Persian Realm

Carpenter

This thread concerns novels and films, not your distorted idea of right and wrong.

Take your nonsense diatribe and create a blog with it. Keep it away from here.

Shaholahis are the worst

"I am not a Shaholahi but have met some. Those who are fanatic ( more by provocation than conviction to be honest cause they simply have suffered one way or another from the consenquences of the revolution of 79) are no different than those in the IRI."

I agree that the Shaholahis are fanatics. I would go further to say that the Shaholahis are opposed a real democratic republic ever existing in Iran.

The Shaholahis are the "cult of personality." They view Iran or as they call it "Persia" a nastolgic place where once upon a time a super power existed.

That time, as historians have written was over 2500 years ago. A land without any new technology. A land no one wants to go back to.

We must live in the now and present. It is high time that the Shaholahis, like the dinosaurs disappear once and for all. And why not?

Another lost.....

What do you find wrong with this? How can this possibly be damaging or otherwise harmful? Denying these pieces and memories of the past can cause far greater harm, I believe.

If anything, I find these bits of history and nostalgia fascinating and entertaining, and I can't understand how anyone wouldn't. Maybe it's because since I grew up here, I didn't get to see these gems from the past. A past which I think is far more contemporary than today's Iran.

It's a refreshing change from the constant fare of akhoond-this and IRI-that.

Answer Lost Iranian in France

I don't know what makes you conclude that I am not interested in contemporary Iran ?

Please read:

//www.payvand.com/news/08/apr/1172.html

I don't live in the past, I simply think that by digging into it like an archeologist, some realities surface and maybe help also distinguish between fantasies and realities. Do you think that nation building ( which is not my priority or role here, since I am not a politician or opposition leader) can be achieved by disregarding the past or understanding what contributed to defining us as a nation, a people a culture ? This is true for any period in history. Why should looking at the past both for the positive and negative be so scary or inconvenient or immoral ? I don't think the past belongs to the Shah, Khomeiny or Ahmadinejad. It belongs to everybody and to our collective memory. If we continue to deny the past we can never learn from it nor distinguish between the truth and lies that extremists of any given ideology could try to use to manipulate public opinion. The case of the Holocaust Denials are just one of the numerous examples of these denials.

I am not a Shaholahi but have met some. Those who are fanatic ( more by provocation than conviction to be honest cause they simply have suffered one way or another from the consenquences of the revolution of 79) are no different than those in the IRI. Extremists often share the same mindset but refuse to acknoledge this because they are simply bi-polar. However to want to reduce the slightest interest in the past on grounds that it is only of interest to shahollahi's or Khomeinists is a simplification that I refuse to subscribe too.

Do you think that one should stop studying or taking interest in the Napoleonic Era or the French Revolution or the Times of julius Caesar and the Roman Emperors or even WWII Germany, Italy and Japan because people died or were tortured ? I don't think that History is about Good VS Bad or Good VS Evil, it is first and foremost trying to understand it and ultimately understand ourselves and our own collective past. History is not an exact science but its knowledge only evolves and enriches with new documents overtime.

We know things about Napoleon's era today that we did not know at the time of the French Emperors life, including his love life and sex life but also his accomplishments. Does that mean that Napoleon was a good man or bad man ? That is left to the judgment of history and by that I mean debates, articles, testimonies of all sorts the collection of which allows us to draw our own individual conclusions based on our own interpretations, convictions and even emotional reactions ( that can have their justifications, only serious historians need to keep their calm and serenity for they have an obligation to explain not to judge). I am sure that in 30 years from now we will get to learn things about Khomeiny which may change some pre-conceptions we have on the man because of all that happened to Iran since. But certain evidences cannot be wiped out nor can we find excuses for actions that are humanly condemnable. For instance the crimes of the SAVAK during the Shah's time or that of the SAVAMA today cannot be forgiven. However one can seriously doubt some documents relative to both organizations in terms of the number of deaths or arbitrary executions based on what we know today and will learn tomorrow through either verified testimonies or documents which authenticity cannot be refuted. Take for instance the burning of the Reichtag in Germany during the 1930's which very much like the burning of Cinema Rex was to be used to manipulate public opinion against the ruling establishments: the Shah's government in the case of Iran and the Republic of Weimar in the case of Germany. We know today that the so called "communist" who burned the Reichtag was a scapegoat manipulated by the Nazis to turn public opinion against the democratic institutions of the Weimar Republic so that it would pave the way for the Nazi Party to reach power and have Hitler be elected ( quite democratically) as the new German Chancellor. The fear of Communism and anarchy led people to vote for Hitler ( including Jewish voters) and the first thing he did was to suppress political dissent and ban the Jews and other minorities from public life and public rights. Same thing for Cinema Rex that most historians today believe it was not the SAVAK but the Islamists who commited to crime to stigmitize and impress public opinion. Does this knowledge mean that the SAVAK was a good and noble institution ? Of course not ! Not more than the SAVAMA !

As for History, it NEVER repeats itself BUT It Does Rhyme ...

That is why it is always good to study the past and not be afraid to look at it with the desire to learn the TRUTH even if it hurts for the truth is always more interesting than fiction.

Best,

DK

> remarks

Thinking of your country as something wich no longer exists is just wrong. Let me explain myself, as I come from a hardcore monarchist family I've witnessed how nostalgia and ''memorabilia'' can be damaging.Iran is still alive, our people is still here. There're struggling, I agree, but there're real.

Let me ask you a question Mr. Kadivar , how long has been since your last trip to Iran ?

Toute cette nostalgie déprimante est certes très intéressante j'avoue. Mais notre pays est une entité vivante et actuelle. Certes, le tableau n'est pas très flatteur...

There's no such thing as ''Shah's Iran'' or ''IRI's Iran'', it's Iran, period.

As for that poor girl and her lachak in the U.S, hejab has become part of Iran's contemporary culture, bekhain nakhain. Even if the whole hejab issue in Iran is a direct consequence of the akhound dictatorship, overtime, iranians have integrated it as part of their everyday life.

In Kuala Lumpur, Dubaï, or even Paris during the summer time, you'll often see iranian women with their roo sari. Call it what you want to, but it has become part of the iranian ''image''. Just like tasbiyeh, when you see 2 old iranian dudes walking around Wilshire Bd., talking about the good old days and playing with their tasbyeh.

Very interesting

I never knew some of the facts about shah until now. Enjoy
Part 1: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1nvWTeRcJ8

Part 2: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9fourDlY08

Part 3: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKvigipyrk

Part 4: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBx-TWOauMo

Part 5: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akawaf4ooes

Part 6: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8h62rNnAuY

Part 7: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEaygVtdlrc

Part 8: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VRzbzl140

DK

Just when I think you can't top your last display of memorabilia or history, you raise the bar even higher.

I'm wondering now had filming took place in Iran if they would have used Paykans for the car chase and stunt rather than American Motors vehicles.

I can just see it now.....Nick Nack in Tehran.  :)