I thought the US ousted Mosaddegh and was pro-Shah, but you seem to be much more on top of history than me!
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I didn’t say we were blameless in any of that. Certainly not coincidence as much as crossed interests.
My point is there is a bigger picture which Americans seldom see or acknowledge.
Btw slight correction the US ousted liberal nationalist President Moseddegh of Iran and installed the reactionary Shah. Which would eventually lead to the Ayatollah and hostility with Iran. Sparking our own support of Saddam Hussein in the 1980’s. Until he turned on the Saudis and Gulf States Arggghh!
[Describing the US role in the middle east between both countries is political equivalent of diving into a port-a-potty…that has been set on fire]
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I would not dare “demand” that anyone actively resist an oppressive regime. Putting your livelihood, freedom, safety of your family or possibly even your life on the line requires a special kind of heroism. I greatly admire anyone who can do it but I understand most people just aren’t cut out of the right material for this level of risk.
I feel much more comfortable demanding that people don’t actively help an oppressive regime for personal gain, e.g. by assuming well-paid gigs legitimizing the actions and attitudes of theocrats. I am certain she can find some work other than a national TV host when she clearly doesn’t believe in the positions her current job requires her to publicly espouse.
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Speak for yourself. Not everybody lives in the US and consumes the same news angle.
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Not everyone can immigrate, especially right now. We’re not exactly welcoming immigrants with open arms.
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Just out of curiosity…you have friends, just as I do. Do you criticize your friends more or less than people who are not your friends? Do you praise your friends more or less than you do people who are not your friends?
My hopefully obvious point here is…we tend to be far more openly critical and condemning of people we do not call friend. and while none of our friends are perfect, if we called out their flaws constantly, they wouldn’t be our friends for very long. I am comparing two things that are different on scale and consequence between allies vs personal friends, but human behavior is the same in both cases. right?
I think your first thought is more on the nose. Its like driving through the conservative Carolinas or Georgia and seeing a road sign for Adult Toy Stores and Strip Clubs every couple miles on 95…yet these are the same areas that vote red and thump bibles regularly.
I think you are right as are some others above…Iran as a whole isn’t the demon nation they are made out to be. Truth is always somewhere in the middle…except for Trump. He’s a freaking wing-nut with zero saving graces whatsoever. 
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Fair enough. My comment was definitely US-centric. My bad.
But though the problem may vary and the US may be among the worst if not the worst offender, I think it’s pretty apparent that the Western world in general has a growing religious conservative problem.
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I am having a hard time following your line of thought here. There are how many television hosts in Iran? Dozens? How many other jobs are out there where you aren’t directly trying to re-enforce the states’ draconian laws through media? Just about all of them?
“Just following orders”, and “doing what I had to do to survive” is a reasonable defense some times. But in this case it is hard for me to defend someone who repeats the hard line stance, and then but doesn’t actually believe or follow it if given the chance not to.
That’s an understatement. And perhaps if there was evidence of coercion or being forced to be a mouthpiece there would be more understanding as to her position. But history is FULL of people who preach one thing and do another as part of keeping control.
Also, broader picture not specific reply to above, I think one can criticize Iran with out demonizing them. There may have been war hawks beating drums on this subject, but Iran has a lot of bad things they are involved in.
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I see a business opportunity for InBev, http://www.ab-inbev.com/ .
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Strange, I didn’t see @GulliverFoyle claiming he spoke for anyone but himself and his own view point. Please don’t make assumptions about someone else’s viewpoint.
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(Yeah, yeah, post can’t be empty)
The Shah claimed the US worked to oust him in his last year of rule. I have no idea whether that’s true, but the US certainly supported him for a long time, when we shouldn’t have been meddling in their affairs at all.
I wasn’t addressing immigration, I was asking “how do they get to democracy from theocratic autocracy”? I realize now that wasn’t clear; I was using the cliche’ as a metaphor. If you have to always go with the flow as this woman does, then there is no progress.
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That’s not something someone should have to apologize for though. No one should have to preface every comment with “In my opinion” or “From my viewpoint” or “As a XYZ type person I see it this way”.
Do you think there is independent media in Iran, of any variety? It’s all subject to the religious censors. It’s true that there are likely jobs that aren’t directly being a propaganda mouthpiece for the state, but they are all still subject to censorship by the state.
Agreed. But we (meaning the US as a super power) also have a problem with preaching one thing and doing another. Our official stance is pro-democratic, but our actions (especially vis-a-vis Iran) has been less than supportive of democracy.
Via US intervention?
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Not the point.
What I took issue with was the assumption that we are all reading this news in the context of US media and that this equals “Western media.”
It is the point…because you ignored the very well stated point that it was his opinion and it was even expressly stated that not everyone will see it the same way.
Re-read the comment, because I feel you glanced over it instead of reading it.
I’m generally pretty skeptical of the analogizing of statecraft and mass intercultural relationships to interpersonal relationships. There are some similarities, but a slightly more accurate analogy, IMHO, would be social cliques.
See, that’s exactly the thing, no good ever comes from reducing a whole culture to a handful of representative cases. It’s simplification to the point of misinformation. Nations aren’t demons. Cultures, nations, governments and religions are overlapping but distinct things and each is itself immensely complicated. Media falls back on convenient narratives - often ones that don’t go against the prevailing powers unless doing so is lucrative - out of laziness and confirmation bias. Skepticism should be the default filter, even if we as imperfect individuals don’t always live up that goal.
I appreciate the defense, but @8080256256 was correct in that I momentarily forgot that one of BB strengths is its international readership.
Please don’t fight over this. I made a dumb mistake, was called out on it, let’s move on.
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Well history shows that always works wonders in the Middle East.
(Is “/s” needed here? I hope not.)
Obviously the Iranians have to do it themselves, and it has to start somewhere-- a facebook page in Farsi is as good a place to start as any.
[edit: while the BBC reported on it, the story seems to originate within the Persian community, should the BBC not report it?]
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No, she’s what we Germans called and call a Mitläufer.
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I’m not questioning her cred as a Muslim, that’s none of my business. I’m saying that people who go on TV and lecture others on how to live their lives should either practice what they preach or shut the hell up. (Which is why I brought up Geraldo’s hoodie-shaming.)
I absolutely encourage everyone to call out hypocritical Christians in the same way.
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