Ari Siletz

To degree prayers

Are we supposed to respect him now?

//www.radiofarda.com/content/f11_iran_mehdi_hashemi_oxford_application/3549282.html

ahosseini

Beautiful poem.

هما انسان شریف و دوست داشتنی می‌باشد.

لطفا به یک معلم دانشگاه اینقدر سخت نگیرید.
دانشگاه آکسفورد محل رفت و آمد اشرافیت بریتانیا و به طور کلی‌ دنیا می‌باشد. هما برای در افتادن با اینها به یک لشکر عظیم با صلاح های سنگین نیازمند می‌باشد. متاسفانه هما از چنین امکاناتی برخوردار نیست. بنا بر این خواهشاً توقع بی‌ جا نداشته باشید.

Anahid

I don't see what the fuss is about

Mehdi Rafsanjani's PhD is as genuine as President Ahmadinejad's doctorate.

Show some respect people.

Mehrban, all Ari is trying to say in this blog

is that some good might come out of Mehdi going to Oxford. Ari is not endorsing fraud. This blog also has elements of tongue in cheek. You are reading it wrong.

My worry,

is that you are saying (to Iranians) to accept fraud as a matter of practicality.  This has been our curse, we accept fraud and call it (to eat the bread at the daily rate).  

I think the suggestion of Rafsanjani as President of Iran while he is being investigated (?) for fraud by one of our intellectuals is a huge blow to the Iran of the future that is trying to pull itself out of the weight of fraud and corruption that has been practices by IR.  It already lodges him as an option and plays down his (alleged) corruption.

You label standing against fraud as moral dogma.  You argue with complicated arguments against very simple basics of healthy and functional tenets of citizenry (moral dogma?). These arguments maybe pleasurable as mental excercises but in effect, propagate the status quo in Iran.  Countries that take the charge of fraud more seriously are better Democracies. They are better at observing human rights, and under equal circumstances have healthier economies.  

Does one have to relent to unpleasant compromises from time to time, maybe.  But if our starting position is fraud what else but Fraud would define us.

 About your 4 arguments- #1 if Oxford wants to accept Rafsanjani to raise money it is their reputation at stake and it is their problem.   #2 is a derivative of #1  and not my issue of concern (Iran).  #3 is about Iran that I have responded to it , #4 is a cynical view of the world which in principal I disagree with and if in practice it produces a President like Bush as Vildemos indicated the results are evidantly disasterous for the country and not a model for for Iran of the future.  

With respect. 

My worry

The rationalizing which you shun primarily means "finding a reason for." The other definition where it means using false reasoning to give the appearence of truth to a faulty statement cannot be used yet because you have not shown that the reasoning of the article is false by, perhaps, providing the correct rationalization (in the first sense) for your position .

At this point you are defending your view with moral dogma, namely "civilized standards." By what civilized standard does a driver have the privilege to run red lights when ordinary drivers are ticketed for it? Well, if the driver happens to be an ambulance driver, civilized standards permit it. This is a rationalization in the first sense, and quite valid. Mehdi joon's ambulance carries a million dollars for students who would otherwise not be able to pay their teachers. Here, your moral position has run into complications in the real world of rich-poor classes because you are now answerable to the deprived students who have to suffer for your idea of what is moral. This attitude is not unique to your rebuttal by the way; Islamists share it (countering your jab!).  

Anyway, here's my worry: If we see no problem with using dogmatic moral shortcuts as a substitute for rational analysis, then we are intellectually defenseless against this fallacious method and likely to fall for such arguments from others who deliberately use it to deceive. Rhetorical hygenics is not an academic matter, it has serious political consequences for a population that is not savvy enough to observe it. 

In my opinion if this guy

In my opinion if this guy (Rafsanjani) cheated to get a degree, it should be exposed and he should not be allowed to run for Presidency (?) of Iran.  Instead of making excuses for him.  

Excellent. Using George Bush to justify this  act further proves how dangerous it is to allow fraudsters like him to lead anyone or any country. George Bush was  a leader of unimaginable and unspeakable atrocities that has destroyed many lives around the globe and here in America. His lack of real knowledge made him a poor decision maker and compelely at the mecry of opportunists like Cheney.

We have fallen so low on the moral yard stick that we now use G. Bush to as our benchmark...how sad..

p.s. I really hope he is kicked out of Oxford and those who aid and abetted are fully punished. I wish to never see him as a "leader" of anything anywhere if he indeed used his money to buy a fake degree..

I will try one last time :)

Ari,  I am saying that you are rationalizing an act that by any civilized standard is fraudulent and objectionable.   

You are justifying fraud and you are presenting the fraudulent party as a potential President of Iran!  What kind of opposition is that?!

Islamists use George Bush and Guantanamo Bay as examples to justify their own indiscretions.  You are in effect doing the same.  

If in fact Mehdi Rafsanjani had the interest, the intellect and the commitment to obtain a real doctoral degree from Oxford I would count that in his plus column.  

Mehrban

What I suggest is .......

That pursuing higher education is about having intellectual curiosity and this pursuit is very valuable to the progress of a society.  Getting a real PhD means something and is not just a piece of paper unlike what the Islamists have been telling us.  

I do not like the example of "The Godfather" for the future of Iran, (although apt for the present situation in Iran).  In my opinion if this guy (Rafsanjani) cheated to get a degree, it should be exposed and he should not be allowed to run for Presidency (?) of Iran.  Instead of making excuses for him.  

Mehrban

However, in the spirit of debate, the article lists 4 reasons why our fuss over Mehdi joon's PhD is misplaced moralizing. In rebutal you have presented the reader with a slogan: "Getting a fake PhD is a serious offense and should be viewed as such," and an unsupported comaprison: uniquely Islamist mindset. 

Let's see what you've got in the way of argument. For example, why would Mehdi joon, as a potential Iranian Godfather do better with advisors he picked up in high school remedial classes. Wasn't Al Pacino better off with the smart and educated Robert Duval as consigliere? Or would you suggest the dumb brother, Fredo? 

This kind of cynicism is our poison

Ari, it seems like I am picking on you a lot, but you with your popularity on this site can really poison many minds with what you post.  

Your presentation above is a replica of an Islamist mind set!   

Getting a fake PhD is a serious offense and should be viewed as such.   

What is a PhD between friends?

We can call his: "Pedarsokhteh Haftkhat Dokhtarbaaz".

آنقدر یاس داریم که یاسین توش گمه

آنقدر مشکل داریم که این یکی جای بحث ندارد. برود از هر جا دلش خواست مدرک بگیرد. مگر اشرافزاده های ایرانی از اشراف زاده های انگلیسی که در آکسفورد و کمبریج سهمیه دارند چه چیزی کمتر دارند؟

education-prayers

The reason for such a fuss is that Iranians are "degree-prayers".  There is no correlation between honesty and education.

Let's concentrate on all criminal acts in Iran rather than targeting a sacred-degree:)

انتظارات از دانشگاه آکسفورد

حداقل اش اینه که آقا مهدی زبان انگلیسی اش تقویت میشه و در سفرهای بعدی به انگلیس خودش می تونه با صاحب مغازه ها جونه بزنه و اطاق هتل رزرو کنه.

Excellent Factual analysis

Thanks for your great writing.

آری جان، گٔل گفتی‌

این دستان شما، حکایت همین آغای (اشتباه املای نیست اینجا) جورج بوش خودمون هست.  احتیاج به توضیح هم نیست که آغای جورج بوش به همان اندازه این مملکت رو به گوه کشید، که آغایون رفسنجانی‌ و غیره ایران رو کشیدند و مهدی جون هم مطمعنا این نهضت رو ادامه خواهد داد

Mehrdad

good writing Ari

.

Ari Siletz

ممن.ن از این نوشته خوب و جالب

چیزی که برای من تعجب آوره اینه که

این جانوران...که نعره مرگ بر امریکا و انگلیس میکشند

چرا دنبال گرفتن مدرک تحصیلی از این کشور های استکباری هستند؟

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