Iran sacrifices its future

[»Xog]

In this article: http://townhall.com/columnists/PaulGreenberg/2010/01/13/iran_sacrifices_its_future

 

I was shocked.

"... That's right: If you're a star pupil in Iran, you're less likely to get a good report card than a stiff prison sentence. ..."

 

"... If one star appears beside a student's name in the extensive dossier kept by Iran's secret police, he -- or she -- may stay in graduate school but only after signing a promise not to take part in any objectionable activities. Like freedom of expression.

 

But if you're awarded two stars by Big Brother, uh oh. You're suspended from school and become eligible for interrogation by the authorities. After which you may be required to write a letter (if your hand still works) pledging you'll forgo any unapproved politics. ..."

 

Oh, wow. I'd gtfo of there asap.

[SeVeR]

It only says what one star or two stars next to a name will result in, it doesn't say whether these symbols also relate to intelligence.

 

I think that's because the relationship doesn't exist. Why would it exist? There have to be plenty of stupid kids who are also anti-government.

 

The things people come out with in America about Iran never ceases to amaze me. This statement should also tell you why this article is anti-Iranian propaganda:

 

"Forgive me if I lose track of the exact titles now used by the higher-ups of the Islamic Republic, just as I used to have trouble keeping track of the Grand Dragons and Imperial Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc."

Edited January 19, 2010 by SeVeR

[»Xog]

Stars are referring to top-students who excel beyond normal expectation.

[SeVeR]

How do you know that? Read it again.

 

For example: "If you rate three stars, which means you've been spotted attending a protest rally or daring to openly support an opposition candidate"

 

Where is the relationship between the three stars and whether this person is intelligent?

[»Xog]

"... its most promising students not in order to make use of their minds and talents, but to bar them from further study, or maybe from society in general. ..."

"... If you're a star pupil in Iran [not meaning 'pupil with a star'], you're less likely to get a good report card than a stiff prison sentence ..."

 

If I'm wrong I'm wrong but that's how I read it

[SeVeR]

Basically the author has two facts as his disposal:

1. The Iranian government deems students who are anti-government as criminals.

2. The Iranian government uses a star-system to decide just how criminal these students are.

 

From this claim he has insinuated that the most promising students are being persecuted. He has used the clever language of saying "star pupil" to pass this insinuation off as fact. This is where it becomes anti-Iranian propaganda, as the easy mistake is in thinking the Iranian star-system relates to intelligence as well as criminality. That's why he said star pupil. That's why his whole article is aimed at getting us to think Iran's "most promising" students are being persecuted. The term "most promising" can mean absolutely anything. In the writer's eyes it probably refers to the level of their anti-government activity. Nowhere though is there any proof that the students given stars are actually cleverer than the non-starred pupils, they are merely students, that is all. Iran is not sacrificing it's future, they are dealing with students who are trying to overthrow the government, and since our government hates Iran's government, our propaganda supports the students and makes up crap like this article. Seriously, Goebbels would be proud of this.

 

I just spotted another thing about why this web-page shouldn't really be taken seriously, the advert in the middle is for Sarah Palin's book. Add that to the continual KKK references and you must see why this article is written by a crack-pot, for other crack-pots to lap up.

Edited January 20, 2010 by SeVeR

[Dr Brain]

What, you want him to be nice to the KKK? Taking offense to the KKK makes one a crack-pot?

[Simulacrum]

To SeVeR's list of reasons this is not a credible article, I would add that it's fucking townhall.com.

[SeVeR]

Ah, I haven't heard of townhall.com.

 

Dr Brain, I was referring to this from the article: "Forgive me if I lose track of the exact titles now used by the higher-ups of the Islamic Republic, just as I used to have trouble keeping track of the Grand Dragons and Imperial Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc."

[Dr Brain]

Yes, I read it. So I ask again,

What, you want him to be nice to the KKK? Taking offense to the KKK makes one a crack-pot?

[Simulacrum]

SeVeR: I would put Town Hall up there with WorldNetDaily in terms of objective, quality reporting, if you're familiar with them.

 

Brain: I don't think that's his point at all. In fact, the issue is not that he is attacking the KKK, but that he is attacking Iran by connecting it with the KKK through something as frivolous as the titles of its leadership. Given that the KKK is reviled for its racism rather than its ranks, it's disingenuous to make that comparison out of the blue. It just makes the author look like he's grasping for an Evil Entity to link to Iran for the hell of it, rather than noting a meaningful parallel between the two groups.

[SeVeR]

Yes, I read it. So I ask again,

What, you want him to be nice to the KKK? Taking offense to the KKK makes one a crack-pot?

Uh, no and no. Giving the impression that Iran are comparable with the KKK makes one a crack-pot. Having done a sh!tload of research into Iran, I can be pretty confident of three facts now:

 

1. Iran and it's government are not anti-semitic. Other than Israel they have the largest Jewish population in the Middle East, Jews are guaranteed a seat in the Iranian parliament, and the revolutionary Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, guaranteed the safety of Jews.

2. Iran is anti-Zionist, meaning they object the actions of Israel.

3. As a result of this, America and Israel do all they can to perpetuate the idea that Iran is anti-semitic.

 

Based on my confidence in the above, I read comments like the one I quoted as being just another symptom of anti-Iranian propaganda coming out of right-wing America to make the Iranian government appear racist.

 

The only crack-pot news organisation I had heard of until today was Fox News.

[Dr Brain]

Wot? That article doesn't slant them as racist. It says they're totalitarian. I'll agree that the article wasn't well written, but it was comparing two objectionable things, namely Iran and the KKK. Not two racist things.

 

As a "right winger", I've *never* heard Iran called anti-semetic or racist. I'd not even heard it second hand until you brought it up.

[Simulacrum]

Then it's just an empty statement. If saying "I don't pay much attention to Iran, much like I don't pay attention to the KKK" just means "I don't pay attention to Iran because they're Bad," he might as well say "I don't pay attention to Iran because they're a bunch of poopy-heads." It's not factually unsupported in the way that other comparisons to the KKK could be, but it's nevertheless an asinine statement for any article claiming to present insightful commentary.

[Dr Brain]

I agree that it was poorly worded, and a trivially dumb statement. I don't agree with Sever's statement saying that it was spreading racist propaganda about Iran.

[SeVeR]

Lets try a different an example, something you might object to more Dr Brain: "Forgive me if I lose track of the exact titles now used by the higher-ups of the CIA, just as I used to have trouble keeping track of the Inspectors and Commissioners of the Gestapo."

 

The implication is obvious.

 

"Forgive me if I lose track of the exact titles now used by the higher-ups of the Islamic Republic, just as I used to have trouble keeping track of the Grand Dragons and Imperial Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc."

 

The statement establishes the Iranian leadership and the KKK as being comparable. As the KKK's primary notoriety is racism, I find the statement to be clearly insinuating the Iranian leadership as being racist. Why not pick some other hierarchical organisation?

Edited January 21, 2010 by SeVeR

[Simulacrum]

On the other hand, the KKK isn't just known for its racism. The titles of their leadership do seem to tend toward the silly side, and the same pattern has been noted in Iran. I think this is another one of those cases where a text has more than one valid interpretation.

[Dr Brain]

Sever, this is clearly a case of your bigotry getting in the way of the obvious.

[NBVegita]

I would have to agree with Simul.

 

I don't believe he was making a direct comparison to the actions of the KKK and the actions of Iran. I think we was more trying to relate a group we know as historically bad and corrupt to Iran.

 

That's my interpretation.

[SeVeR]

Sever, this is clearly a case of your bigotry getting in the way of the obvious.

LOL.

[SeVeR]

I would have to agree with Simul.

 

I don't believe he was making a direct comparison to the actions of the KKK and the actions of Iran. I think we was more trying to relate a group we know as historically bad and corrupt to Iran.

 

That's my interpretation.

Well that's not far off what I'm saying. I have the added experience of having seen (and objected to) many attempts to make Iran appear racist, therefore given that the KKK's racism is the principle factor in why they are "bad and corrupt" I went a bit further in my interpretation. I stand by what I've said, but given that you haven't read all of the things I have about Iran, I understand your viewpoint too.

 

Note also that the article was written by a right-wing Jew, so this person is very likely a Zionist (avid supporter of Israel), which ticks another box for why my interpretation would be the correct one. Zionists often want to make anti-Zionists appear racist.

Edited January 22, 2010 by SeVeR

[Dr Brain]

Zionists want to make anti-Zionists appear racist.

Isn't that the stereotyping you always accuse the right of doing?

[Anonymous]

DFTT.

 

 

It's difficult to hold an opinion on a country with only what I've learned in history and the words of America.

History is written by the victors, I won't trash talk a place on it's beliefs or system of criminalization of people simply because one article brings it up. If you can find an article that isn't written from American Bigotry and is legitimately written by a well-known Iran or Israel reporter and not some highly critical old white male American reporter then I'll believe that it's possibly true.

 

Maybe.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Anonymous

[SeVeR]

Zionists want to make anti-Zionists appear racist.

Isn't that the stereotyping you always accuse the right of doing?

I thought about putting in the word "often", or "usually", or "generally", but I decided there was no need, and that people would know what I was saying. I guess I under-estimated your capacity for nit-picking.

[Dr Brain]

Nah, I'm just tired of letting your hypocrisy slide, and I figured it was time to start calling you on it.