Monday, February 26, 2007

Naive, not stupid

From Keivan

I am not sure were I am going with this, but first let me thank you all for your interesting comments. I do feel that if you read all of the responses to my posting you guys all will get at least partial answers to your asked/non asked questions.

I am definitely not sorry for taking part in the revolution. A 16 year-old boy who was part of something so huge and amazing can’t take a lot to take a credit for anything.

I feel that I need to clarify a couple of things. A woman wrote: “ I am one of those Iranians who lost much because of the revolution. at times, I sit down and blame people like you (or my husband), who were young, and stupid, and didn't listen to your fathers”. Basically I am not sure how to answer this, but first let me tell you this I was definitely young, but not stupid. (I know that I wrote that I was young and stupid. Probably “naïve” is a better word than “stupid.” At the time I did feel that what I was part of was the right thing to do. I had a sense of social justice. I could not accept that 44,000 Americans were getting paid more than the rest of the country. It was obvious that there were people who were just stealing from the nation, just as there are now. We were also very concerned about human rights.

Almost the whole country was proud to be part of the 1979 revolution: whether they like to admit it now or not. Considering the situation now, you can say most of people were better off then than now. Looking at boys and girls who are the same age I was at the time of the revolution, I can easily say we had much better lives then than they have now.

I am not sorry to be part of the revolution at all. I would do it again under the same situation; you can call it stupid or what ever you want. My father was wrong to just use his personal (maybe historical) experiences to keep me from being part of a something that a lot of people in the world called it one of the most amazing events of the last century. I say that, but my father was also right. He was right for the wrong reasons.

I do think the direction of the revolution changed from the way we imagined it. That is why I would not forgive people for wasting our dreams building a society that is collapsing from corruption, drug abuse, and dishonesty. I see unjustness here everyday.

I am not going to get in to why the revolution changed, because there are 100’s of books that are still not able to describe all the factors. It is just unbelievable how people in power here can heep people is this miserable situation and still appear on TV/Radio as innocents to complain about the lack of this and the lack of that. Even the dumbest person/government should learn after 28 years how to govern.

Naj wrote: “But you see ... this time around, Iran wants peace, and America is sending more fighter carriers to the Persian gulf ... why IS America not leaving us to our own problems?” If Iran wants peace, then why are they playing a mouse and cat game with the international community? Iran should defend its rights, including the right to Nuclear Technology, but Iran should be more transparent, at least in its foreign affairs, because the International communities are not like you and me who can be shut-up by the Ahmadinejad government. There are many ways to get what you want. It looks like we Iranians use always the most difficult and least successful ways. This is how I feel about Iranians in Qom, Los Angeles, and Tehran. Sorry if I create more arguments for you guys. I am going away for a couple of weeks, so you’ll just have to argue by yourselves.

8 comments:

lotf ali said...

Great comments, great insight. Thanks!

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Unknown said...

I greatly enjoyed the BBC 90 program by way of Google video on Iran. I would like your comments on it.

Secondly, what about the Bahais? If these people are Iranian, why is the government doing whatever it can to eliminate their beliefs?

Thirdly, When I was a political science major, I took a great course in Age of Revolutions, from the time of the American Revolution to the end of the Russian Revoltion. Do you believe me when I tell you, "Your father was a better student of history than you are/were, also for the wrong reasons ;-)
You mention 100's of books about the iranian Revolution, well how about the American, French, German, Austrian, Italian and Russian ones. Some of these "failed", and some "succeeded". They all had people like you, (and me +-) saying the same things over and over. And then there's the Cuban one too. Have these revolutions brought peace and prosperity in themselves? No.

PS I suggest you choose the issue you think you can win and ignore the ones you can't ;-)

Unknown said...

I should clarify my points. We are all swept up in things we can't know much about. That is why it is important to have beliefs and values BEFORE the decision to participate or not. If you don't have those values, you or I or anyone is lost. It is pretty obvious that the ones on the street have no real idea what they are doing, and why they are doing whatever they are doing. This doesn't necessarily mean that the old people and women and shop owners who don't participate in witch hunts for the Iranians who call themselves Bahais, just to take a current example, have any values, but they have more fear of risk than the ones in the street. So no, there's no difference.

I am only saying it doesn't matter how intelligent you are, values come from your soul. You can get it from any religion, but it is the sincere pure part, in my opinion.

And sure, your values can be a Rollex watch, too. that has a certain physical value. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Would you please kindly update your link to my blog to the new address (kamangir.net)?

Naj said...

Hi there,

Thank you for addressing my comment.

I think if I was your age at the time of revolution, I would have perhaps done the same; but perhaps I woudl also have stayed in Iran, and not leave the country in the hands of these cat-and-mouse gamers!

But because I am not you, and I was not old enough then, I am just imagining things. I have no right o judge anyone; and I don't!

cheers
neoresistance

Anonymous said...

Why was the Shaw (spelling?)deposed? His family lives here in the U.S., would his son have any claim to rule there?

Marie said...

The shah was deposed because he was not a legitimate ruler, was never popular, and let us not forget that his (more popular) strongman father was himself a product of British imperialism. And for those of you who think you are so well versed in history, I am of the belief that the revolution was almost directly linked to the American engineered coup that ousted the elected leader Mossadeq and reinstalled the unpopular, morally deficient, offensive and non-charismatic shah.

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