Pictory

جیب خالی پز عالی

مردم فقیر و گرسنه بودند. شاه و فرح مشغول پز دادن

I liked the video Video on the subject,

You bring up a great point reality bites,

the over the top and numerous criticisms of the event not just by many
Iranians, but by many overseas, especially in the West, who made it
sound like some great catastrophe, when in the great scheme of things it
really wasn't that big an issue. 

because it was only a few million dollars in total cost, it is important to reflect on the severity of criticisms as being intended to make the previous governments priorities and actions appear inferior.  This point, as we see especially today, was a disingenuous one to make in the scheme of things.

The great scheme of things

I think most people might well agree that the money spent on the 2500 years celebrations could've been spent on more pressing/urgent things or at least spent in a less ostentatious way.

BUT:

the money spent was actually relatively tiny. More to the point, not only the celebrations helped to generate publicity for Iran, but, imo, these kinds of events and spectacles help to galvanise people and reinforce their sense of national identity and history.

I say this not because I was a great fan of the celebrations particularly (like I said, the money should've been spent on more urgent needs), but because of the over the top and numerous criticisms of the event not just by many Iranians, but by many overseas, especially in the West, who made it sound like some great catastrophe, when in the great scheme of things it really wasn't that big an issue.

I hear you & totally agree.

Management was not perfect, but it was rapidly improving, courts weren't perfect but were all improving and society was going in the correct direction.  We did have peace, progress, improving human rights, and a secular path with womens rights and gradually as society assumed more duties more rights were becoming possible to uphold due to resources, growth develpment.  Shah's team were the real deal and I think Iranians would have been shocked at how much their lives would have continued to improve had the late shahs team implemented for a temporary period a single party system and the shahs son come to the throne in 20 years time after more iranians were educated and capable to then help the country pursue more democratic reforms in line with where people were at and how many educated people they had access to.

Tito was there, too (learnt that thx to DK)

Call me old n nostalgic but I still prefer Tito n Iranian Shah to what we've got today.

Disclaimer: As far as Tito is concerned, I'm by no means a die-hard communist, quite the opposite. I just simply believe that historical figures should only be judged within a larger historical context.  And within that larger context I admire and respect both of them. 

Absurdity of a gala celebration in midst of shanty towns

And why is pointing out to such historical absurdities pointless?

Wasn't the movement against shah and his corrupt, violent  monarchy started from these very shanty towns?

Wouldn't it have made sense to spend all those monies  wasted on "2500" celebrations instead on improving the living conditions of the migrants from the countryside to urban centers?

The problem with monarchists in here remains that, after three decades they still don't know what hit them.

They also suffer from severe historical amnesia. They seem to compeletly forget that prior to Adolph Reza Khan bloody rule, or his son's advent to power (with assistance of outsiders) Iranian nation had the most developed Civil Society in Middle East.

P.S. As a simple educational challenge I would like any monarchist in here to define what Civil Society means? Tis is a very simple request. Could a single one of you define this simple concept?

P.S.S. RG, depending on monarchists as allies in our fight against IR, is very much like depending on mullahs on the fight against monarchy. The result is the same: AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER.

Undo Anghelab !

15:33 : 'for a few days through Persepolis, Iran is the center of gravity of the world... "

This is the country where I was born ..... and yet because of the hatred of a minority of radicals and their silly followers; this beautiful country has been ravaged and ruined  making Iran a bankrupt country the center of terrorism in the world for 33 years  !
Even if Iran needed political reform (and only political !) there is no justification for the Self-destruction that occurs in 1979!

AO looking forward to what ? A banana Republic like hundred others in the region, (all fake based on nothing) No thanks ! Iran is having his own specificities, History and culture no need to copy-paste fake republic to pretend to be Pishrafte. Iran deserves a better destiny !!

I think when we are dealing with perceptions and the mistakes

that are made by "the people" as a result of how they interpret, or in the case of money and the media, how they have reality mis-interpreted for them with a political agenda, it is more enlightening than pointless Roozbeh.  The priority today has not changed since the priority 33 years ago.  The only difference is that Iranians have been thwarted, due to deception from outside and at the hands of their own opposition forces and anti-monarchist forces who have badly harmed Iran and Iranians. 

Because the one party system was not his alone, and it was not a dictatorial system, but a necessary step intended to help Iranians move towards realizing a democratic system, by building the people, the management, the organizations and the democratic systems for at first one party united on the basis of patriotism only, ie to not betray Irans interests, to achieve their own political agenda, like the commies and the mullahs were and are about.  Irans political process was that it had just come out of colonialism and 2 political forces beholden to countries outside Iran were large players in Irans internal politics and both were sadly headed by extremist elements.  The Russians had the commies, which never existed and were only created after their ww2 occupation of Iran and the Brits had their power hungry mullahs.

I am sure If the late Shah was alive today, he would feel the exact same way as he did when he wrote his book "answer to history" with the conviction of a lover of Iranians Culture and Artistic Tradition first and formost.  That some Iranians can not get this is why the debate exists.  The Guilty Party was not the late shah.  The Mistake was not His to make.  He was betrayed secretly by his allies and openly by Iranians having never committed any crime in truth, except served Iranians in a way that grew their power and peace and moved them towards health and well being.

What a pointless debate...

I am sure, that if Shah was alive today, he'd agree that this folly of the 2500 years celebration, regardless of it's intent, was a big mistake, which only fueled public's resentment towards his one party dicatorial regime.

40 years on, today, surely our priority and focus should be to publicize and support Nasrin sotoodeh and many other political/ethnic and religious  prisoners of the fascist islamist regime on hunger strike , or the two Kurdish political activists looking at their imminent executions, or the daily secret executions of the  "drug dealers" at Evin , or the widespread indistrial strikes, the alarming looting and destruction of Iran's forrests, lakes and other natural resources  for quick profit of khamenei, ahmadinezhad and their corrupt families........

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

If Your Voting for KING OU BAMA NEEST of What use is Biden ? ;0)

Fareed Zakaria's GPS: «Does America Need a Prime Minister ?»

Related:

FACT CHECK: Sarkozy Honored Our Shahbanou … Obama Apologizes for 1953 calling it a «coup» 

Javid Shah!!!!!!

Javid Shah. Who we are and what we have are because of the Pahlavis.

On the state of Monarchy/ Republics in the Developed world.

What is certain is that popular anger today is aimed at the
elites, and not for example in the UK at the remarkable woman who has served her country impeccably
and with distinction for six decades. The bankers, the politicians, the
media class, those who bray about “social mobility” while exemplifying its
opposite, the clubs, the networks, the smiling phonies who promise
opportunity but perpetuate privilege:
It is not monarchy that is in trouble, but in the USA/France/Italy/Portugal/Ireland/Greece the system that kept entire oligarchies of old money in place.

AO on looking towards the future system we want

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index

The majority of the best democracies in the worlds countries are first Monarchies then rest.  If you factor in on top of democracy, prosperity, standard of living, quality of health care for the entire society and justice system here we are looking at Monarchies having an even greater lead than the others on the whole.

Shepesh AO you are entitled to your point of view and your

circle of friends etc.  So am I. 

Please don't speak for all the people of Iran, you don't even care for the national culture of Iran.

And please try to speak less about monarchists in general as you have such little understanding regarding them you end up misrepresenting them and comparing them with the IRI.  When Iran has a return to the Monarchy it will only be as a result of a majority consensus vote for monarchy by Iranians.  What ever the majority of the Nation wishes for is my only wish and I also want to make my views/beliefs known on the subject and Irans past, present and future.  You are entitled to disagree with my views, please make a case at least so we can all benefit by your understanding or see your lack of understanding.

As a people Shepesh we Iranians have really suffered at the hands of intellectuals who were infact ignorant/unwise people.

As far as I know ignorance which is the opposite of wisdom takes root when people don't use a dictionary to learn the correct definitions of words, so if for example some people call the late shah a dictator, all an honest person can do is to give them the definition of the word and prove for example a person who never uses absolute power can not be a dictator.  Of course one can bring an ignorant Iranian to water but to become wise, the Individual must use their own muscle and drink for themselves.  Me doing all the work, reading all the definitions of words and looking for examples of it are going to help me grow wise.  Is this making Sense for you?

So I will leave you with a very important Note to reflect on as you personally attack groups instead of criticising views/beliefs/actions of individuals which a critical person would do.  Those who personally attack others/groups are usually those who are incapable of mounting even a debate against anothers views/beliefs/actions or infavor of their own are usually the type of people who are uncritical.  If an uncritical person, one who for example takes part in personal attacks is also very obsessive or excessive then and only then can you call them a fanatic.  Those 2 are what make a fanatic, by definition, either religous or political.

Please look at your own writing and consider you may be thought of as a  hypocrit by some on the word "Fanatical". By mounting generalized attacks against an entire group of people "monarchists" who themselves support various view points from liberal left wing to conservative right wing, you are being uncritical.  And you do it alot on this site, I would say excessively, as if a majority of the people of Iran will just accept anything you have to say and take your view/belief as a word to not question, that was the 1970's.  That was how Khomeini came to power.  The notion that iran was totally prepared to become a democracy in the 1970's.  Instead of gradually and with planning. 

AO Those that think the monarchy is in the past are the same ones that think Iran has progressed and its people are now more capable today of being a democracy than they were in 1979, after 33 years of tyranny!  And yet the leaders of the future will continue to study monarchy and realize that monarchies are better at providing democracy than republics.  

AO you can't even tell the difference between democratic systems

JOMHURYATKHAH VS JOMHURYKHAH: UK & US Bill of Rights - Similarities & differences

It's not democracy you are running after it's an Egalitarian System ...

Might as well advocate Communism while you are at it ...  

Oh But Wait your comrad Azar Majedi just did and quite unsuccessfully I'm afraid :

//iranian.com/main/2012/nov-4

LOL  

When your country is stolen from you ... You Can't be Neutral

It's Just BEE VATANS like most Iranian Diaspora Journalists particularly on BBC Persian or VOA who couldn't care less ...

WE DO ! 

tehran e Azad

You have demonstrated your own point, you are one of them. You are ready to paint anyone who disagrees with white washing Monarchy as an Islamist, or anyone who does not agree with your point of view or nostalgia. You are right in one thing - Iranians do not listen but are too ready to attack their opponent. Good luck to you, I hope the youth of Iran have more sense than you people. 

Compared to the IR, Shah was a saint - BUT

that does not mean that monarchy should return to Iran.  we should move--and look--forward to a democratic form of government.  

Candy Crowley ain't Independent & expect me to be one ? LOL

Don't waste your time

majority( 80%+) of iranians are nothing but a whole bunch of barberic people living in middle ages. They are nothing but a bunch of wild , backward animals that deserve nothing better than Khamenei . Matter of fact khamenei is even too good for them , they need a Taliban style goverment. Majority of Iranians are like a heard of sheeps which ever way the wind blows they go that way.Majority of Iranians lack knowledge of how to tell the difference between good and bad.  Who ever says otherwise is at best an optomist. vassalam name tamam!  maybe in 100-200 years things would change, but unfortunately today Iran still has a lot of GHAV O KHAR O GOOSALEH.

Baleh Azizam Ma Bah Farhang Pedareh Jomhuryto Dar Khaheem Ovord

Words For Eternity ...

The fool is you

if you think people think you are an independent journalist. An indepedent journalist should be open minded, but instead you try to push one solution and not accept any negatives about Monarchy. I will leave you to drag others into your angry debates, where you try to misrepresent me. As to "coming out", I'll leave that to you when you are ready. 

How do You know ? We're used to you Reformist Propaganda

Having followed your posts I know where you come from and your political mindset closer to those who advocate reform rather than Regime change ...

Basically all the Diaspora Media Outlets ranging from the BBC Persian to VOA Persian speak in the name of their governments interests not in the name of the Iranian people. They have been doing their propaganda for years now and people see it through as to where Massoud Behnoud, Enayat Fani and all these ex revolutionaries stand. 

People know it and thay are not to be fooled. 

At Least be bold enough to make your "coming out" as a man or woman instead of hiding behind your avatar claiming to speak for the "anonymous masses" who are not even bold to debate on this major issue.

We Won't be giving up on our Rightful claims both historically and politically whether it please OU BA MA NEEST or NOT !

Pro Moussavi Supporters Try to Discourage Pro Pahlavi Supporters In Rome Rally 

People of Iran

do not care about Monarchy. You can argue till the cows come home but repeating the same fantasy over and over on IC does not make reality. I would have thought people who are progressive would not ram this fanatical obsession down peoples throats as the fanatic religious try to do the same. If you want the best for a future Iran be open minded otherwise you have an agenda. Iranians are sensitive to fanatics of any type - take heed!

Who is talking about a dead Shah's Return We have one alive ...

and Kicking ... He just doesn't know it yet ...

Soosan not so funny dokhtar, After the way the late shahhanshah

his former prime miinister/head of court and personal doctor were murdered, its particularly difficult to forget that he is no longer alive in this world, except for in the hearts of many many people.  FYI The 2500 years Celebrations were beyond the late shah and being an inspiration, it was about Iranian culture the basis for real hope for Iranians.

Baba, shoma Shah doosta ma ro khafeh kardeed !

You guys are worse than Elvis fans.... they even deep inside know that Elvis is dead !! but you guys !! you guys still are waiting for Shah's return!

Anyway, I'm sure wherever Shah is; he's looking at us. He's not dead, just very condescending.

lol 

...

What's my view of the Late Shah-han-shah of Iran?

100% Total Inspiration.  And each person is free to have their own view, express it and give their reasons for it.

This video has such special memories for so many more people than just those who attended this celebration of 2500 years of the life and works of a people and their monarchy.  It reminds me of a time when Iranians had regained and were earning their self-respect and also the respect of most of their neighbours.  Iranians were really living and thriving, moving with a purpose greater than themselves.  The 2500 year celebrations were a time when many Iranians, maybe not a majority, but many were acting based on the principles of Iranian culture of good thoughts, good words and good actions, using their free will to face life with grace and peace.  So long as we can honestly remember what an Inspiration we had, we are rich.

monarchists' response to reality; incoherence and incompetence