|
June 26, 2003 * Annoying: Calling Shah "bastard" in every interview I have been reading a number of Marjane Satrapi's interviews on her comic strip "Persepolis". She has had the talent and audacity to speak of her childhood under the Shah's regime and particularily under the Ayatollahs with humour, depth and irony. What she describes is nothing new to Iranian readers. At least not for anyone over the age of 35. It has the advantage of speaking about those tormented years that shattered lives and changed it in a shape that was never to be the same again. The only irritation I have or at least little critisizm I would like to make is her constant reference to her marxist intellectual parents and her Qajar Heritage, basically making her a candidate for the Peacock Throne. Why not ? What annoys me is her tendancy of giving a political lesson and calling the Shah a "bastard", in basically every interview. For a comic strip called "Persepolis" it is indeed ironic. I also think it places the silent majority of Iranians who were for the Shah as though they constituted a minority which was not the case. Many Iranians felt outraged by the way the revolution was recuperated and others a Silent Majority prefered to stay quiet and avoid taking risks for their family. I would like to remind Mrs. Satrapi that the degree of revolutionary zeal, and propaganda particularily on TV encouraged public denounciations and even kids would turn against their parents suspected of being revolutionaries. I believe that Mrs. Satrapis parents were certainly progressive intellectuals and I am neither denying that the Secret Police the SAVAK was a particularily repressive political police for which the Shah's regime was accused of, although little, not to say absolutely no real just judgment was delivered to find out the true wheareabouts and crimes commited by the SAVAK. I personally had a classmate by the name of Kamran whose father was executed based on such allegations shortly after the Grand Ayatollah issued an amnesty for all political prisoners. The man in his mid forties delivered himself to the authorities in Shiraz, no proof was delivered as if he had or not been implicated in any for of crime or tortur, but he was executed the following day after briefly been shown on National TV . As for Kamran he was to leave school for good never to reappear again. Mrs Satrapi, should try to take that into acount than just arrogantly dismiss a whole generation who paid dearly for the illusions perpetrated by the Iranian revolutionaries. The comic strips of Mrs. Satrapi is
nevertheless extremely well done and I would like to salute her talent,
I just hope
she could try to be a little bit more objective in her depiction
of the pre-revolution generation that was not just composed of frustrated
leftist
intellectuals. * Are we worthy? LOL Does the popular quest for a Democratic Republic ring a bell? I cannot
put in words, my appreciation for the laughter and entertainment afforded
to me by you folks at Iranian.com. I mean it, and take this
as a very sincere compliment. Before
I forget, let me type the title one more time in order to help me not
forget it: "Are we worthy? ... enough to have Reza Pahlavi back?",
LOL!!!! * Perhaps she was smoking something In response to "[It may diminish guilt buried deep in his heart]", perhaps Ms Samii's has not been living on this planet to follow all the atrocities that is being committed by the state of Israel in the occupied territories, or perhaps she was smoking something really good when she was writing this letter. She writes: "As to military spending - Iran was actually an 'island of stability', as stated by former President Carter in December of 1977. To protect itself and keep peace in a region with communist threats on its borders, keeping peace with its volatile Arab neighbors, as well as having the best relations with Israel with a protective policy towards a country which has suffered, as these past 25 years have proven, the most brutal policies from countries of the region, the late Shah needed to have an arsenal to show strength for peace." * Until we get it right I was reading this article that said, "Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, one of Iran's most powerful men, said in a Friday prayer sermon that 'rioters' arrested during the often virulent demonstrations should be considered 'enemies of Allah' -- a charge that carries the death penalty." And I'm thinking who is this piece of sh... to tell people who is with God and who is against God? And I am thinking who gave these animals the authority of labeling people and call themselves God's Representatives? And I'm thinking what we all really want? If the hope for democracy is the first wish in everybody's list we can help each other in this moment that every freedom fighter is called "mohareb". Didn't we do it once in the Shah's time and all groups came together to get rid of the government? What is different here now? Are we afraid of another Khomeini? So what? We will repeat these challenges and referendums until we get it right. That's how it was done in any other country. You can not divide the food before it is prepared. We are ripping our throat for and against this and that and that's why for 25 years mullahs have been governing the country. People in Iran put their guts together every once in a while to scream the freedom and on that moment instead of joining the movement we again start dividing our future positions in the country for when"they could do something and government failed. Guess what? This never happens if we do not become one voice and support them without thinking about tomorrow. Remember what we used to say 25 years ago? "Whatever comes is better than this one!!!" Well let's keep that spirit up again. It won't hurt more than the present.... * What has your daddy done? Your article [You the people] as usual cuts down people and their plans without offering a solution. So unless you have a better plan than that of Mr. Pahlavi, then I suggest you keep your "same old, same old" comments to yourself. You said Reza Pahlavi is "incapable of making an argument based on his own achievements ('Hello, I am a father, husband, and my daddy used to be king, vote for me!')... " What are you? Nine-years old? At least his daddy showed many years of progress in our country... what has your daddy or the daddy of any of the current leaders of the government or the opposition done????? You should be so lucky to have such an articulate, civilized, educated person as a leader of your country... but then again, maybe you deserve the same leaders you have now. * Jayran, 15 My name is Jayran and I'm 15 years old. I was born in Canada, but my
father is Persian Jewish and my mother is Azari.(Turkish Iranian) It was my first time after 6 years traveling back to Iran. After a few weeks in Tehran we dedided to go to Isfahan. When we were leaving Isfahan, I wasn't wearing any socks to cover my feet and ankles. The officer, didn't want to let me go. Thank God I spoke in French so she knew that I'm a khaareji. When we arrived back in
Tehran, I was walking in the street and some pervert guys shouted
some pick-up
lines. We didn't even dare look back. ZENDANIEH SIASY AZAD BAYAD
GARDAD !!! More
letters (June 26, 2003) |
Archive By
subject Music |
|