do with you. I heard a dog pee'd in Ramallah.  Go write a blog about it.

PS- I like your other username better.  The one with the camel avatar. 

I believe

you the blogger who comments under AO

is a petty vindictive Iranian hating individual.

How do I know this? By reading some of your writings and comments about us Iranians.

Can you handle this truth?

Nations are responsible for their governments' actions

If millions of Iranians pour onto the streets, topple the Shah amd the vote to establish the Islamic Republic, they are collectively responsible for the hostage taking.  No two ways about it.  You can't safsateh your way out of this.  And this applies to ALL nations, including the United States.  American people are collectively responsible for the Iraq and the Vietnam wars.  They voted for those representatives in the Congress who authorized those wars.  

Even the Afghan people are responsible for the actions of the Taliban government, regardless of how oppressive that government was.  They had an obligation and a responsibility to remove that government when it allowed foreign terrorists to establish camps in their country.  They had that obligation even if removing the Taliban would have resulted in thousands of Afghan deaths.  They still had a responsibility to remove that government in order to prevent harm to other nations.

The same things applies to Iran.  You can't be complaisant with the IR by shutting your mouth, traveling and spending summers in Iran, enjoy the meter long chelo kababs, come back to the U.S. and bah bah and chah chah about how much fun you had there, but when it comes to the IR, distance yourself from it.  You are in the IR.  

TS9 Jan -Hard truth is the only way to go.Hits them like a brick

Just look at the comments on this blog, especially by the likes of VPK.  Soem people just can't handle criticism.  But it is criticism is the only way to move forward.  Some day they will learn.

RG - You have a very good point about national interest

and that is something that perhaps I should have enphasized more in the blog.  Countries-nations--let go of ideological and revollutionary rhetoric in favor of their national interest.  Germany, Japan, Vietnam, even the Palestinians, even Hamas for God's sake, have let go, or are willing to let go, of their grudge against former adversaries who have committed unspeakable acts (whether or not justified) against them to advance their national interests.

In contrast, look at Iran.  We're under sanctions and on the brink of war, and we STILL are unwilling to comprmise just so that we can chant "death to America" day in and day out. 

Tabarzin - I rest my case

here's a quote from your comment:

 Where Iran is concerned, are you kidding me?! Twice in 35 years American interference in Iranian internal affairs ended up short-changing us in a major way: with the coup d'etat against Mossadegh which the Shah was strong-armed into by the CIA and again with the rise of Khomeini.

Reconcile that with the subject of the blog, and then reflect for a while. You're smart. You'll get the answer.

The issue is more political than being vindictive

It is the matter of power struggle between ruling Mullahs in Iran and U.S policy makers. The bottomline is the differences between Shia Islam view of live and Christainity. Other nations that A.O mentioned in this blog are NOT following shia'sm. They have different view about life. Imam Hossain who has been highly regarded in shia'sm is the source of inspiration for "blood thristy" vindictive individuals. Iranians carrie that symbol for many centuries in their unconscious. Hossaine has been part of Iranians "collecive unconscious". Ashura is the peak day of that bloodshed. Blood and revenge and being vindictive is the big part of Ashura's ceremony. Many believers cutting themselves with razar blade or Ghameh in the memory of Hossaine. No forgiveness. It is a call for martydom. Any observer can concludes it is a nation call for blood, and being vindictive. Unlike Christianity that based their idea on "forgiveness", shia'sm based their idea on "revenge" and bloodshed. Jesus said if some one slaps you, turn your cheek to be slaped on the other side. On strike contrast, the shia'sm idea is based on "tooth for tooth" "eye for eye". If some one slaps you, slap him/her back the same. One idea promotes the "forgiveness" and the other idea promotes the revenge and "vindictiveness". The issue continues till shia'sm vanishes from Iranian minds compeletly. Ruling Mullahs in Iran are doing good job in that regard these days.