Friends and Friends of Friends

The Second day i went to see an old friend of my sister (O.F#2), she is married and has a nice and young place near a place I used to go to learn English. Her Husband (N.F#1) and she came and picked me up near Tehran Uni, and then we went to their place, its a bit strange she looked not much different and she still smiled the same way. Her husband was very cool dude and he was telling me where to go site-seeing. He was telling me about the job situation in Iran. Basically, other than field of medicine, one can be sure that studying in a given field almost guarantees that you would not be working in that field and he made example of himself. Certainly it would be devastating for the individual person's confidence but it's even worst if one considers that people who are working various civil and commercial service sectors has little knowledge and are reliant on the advice of the older generation. This makes true reform of the private and governmental agencies extraordinarily impossible.

Anyways, We drove off to a restaurant near Cinema Farhang. Of course N.F#1, called another couple, and screamed over the phone "come to Restaurant X we got someone who wants to argue!" i don't exactly recall saying that I wanted to argue, it was more like "I don't mind arguing i even like it"

*liking something does not mean immediately desiring it*

So we met at the front of the restaurant and the guy N.F#2 asks me more less "what the hell you came back here for" then starts laughing and screams I hate all of them (the Akhonds [the Clergy]) I feel a bit uneasy and starts to look around, here is a guy who has a wife, and the kind of beard that is there for having a easy life near me and saying all this stuff in relatively loud manner. I decided to be politically correct and said "well not all of them are bad there are some..." where he said "all of them are (some insult to there mothers and sisters) let's get something to eat."

Pretty much all the rest of the night my attention was with N.F#2. he told me quit proudly that he wants freedom of speech, and press and he hated "the (some other mother and sister insults) Shark" (Hashemi Rafsanjani) -which made me a little easy- but went on to say that he hated him so much that he voted for Ahmadinezhad even though he is a " retarded monkey" which puzzled disappointed me greatly.

After 30 minutes I noticed that I have not had a chance to talk more than 2-3 minutes, and what is even worst that the N.F#2 is jumping around from subject to subject with out any particular direction. I remember that he said he can mathematically prove that there is one god but then came back and said he was not religious. I tried to explain my agnosticism to him but he moved on.

Before we left the restaurant he asked me what was my type of politics and said I was left and more accurately a Socialist. This got him started on the case of socialists which he just put together with Maoists and Stalinist and Trotskyites.

N.F#2: "Socialism is strategy of the global Imperialism"
I (So annoyed that I felt the after shocks of the Quake in Java inside my body): "what makes you bring out such statement out of yourself"

N.F#2: "look at Iran revolution, Carter and the Global Liberalism made it up" [It is quit common in Iranian Circle to blame stuff on Global Liberalism, even though they cannot sa precisely what it is] {{it is also common to ignore the millions that walked the streets against Tyranny and blame Jimmy Carter and Giscard d'Estaing, especially Carter}}

The whole thing was crazy, I know some of you might say "well, Amir when you Start you go on for ever" and I agree when I get into an argument I try to make my point clear and see it to the end and I do (sometimes) bombard the other guy with facts and historical cases that support my argument. But at least I let the other guy talk.

Any case he brings out his little notebook that he keeps note the books he has read, and starts talking about way Reza Shah (The First king of Pahlavi "Dynasty" {it cannot be dynasty if there are only two king in it, can it?]) was good for Iran (which I disagree in the strongest possible sense),N.F#2 has 13 points so I ask him to let me present a counter argument after each point, he doesn't like that idea, so I let go and let him read his notes for me, every point he makes is like having a horn blown in my ears. He finishes his 13 points and tells me to go on, so I ask him to give me his notes since has talked for a good 45 minutes and i don't exactly recall 8 of the points he has made. Of course he wouldn't give me his notes since there are his (he is in his mid 30s and not 18 year old)
I just give up on this case, there are not that many people that I have given up in argument with many 4 or 5 but this was by far the worst.

I blame it on the environment, the laws governing the press are so ridiculous that every paper (Reformist or conservative) has to be connect to a faction, Shargh (east) paper the most popular of the "reformist" is connected to Rafsanjani (the Shark) Etela'at (Information) is conservative paper allied with the President Ahmadinezhad (most people think he is Ko Ko), Keyhan is reactionary and sworn loyalty to Khomeini (he is died 17 yaers ago but they are still loyal), Resalat is Ultra conservative and serves as one of the press hounds of the supreme leader Khamenei

Anyhow in this atmosphere, one cannot remain respectful of others, there are no others; you have to look out for your self. This result in the current attitude of the Iranian community here and also abroad (especially abroad)
"Democracy and freedom of speech is when one is ruling and talking, and when one is not ruling and talking then there is no democracy or freedom of speech" It manifests itself in macro and micro polities.
In any case it was an experience, he was an intelligent dude, and having been pressed too much has made him impossible to talk to, but my complex about politics was also responsible for my final disappointment I took him too seriously, but that's the way I am, there is no room for error and non