JahanKhalili
About myself:
I'm half Iranian and half American. I'm here to say what I think. If you came here to be pleased or flattered, you're in the wrong place. No one owns me. I'm a free individual. I don't bow to anyone's politics, here or in Iran. I'm my own person, and that's too bad if anyone doesn't like it. When people read my stuff, they'll get MY opinion. I alone am responsible for my opinion - no one else is. Likewise, I'm not responsible for your opinion, or your assumptions about me. You are.به زبان فارسی
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How Useful Are Iranian Know-It-Alls And Their Advice? Part 2
16-Oct-2011
It is Ironic that the most popular high school major in Iran is named "oloomeh tajrobi" (loosely, "science that is understood through direct experience or investigation").
I never saw Iranian high school students doing any such thing. The entire course of study involved reading books, memorizing what was in them, and regurgitating it in class or on an exam.
The teacher would teach his lesson. Students would absorb it as if a prophet of god was dictating the truth to them.
There was never a single experiment or field trip. The students were of course free to do this on their own time, but none of them ever did.
Nothing prevented them from going out and catching lizards and snakes (of which Iran has plenty), for example, and studying them. No, that's not how things are done in Iran. You have to be instructed about lizards by some important person. You can't learn about them by actually catching one and examining it; that would be a waste of time!
Actually, something did prevent them from doing that; their culture. In Iranian culture, knowledge doesn't come through an individual's own efforts at gathering information about the world through direct experience or observation; it comes from someone else - either in the form of their written opinion (a book), or through their spoken word.
The students had to pass exams, so that's what they learned to do. They studied for grades. Society prepared them to ignore distractions like genuine interests in favor of jumping through hoops and achieving "success".
Therefore Iranian students were too interested in "studying" to study anything (if that makes sense).
The word "taghlid" ("emulation") is a familiar word in Islam, and one might be mislead into thinking that only religious Muslims do it.
Actually, the irreligious and even atheistic Iranians do it as well.
Yes, the same Iranians who pride themselves on being "Westernized", "enlightened", etc.
They mindlessly repeat the pronouncements of their own favorite authority without question. That favorite authority is sometimes the BBC or Voice of America. Sometimes, its some prestigious human being that they idolize. Sometimes its public opinion. At other times, it is their esteemed golden know-it-all selves.
Knowledge, power - and all other goodies - come from prestige.
If the Shah or an Ayatollah burps, Iranians will report it with such an air of importance that a Tsunami warning would be sidelined. If an important person says something and its absolute garbage, Iranians will quote it as if its the truest most important thing in the universe.
Next down the line are Iranians with degrees, great arbab or kadkhoda, or other forms of big-shot that can be found in Iranian society. Their pronouncements elicit the same fawning worship from their subjects.
All such a person has to do is stand there, and this will produce an impression on the worshipful idiots around him.
Iranians are prestige-worshippers. They care nothing about direct inquiry or investigating what's on this earth. All their concern is for worshipping someone, and belittling someone else.
All their activities besides eating and sleeping revolve around gaining prestige for themselves, or trying to take it from someone else.
Pictured above is a page from a book which contains information about Iran's mammals.
The book was compiled by a Dr. Esmail Etemad. It is the third volume of the series, پستانداران ایران
It was published by Iran's "Organization for Preserving Wildlife",
سازمان حفاظت محیط زیست
It was given to me by the only Iranian I have ever met who had any interest at all in Iranian wildlife. I'd better point out here that he had no respect from other Iranians, who viewed him and his activities as a waste of time - but I have a great deal of respect for him, because it was through him that I was able to see a side of Iran - its wilderness and the Golestan National Park - that no other Iranian ever showed me.
I'm no expert, but just checking the scientific names of all of the species being discussed in the book, I'm having a bit of trouble locating a single species that is named for an Iranian discoverer; once again, it looks as if most or all of Iran's species of bats was discovered and studied by foreigners. I can't seem to find any Iranian names.
And there on the page is a picture of a bat specimen from Iran, but preserved in the British Museum.
Once again, its the evil British Museum, "stealing" Iran's treasures.
No, actually its the British Museum doing the job that Iranians should have done - studying their own country's animals.
Someone has to do it.
.... and if not the unconcerned, too-important, strutting know-it-all Iranians ....
.... why not the exploratory British?
Why didn't Iranians discover and study their own mammals?
Dumb Iranians.
You have no reason to complain if you flunk your own test, and someone else passes it.
You're too stuck up, self-important and arrogant to study your own wildlife - foreigners beat you to it.
... and now you look like idiots.
Deal with it.
| Recently by JahanKhalili | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|
| German News From the Second World War - Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 752 | 39 | Dec 11, 2011 |
| How Useful Are Iranian Know-It-Alls And Their Advice? Part 9 | 144 | Dec 09, 2011 |
| How Useful Are Iranian Know-It-Alls And Their Advice? Part 8 | 66 | Nov 23, 2011 |
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JK, thanks, that's sweet and
by Tiger Lily on Tue Oct 25, 2011 01:09 PM PDT'will do. ;)
Thanks, Tiger Lily
by JahanKhalili on Tue Oct 25, 2011 01:00 PM PDT.... that seems to be a probable explanation.
Please feel free to share your thoughts further.
JK
by Tiger Lily on Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:51 PM PDTJust to elaborate very slightly and just pointing out one of the points I was trying to make was, to hint at the fact that those examples that you gave in your blog, are different elsewhere because of an ideological prevalence in predispostions within a certain society, as a result of those ideological stances' creations of traditions/psyche, in this case with the emergence of The age of Englightenment e.g. the emergence of the importance of the individual and individualism, coupled with and that of scientifc methodology of questioning, logic, reasoning and exploration. (Even the questioning of the very existence of a unifying or at that of an individual 'god'.) One of the points, I was trying to make...
I hope the above, makes my previous post, at least a bit clearer.
"except curiosity in others business"
by JahanKhalili on Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:23 PM PDTBravo, Comments!
The Age of Englightenment Didn't Reach Iranians?
by JahanKhalili on Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:16 PM PDTSomeone should offer therapy to Iranian know-it-alls.
They apparently need the news to be broken to them, somehow.
Very simply put, there is a reason for this and that is:
by Tiger Lily on Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:07 PM PDTThe Age of Englightenment.
The reasons for which it happened in some countries, almost at a point of serendipity, and not in others, are the source for another discussion, and these re/sources are in contemporary contention of discourse.
Field trip for Iranians ??!
by comments on Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:31 AM PDTThe blog is different; that's why I loved the blog. It shows that the writer is not hidden himself or addicted to Iran news and politics.
I think the writer sees the world better than many of us see. That's true most Iranians have never had a chance to experience a real world. They are only subjected to books and mandatory reading tasks. They only read the books that they are forced to by their teachers. Exploration and curiosiy has no ground in Iran except curiosity in others business. Even in politics I don't see any curiosity. They all copy and rehearse the news state TV or all they have heard.
Do you know what happens if Iranian students go to a field trip? I bet except harrassment and rape they are not going to learn any thing from their field trip. When I was a university undergrad student a professor had a courage to take us to a field trip. When we returned we all were procecuted because the professor slept with two of our girls classmates. It was not surprizing since unappropriate flirting was so obvious in the bus. God knows what else happened there.
I knew in advance someone in the destination city (Isfahan) so I didn't have to participate in any types of sex scandel. I had my own plan, which was carefully had planned and I had a wonderful time! If a govenment or a rulling party do not take care and protect people there will be a disaster. Our cultural misunderstanding is a different issue.
"It's not about what we believe. It's more about how we behave and influence." Comments
Sorry, I Was Away
by JahanKhalili on Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:11 AM PDTI didn't have time to reply to your usual denials of the truth, because I was busy writing a new blog entry:
//iranian.com/main/blog/jahankhalili/how-useful-are-iranian-know-it-alls-and-their-advice-part-4
Get your truth-denial tricks ready!
Now I know why you are such an awful singer - LOL
by anglophile on Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:10 AM PDTWho says pigs
by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Tue Oct 25, 2011 09:20 AM PDTDon't sing? Here: //www.yodelinpig.com/
Pigs Deliver speeches!!
by Dr. Mohandes on Mon Oct 24, 2011 09:44 PM PDTJK.
Right. She was right on the mark. I Hope she never even tries learning it.
Yeah, Singing aint just anyone's thing. Ya knaw??:))
Its Yourselves That Are Not Made For It
by JahanKhalili on Mon Oct 24, 2011 05:17 PM PDTYou couldn't discover your own ancient history.
You couldn't discover your own flora and fauna.
I showed this discussion and blog to an American woman.
Her comment was "never teach a pig to sing".
"Iranians Have No Problems"
by JahanKhalili on Mon Oct 24, 2011 05:13 PM PDTHahahahahaha!
Good one!
Iranians have no problem JK - but you have many
by anglophile on Mon Oct 24, 2011 02:38 PM PDTI'm Not Making This Stuff Up
by JahanKhalili on Mon Oct 24, 2011 01:59 PM PDTNor was I or my friends hallucinating when we saw this stuff.
Instead of worrying about your little reputations, why don't you understand what's going on here?
Its not all about you.
Since I have no interest in glorifying Iranians...
by JahanKhalili on Mon Oct 24, 2011 01:56 PM PDT... I'm more likely to be frank about them.
I have no interest in hiding this stuff - they do.
The Main Problem That Iranians Have With This Stuff
by JahanKhalili on Mon Oct 24, 2011 01:54 PM PDTIs that it makes them look bad.
They frankly aren't interested in what amount of truth there is in it, and what it really says about Iranian culture or Iranians.
That's not even important to them.
IFA
by Dr. Mohandes on Mon Oct 24, 2011 09:20 AM PDTIt takes a huge level of arrogance to claim that one's personal are absouly and100% true! Come now! WHo says?
Is it Objectively factual... or Factually objective?
ad hominem attacks? are you kidding me? what would you do if someone made the same accusations about you and painted you with a broad brush?
Just because a group of Iranians are chasing unfortunate young women working as prostitues in COsta rica, does that mean all are guilty of the same crime? And this Gentleman take that and runs with it,
Saying mea culpa has no relevance in this context.
What does IFA
by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Mon Oct 24, 2011 03:42 AM PDTmean anyway. What do you imply that non aryan leave Iran or that all Iranians are aryan. What do the Arabs in the south do. Do you consider most Iranians aryan. Is that the same as white I am not sure I get where you are on this.
Anyway I still think you should go to a more appropriate forum. Honestly they welcome these discussions and you actually get real responses. Why not go to where you are wanted. IC for Iranians!
Fozolie, you're wrong
by Iranian for Aryans on Sun Oct 23, 2011 11:56 PM PDTJK's statements are 100% true. His detractors have been unable to address his objectively factual critiques.
Instead of saying "mea culpa", Iranians use ad hominem attacks against JK.
Iranians, like yourself, promote Iranian consciousness ("Persian not Farsi") while calling JK and myself "KKK" for doing the same for White people.
The statements in this blog as in your earlier blog
by fozolie on Sun Oct 23, 2011 04:24 PM PDTare simply not correct as I have pointed out to you in your first blog. It seems the 'slap' in the face is your real objective so it won't be possible to have intelligent debate while you are trying to instigate flame wars.
Mr. Fozolie
Why didn't Iranians discover and study their own mammals?
by Albaloo on Sun Oct 23, 2011 07:13 AM PDT" We do not have mammals in Iran as well as gays ! "
Said Ahmadinejad.
darius
by JahanKhalili on Sat Oct 22, 2011 09:47 PM PDTI understand that you're puzzled.
That's fine.
I'm describing things I've observed.
There are good and bad things about all cultures, nations and peoples.
These are my opinions.
I've wanted to deliver a good slap in the face to many Iranians who think they know everything but who are really so stupid that a cow is Einstein compared to them.
But I also want to show respect to those Iranians I admire.
I'm probably going too far, and exagerating a bit and perhaps being unfair - but I'm also describing real things.
I'm all open to intelligent discussion.
So far, most of the response has been personal attacks or attempts to dismiss what I'm showing people, without any effort to address them.
But there have been a few intelligent responses, so perhaps this isn't all for nothing.
I am confused...!
by darius on Sat Oct 22, 2011 09:18 PM PDTI don't Know to whom I should address my question!!
The first man is the man who has a deep conflict with Iranians and defends white nationhood ( while he is 50-50) or
the man who post the the casualties of Iran and Iraq war and praise their bravery of fighting Iraqis?
I have a hard time to digest a white person admire a non christian , non white who defended a land that was occupied by bunch of liars and backwards, who Khomeini easily fooled them to accept and go along with his ideas.
Since , I have no sense of curosity I was wondering the author to shed a light ,are we dealing with a multiple personality in here.
JK, I do not mean disrespect , your anger and conflict with Iranian doesn't make me angry at all. I am really looking for an answer .
Harche mikhahad del tangat begoo
چقدر ایرانی ها دروغگو هستند
JahanKhaliliSat Oct 22, 2011 07:50 PM PDT
خاک تو سرتان. علم یا کشف از کسانی میاد که راستگو باشند، و به حقیقت اهمیت بدهند.
Yeah, Sure
by JahanKhalili on Sat Oct 22, 2011 07:48 PM PDT"Yes there is a prominent Persian scholar who wrote in no uncertain terms on the origin of species and evolutionary chain "
Its up to you to substantiate a claim that no one else seems to know about except yourself.
راستی، بگو ببینم
JahanKhaliliSat Oct 22, 2011 07:46 PM PDT
چرا ماشین یا سیاستمدار برای شما سمبل انگلستان هستند؟
تو اصلا از انگلیس چی می فهمی؟
I am not going to make it easy for you kiddo
by anglophile on Fri Oct 21, 2011 02:53 AM PDTخودمونیا
JahanKhaliliWed Oct 19, 2011 09:05 PM PDT
این خالی بندیت خیلی خوشمزه بود.
بیا اصلآ ادعا کنیم که ایرونیها این قدر پیشرفته اند که همه دانشمندان دنیا میخاند به ایران بروند، تا کارشان اونجا راه بیوفته. ان وقت خیلی دروغ قشنگتر میشه.
اتفاقاً ایرونیا خیلی زود تر از داروین"
JahanKhaliliWed Oct 19, 2011 08:47 PM PDT
... این اکتشافات رو کرده بودن شاهد و مدرکش هم هست غربی‌ها هم خودشون راجع به اون کتاب نوشتن"
پس کو؟ میشه این مدارک بالفرض را به من نشان بدی؟
در کدام تاریخ بود و توسط چه کسی در ایران این مثلا کشف شد؟