From: javad@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com (Agha Javad)
Subject: Re: Is there an interpreter in the house?
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 22:34:42 GMT
Organization: Labaniyati-ye-Sar-e-Koocheh

In article <1993Jan25.190421.19203@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> aref@Tehran.Stanford.EDU (Modda'iyeh har hAzer va Vakileh har ghAyeb) writes:
>In article <C1A006.JEA@news.cso.uiuc.edu> 
>yaser@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Ala) writes:
>
>
>
>>Your concern about major rdneckness against Americans only seems to be
>>another characteristic of a person assimilated into this society.
>
>I see. Another generalization?. Being assimilated into this society
>does not necessarily mean you have given up all your original 
>values and beliefs. This society is a sum made up of its smaller 
>pieces. Those pieces come from all parts of the world. From Tehran,
>Mashhad, Esfahan, Ahvaz, Kabul, Karachi Bombay, Mexico City, 
>Berlin, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Moscow ...etc...
>
>I think there is a lot for me to learn from these people and try
>to change and be a better person. You (and anyone else) are more
>than welcome to keep your own ways. 
>

I suggest this paragraph should be named official sci paragraph of the
month!

I think what we are witnessing here is the age-old discussion between
"let's keep the "old" or "our own" ways" on one hand, and "let's not
stay in the same place and let's allow ourselves to learn new things".

It is not unique to our country, you'll find it around the globe.  I would 
just like to make a few points:

1)True, it is good to maintain one's identity, and not totally put one's self
down and blindly follow others.  But I think it is EQUALLy as bad to do the
reverse, that is, to completely put down other cultures in the belief that
one's own culture is the best, and blindly follow it without even trying
to learn from others.  In either case, you lose.  And what's more, no culture
has come into its present form by just "sticking to itself" and calling itself
"superior to others".  A lot of our culture can be traced back to ancient times,
true,but a large portion of it was heavily influenced by outsiders at some time.

2)One's cultural heritage and identity are a very internal matter, and the more
one is secure about it, the easier one can criticize it or hear criticism about
without feeling attacked.  All our societies thrive on putting down others
so that they look good in comparison.  In Iran, how many people associate the
west with "good cultural values, creativity, innovation, openness, and freedom",
as opposed to "decadent, immoral, colonialist, imperialist, alcohol drinking,
pork eating, girlfriend-boyfriend bAzi, be-band-o-bAr"?  By the same token,
How many westerners think of the middle east as "centuries (millenia) old
civilization with rich culture and thought and poetry and music, with people
who truly care for one another and very polite people who are always saying
ghorban-e-shoma, ghabeli-nadareh, hala basheh, pishkesh, befarmaeed,etc.",
as opposed to "terrorists who come here, marry a western wife, beat her and
steal the kid and beat the kid too, and never takes a shower, always looks
mad, and talks funny?" I would say the answer in both cases is, "not many".
What I am trying to say is, it is easy to criticize others, but it is harder,
yet more beneficial, to seek and point out one's own faults.  That is the only
way we will ever get better.  Imagine if everyone in the world did this and
tried to learn from each other instead of marketing their own culture over
the competition's.  It's time for people of the world to stop listening to their
own government's crap, and try to find out for themselves what's really going
on. 

3)Scare tactics are a common reaction by gov'ts to outside pressure.  For 
example, some traditionalists on this net instantly label you "western" when
you mention democracy, freedom, human rights, etc.  But what makes these ideas
"western"?  That's no different than me calling muslims "Arab nationalists", or 
McCarthyists calling you "Russian" or "reds" if you even mention the word
communism.  Most Americans shun at the word communism without even knowing
what it is. We shouldn't give in to such pressures, and we should always not 
be scared in pursuing the truth and ideas in general.


In closing, I would just like to say, Aref is perfectly right, we have a lot
to gain from learning from each other, and so much to lose by bashing each
other.  (If you don't believe me, just listen to Babak talk about Yugoslavia!)

>
>Aref
>
>

Agha Javad