Millions of Iranians have returned to Tehran which means the roads are packed and there is a disgusting orange cloud of smog covering the city.
School started a couple of days ago. Mornings are filled with the noises of children playing in the schoolyard before the first class starts. I like the sounds.
"Soon only the women will be educated," K tells me. "Guys just aren't making an effort. They don't see any benefit in pursuing an education."
Every year the percentage of young women attending university goes up. (I could add that critical thinking goes down, but that might be interpreted as an indictment of women rather than an indictment of the education system. The second is meant.)
"Young men have their daddies buy them stores and put them up in business. They think they can make more money that way than through an education."
We have friends in foreign-owned businesses in Iran that only have women working for them. "The men are just useless," they tell us. "We have almost no men working for us."
To be fair, the situation is more complicated than that. "Men in Iran believe that the women are making the regime work," K tells me. "After awhile, men here use inefficiency as a form of protest."
Yeah, yeah… maybe…
It's hard in Iran. People start out full of energy and ideas and slowly find themselves worn down and thwarted. It's enough to make anyone useless and inefficient.
5 comments:
Hi,
I have discovered you blog some time ago and must say I really like it. For someone who never has been to Iran, but has many iranian friends, it is a great reference. In the title you were mentioning something about a digital camera. Are those photos coming soon ????
Good job ...
photos? is that what the camera is for? ;-)
Yes, and no I am begining to think. I mean, that has been one of the problems all along. Really big dreams and outlandish vision and bored with the small steps it takes to make things happen. How many stores have you counted that start big and fancy and go down the hill? All the vendors around your house, do they ever reorganize, or re shuffle much of anything? And the silly, formalist approach to education...either shallow banter or so superior and perfectionist. IT is in the water I tell you:-)))
Keep at it and try to remain sane.
"People start out full of energy and ideas and slowly find themselves worn down and thwarted."_____Typical Soviet phenomenon.
Typical soviet phenomenon: agreed.
The next question is: are we in the west overestimating this regime just like we overestimated the soviets?
Is that a good thing? After all, didn't the Godfather (or was it Mario Puzzo? or -- hey are they the same?)) say that you want to be overestimated by your enemies and underestimated by your friends.
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