Sic Semper Tyrannis

Lada or Moskovich!

He drives a Moskovich!

//www.flickr.com/photos/wanderingval/41049633...

Oh, come on Zendanian

stop trying to glorify one of the biggest f**k ups in human history.  Every country on this planet has shanty towns and poverty.  Very few--if any--however, have poured onto the streets and brought upon themselves a theocracy.  That distinction--in the 20th and 21st centuries---in uniquely Iranian.  How's your Lada by the way? :-)

PS- This is what the contemporary Iranian culture is all about. 

I agree with the general thoughts of the blog, minus a word

devolution, especially agree regarding where Iranians were at.  I just think that an evolution is going on today and wish for Iranians to know there is a much more beautiful, good and true approach to their evolution, it does not need to be this corrupted, dark, brutal and painful.  Iranians are slowly discovering what the late Shahs team were doing for Iranians and how narcissistic many Iranians of the Antellectual/democracy no matter the price category were towards him and his character.  The Shahs Team as he describes in his book did achieve the most effective way to resurrect an ill and socially diseased nation, by creating the educated people first and then gradulally empowering the just, equitable and lawful ones among them.

The USA however opposed Iranian progress period, also middle eastern and north african and hated the shah for pursuing it and in reality still does and the USA will continue with its dictator, corrupt, megalomaniac, savak tortured manipulation which was focussed on bringing the Mullahs to power and caused many cuts and wounds, but I am sure time will show it did not devolve Iran and putting US resources on this goal was actually the basis for undermining the US Power and Position in the world.

Faramarz I agree with your views on this one from my experience

In reality, Iranians were not ready to run a democratic system and needed to go about it more caustiously and gradually if they wanted to keep the freedom, the peace, the justice, the progress and improving human rights that they were enjoying.  Too many people wanted to get something that was in truth totally cruel to hope for.  The late shahs team did right by the people and they were not autocratic, they listened to their people, just not fundamentalists and commies, they were authoritarian and from their knowledge and experience they showed Iranians the pathway to the resurrection of Iran.  As Iranians move forward it will show that they did evolve and are not capable of making the same mistakes made in 1979.

اسرار گنج دره جنی (۱۳۵۳) - كارگردان : ابراهيم گلستان

گلستان

In more than one way this movie is the story of a poor farmer that found an incredible treasure (Oil wealth), and made a marble palace, inside a mud house.

A superb metaphore for Iranian "development" of 60's and 70's.

P.S. The last scene, the opening of a "new" Mosque, not to be missed!

In 1979 we actually had two, and not one revolution

At least that's according to Mr.  Mohamad Ghaed (Ayandegan's Editor).

//mghaed.com/ay/Ayandegan.list.htm

He basically mentions how the alliance of Bazar and Hozeh were on one side, and the middle class, working class, urban professionals and the rest on the other side. The first side won and beat the heck out of the second one!

So, with all due respect, per your "theory" of Iranian Revolution go screw yourself and your "theory."

As Mirza also mentions your narrative seems oblivious to the type of social enviornment created back then: with first rates in Oil Export incomes, and expanding slums and shanty towns on the corners of every major city. And no one has any right or space to talk about any of this except Mullahs in Hossaniehs, Mehdiehs, Tekiehs, Hojatieh, Mosques and ...

Are you really surprised by theses results?

P.S. Per Mr. Ghaed, just read him for the heck of it, it'll improve your Farsi drastically.

ایرانیان عقده ای، کله شق و ضعیف کش!

Thank you AO.

Allow me to add three more adjectives to your list.

Many Iranians are Oghdeh-ei. In Iran, if somebody had money and drove a nice car, the general assumption was that the guy was a thief, and if you had a chance you would scratch his car with your keys!

When I came to the US and saw so much wealth here, I was amazed that people talked positively about successful people. Because at the heart of it, they believed that someday through hard work, intelligence or luck, they would be successful too.

Many Iranians are stubburn to the point that they would rather go to their graves with their wrong ideas than admit that they are wrong and move forward. I learned about this character flaw when I was in college and an American friend who was listening to a heated debate among several of us pointed out, "You Iranians don't express opinions, you express facts, all 10 versions of it!"

Many Iranians are "Za'eef-Kosh" despite our love for Hossain and the Karbala story. Look at the way the Regime goes after middle-aged woman or how it treats people in the prisons. 

For all of these reasons they lined up behind a vindictive bitter, old man and destroyed the society. Bakhtyar wasn't good for them, they wanted what was behind the black turban.

Well, they got it!

Evolution, Revolution, Devolution ... Extinction

Evolution is: Survival of the Fittest.

Fittest - not strongest, not wealthiest, not biggest, not even smartest.

Being FIT means having strong, smart, sustainable and wealth generating existance and connection with your environment.

Fitness is not defined in and of itself; it can only be defined in relationship with the environment.

Polar bear is the fittest in North Pole, but doomed to die in the desert. Camel is exactly the opposite.

So don't blame the people of Iran (the environment) for the failure of the absolute ruler (the Shah). Blame HIM for not being fit to govern Iran.

Pahlavi dynasty wanted to create a new Iran, which I personally liked more than the Qajar before and the IRI after. However, remember that even in the almighty nature, 90% of all new species are eliminated through the process of evolution. Evolution is not a linear process, but a violent and dynamic one. Only the very fittest of any new species can survive in a pre-existing environment.

Iranians don't know lots due to tyranny of expression & thoughts

My initial reaction would be to say yes to what you wrote, but deep down its not true.

1979 was not a devolution, but an act of deceit, coercion, manipulation, betrayal by elements that wanted to move away from peace, progress, and human rights, freedom and justice (none were close to perfect but all these principles were improving and rapidly).   To be a devolution you would need total destruction for good/permanent.  Where as evolution is a process and Iranians it seems did not leave the process of evolution, they are currently going through an evolution today.  Evolution has 2 paths 1) via light wealth/prosperity/joy/happiness/health 2) via darkness pain/poverty/corruption/sadness/illness/grief.  Usually societies evolve through a balance of these not entirely one or the other, where as Iran went from leaning on the first to leaning on the second today.  To call it a devolution means you know 1979 is a collapse/base from which Iran will not recover, but disintegrate, in that case you would be right, then it is a devolution.  If it become the basis for separation of church from state and a renaissance for humanity, freedom and justice it will not have been a devolution.  By bringing out the dark side of Iranians and exposing it, they are not building anything for the future, but exposing it to the light and eliminating it also.  The point is 1979 never really had to happen for Iran to evolve, there was a much more beautiful and peaceful way to go about it and betrayal by the USA ensured the choice was never made honestly by Iranians but by deceit, coercion and manipulation.  Before the people learned what khomeini was, they really thought he was a good man and cared for the truth.

True, but let's not lose hope

The good news is old ideas are dying faster than what meets the eye. The bad news is Iranians have to grapple with the aftershock of 1979 devolution for a couple of generations to come.

Brilliant

sadly your observation is quite right. There is not one other nation on the planet or even in mideast that has as many emamzadeh as Iran has!!!

Fiasco of 1979 is a natural by product of Iranian psychee that came on the surface after it was dormant for 500+ years that's all.

Delete please

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