I hear ya... it is mind boggling when I hear people living in Taiwan stating that there needs to be a regime change in China, and that they should return to China to rule and restore ties to the USA.
(".....One believes something because one wants to believe it (on one occasion, another colleague told me she believed the report in her newspaper that the Russians had blown up the Nord Stream pipeline)...")
Here I would point to the brain rotting effects of so called social media technology, which is the primary means by which most people in Europe actually find news. Or more specifically get mainsteam propaganda news pushed to them by black box algorithims designed to provide customised personal emotional manipulation.
There is very little hope for the salvation of anyone caught up in this "social media" machine. They are brainwashed bots that the empire activates to whatever emotion or saying or action that is desired.
I find news on X , YT and some sub.stack and I am pretty well informed about REALITY NEWS vs propaganda. It is those ou watched MMS who are sadly compromised by propaganda.
You cannot be properly informed if you rely on an external algorithm feeding to you content on it's platform - that is a walled garden that you are walking around in, with blinkers on.
There is no substitute for putting in the effort and maintaining the curiousity to go around looking for informaiton and evaluating it yourself. Otherwise, you are not using the internet properly and you are inherently subject to manipulation.
Why do you assume we're all easily fooled by algorithms? I follow people who provide reliable information. I see their posts, videos, and subreddits. Your conclusions are incorrect. While some may be driven by algorithms on social media, that's far from the case for everyone.
1) Any private "social media" platform is a limited set of information, a walled garden. If you think it's the full set, you are already duped
2) You have zero knowledge of how the informaiton you are fed is selected, or who is influencing it or censoring it. And no control over it.
Getting all your information on a "platform", while claiming you are in full control of it, is like smoking cigarattes daily and claiming you aint a nicotine junkie
For you to be in control you need to be actively seeking a wide and diverse range of sources of information, not ranked by popularity, and not chosen for you blindly, nor limited by someone else for their own commercial benefit
What the platforms offer is "convenience" aka not doing the necessary hard work and the illusion of actually being in control, while in fact you are on train on rails with someone else controlling it.
The story Mr.Parsons is sharing shares a common psychological feature of all people( Iran, Eas European countries, Africans,etc) who doesn't have a long history of close interactions with West.They tend to assign all the vices of their society including political/ economical failure,by negating them, as perfect virtues of West.The mechanism goes so: they, West are not like us.So, if we have vices and are not successful, they, the West, because they are not like us, are righteous and successful.It looks silly, but it just like that.This the reason why peoples ( like the Iranians and so many others) who can never be fooled in day-to-day life in the harsh environment of their their country will be fooled so easy by a Westerner who can never survive one day living on the streets of a town of Iran. It is explained by the lack of common history, because geographical and cultural those countries are far away and different than West.Underlying there are two basic and fundamental features: complex of inferiority to the West and the faith in a magical on-hand solution for succes: just mimic and replicate West in everything and we'll be just like them, successful just like them. Instead of trying to build their own destiny, based on the features of their own history, not of others,they think there is magical solution: mimic and replicate the others'history. But, history=life of a people, can never be mimic or borrow.At every moment, a people is what it is because of its history, not of others. So, their way to succes( future history) can be achieved only based on their history( their past) not of others.There are no universal ways and historical patterns available for any people, but only specific ways for every people.There will be always common features but always different ways.
Yes, your article is correct, but you are looking too much from the outside, and, as it seems talk you to the wrong people. Unlike you, who was not even born then, I spent winter of 78 in Teheran and saw what was going on, and talked to a lot of educated people.
Anyone with what deserves the name education was aware of the country's past and the typical american crimes of worldwide robbery and murders, that Iran had experienced in 1953 when its democratically elected government was violently overthrown, and Mossadegh was murdered. There is no rationalising the facts about the US and the two other colonial powers in the area, they did it because they wanted to rob Iran of its oil, instead of paying for it. It is as simple as that. They used a stooge for this, the Shah, one of the greatest mass murderers and tortureres ever.
There were innumerous attempts of getting rid of that fellow, but, because of the structure and the power based on violence, of the government and its forefront, the Savak, they all had no chance.
Fact is, no opposition could succeede without the support of the islamists. In Dec 78 everyone in Iran knew that, and even most of those who were well off in the Shah's state, were on the side of the Khomeini uprising. They saw the problems of a mullah rule, but preferred it to Shah's terror.
So, all the ex-pat Iranian families that left Iran with the Shah in early 79 and later, were Iranians who were part of the corrupt murderous regime, who were threatened with losing their ill-gained riches and possible islamic "justice".
These are the families that today are supporting the Shah's son, who would probably be the same kind of ruler his father was, and who would allow US interests, and oil exploitation by the US.
If Trump succeeds with his goal of regime change, right now the Islamists will replace Khamenei, but Trump of course will not accept this, his choice might just be Reza Pahlavi jr.
The one point you missed, was the fact that educated Iranians never wanted a Mullah state, but the lack of freedom and the constant threat of government and Savak in the end made them support it, at least in 78/79 as the lesser evil....
Of course the real problem that Iran has is its religion, and it has this problem in common with all other states that have the same religion. It is Islam that prevents education, and its brutal inforcement of its preposterous rules that prevent any progress.
If you have met enough diasporas of different countries you may find that nowadays (2020s) almost all of them are similar to each other, not about agenda but their character, clothes, behaviors, style of talking, perferred terms......this is because being diaspora involved into political activism is a real job, they have their own network and they are not actually talking on behalf of themselves as individuals. It makes non sense to ask whether they believe what they claim is true (i'm talking about the phenomenon of political diasporas regardless of their origins and mainly from the experience i know from Chinese diasporas), they claim anything which is suitable for the job, just like therapists don't really think as what they tell the visitors. Also with a globalization, diasporas of different countries will definitely just copy each other, blind to the gaps between their native countries but presenting as they are in same international cause for humanity e.g. as if there is a pro N/A independence feminist crusade from Iran to China led by punk girl Charlotte Wang (found she's a they/them at age 20) who has been studying abroad since 13 currently living with her Tibetan artist boyfriend and shitposting about the penis size of her countries. I'm not going to say it's bad or stupid or anything, I'm as neutral as the most neutral, what I'm saying is, political activism is absolutely not about the reality, and it isn't obliged to be about the reality, narratives don't need to be true, *it's just a way to shape what a decent person should believe*, it's not important how many people died or who blowed up the pipe, the only thing should be asked is "what is a decent person is supposed to believe?", it's like every young european student i met so far in my university tried to persuade me whether Tibet is a part of China is not a discussable question, its independence is a belief a decent person should hold. well, i mean, in short, the problem remains who can define the expectation(s) to local people, to diasporas, to officials, etc., maybe some world manuscripts just as if the world is a RPG game and diaspora is kind of character, whoever on that position will definitely behave the same
Je suis d'accord, les ennemis de mes ennemis ne sont pas toujours mes amis, et il est bien evident qu'il ne peut pas y avoir eu 40 000 protestants tués. Les gens sont enfermés dans leurs pensées et ont des œillères qui les empêchent de prendre du recul sur la propagande.
Why couldn't America have pushed atheism a bit instead of freedom of religion? Looks like no one is free now.
religion is still making trouble. Especially in America! Idiotic Christians who are expecting the bad Jews to by Jesus or die and the Jews who see the ..ALL others as Amalek filth.
How many variations are there on god and his/her/its demands???
I support Iran 100% and am thrilled when a US military base is hit. only 775 more to go.
I hear ya... it is mind boggling when I hear people living in Taiwan stating that there needs to be a regime change in China, and that they should return to China to rule and restore ties to the USA.
Comme disait une élite américaine (je ne sais plus qui), il vaut mieux être notre ennemi que notre ami...En disant cela il a tout dit non ?
[La citation attribuée à Henry Kissinger — « Être un ennemi des États-Unis est dangereux, mais être leur ami est fatal » ]
you maybe haven't seen those who want to return to Japanese rule yet, what you mentioned here are the saner and more patriotic Taiwanese
(".....One believes something because one wants to believe it (on one occasion, another colleague told me she believed the report in her newspaper that the Russians had blown up the Nord Stream pipeline)...")
Here I would point to the brain rotting effects of so called social media technology, which is the primary means by which most people in Europe actually find news. Or more specifically get mainsteam propaganda news pushed to them by black box algorithims designed to provide customised personal emotional manipulation.
There is very little hope for the salvation of anyone caught up in this "social media" machine. They are brainwashed bots that the empire activates to whatever emotion or saying or action that is desired.
I find news on X , YT and some sub.stack and I am pretty well informed about REALITY NEWS vs propaganda. It is those ou watched MMS who are sadly compromised by propaganda.
You cannot be properly informed if you rely on an external algorithm feeding to you content on it's platform - that is a walled garden that you are walking around in, with blinkers on.
There is no substitute for putting in the effort and maintaining the curiousity to go around looking for informaiton and evaluating it yourself. Otherwise, you are not using the internet properly and you are inherently subject to manipulation.
Why do you assume we're all easily fooled by algorithms? I follow people who provide reliable information. I see their posts, videos, and subreddits. Your conclusions are incorrect. While some may be driven by algorithms on social media, that's far from the case for everyone.
1) Any private "social media" platform is a limited set of information, a walled garden. If you think it's the full set, you are already duped
2) You have zero knowledge of how the informaiton you are fed is selected, or who is influencing it or censoring it. And no control over it.
Getting all your information on a "platform", while claiming you are in full control of it, is like smoking cigarattes daily and claiming you aint a nicotine junkie
For you to be in control you need to be actively seeking a wide and diverse range of sources of information, not ranked by popularity, and not chosen for you blindly, nor limited by someone else for their own commercial benefit
What the platforms offer is "convenience" aka not doing the necessary hard work and the illusion of actually being in control, while in fact you are on train on rails with someone else controlling it.
Youtube is social media but I get a lot of independent experts there. Only supported with $ from us.
The story Mr.Parsons is sharing shares a common psychological feature of all people( Iran, Eas European countries, Africans,etc) who doesn't have a long history of close interactions with West.They tend to assign all the vices of their society including political/ economical failure,by negating them, as perfect virtues of West.The mechanism goes so: they, West are not like us.So, if we have vices and are not successful, they, the West, because they are not like us, are righteous and successful.It looks silly, but it just like that.This the reason why peoples ( like the Iranians and so many others) who can never be fooled in day-to-day life in the harsh environment of their their country will be fooled so easy by a Westerner who can never survive one day living on the streets of a town of Iran. It is explained by the lack of common history, because geographical and cultural those countries are far away and different than West.Underlying there are two basic and fundamental features: complex of inferiority to the West and the faith in a magical on-hand solution for succes: just mimic and replicate West in everything and we'll be just like them, successful just like them. Instead of trying to build their own destiny, based on the features of their own history, not of others,they think there is magical solution: mimic and replicate the others'history. But, history=life of a people, can never be mimic or borrow.At every moment, a people is what it is because of its history, not of others. So, their way to succes( future history) can be achieved only based on their history( their past) not of others.There are no universal ways and historical patterns available for any people, but only specific ways for every people.There will be always common features but always different ways.
Yes, your article is correct, but you are looking too much from the outside, and, as it seems talk you to the wrong people. Unlike you, who was not even born then, I spent winter of 78 in Teheran and saw what was going on, and talked to a lot of educated people.
Anyone with what deserves the name education was aware of the country's past and the typical american crimes of worldwide robbery and murders, that Iran had experienced in 1953 when its democratically elected government was violently overthrown, and Mossadegh was murdered. There is no rationalising the facts about the US and the two other colonial powers in the area, they did it because they wanted to rob Iran of its oil, instead of paying for it. It is as simple as that. They used a stooge for this, the Shah, one of the greatest mass murderers and tortureres ever.
There were innumerous attempts of getting rid of that fellow, but, because of the structure and the power based on violence, of the government and its forefront, the Savak, they all had no chance.
Fact is, no opposition could succeede without the support of the islamists. In Dec 78 everyone in Iran knew that, and even most of those who were well off in the Shah's state, were on the side of the Khomeini uprising. They saw the problems of a mullah rule, but preferred it to Shah's terror.
So, all the ex-pat Iranian families that left Iran with the Shah in early 79 and later, were Iranians who were part of the corrupt murderous regime, who were threatened with losing their ill-gained riches and possible islamic "justice".
These are the families that today are supporting the Shah's son, who would probably be the same kind of ruler his father was, and who would allow US interests, and oil exploitation by the US.
If Trump succeeds with his goal of regime change, right now the Islamists will replace Khamenei, but Trump of course will not accept this, his choice might just be Reza Pahlavi jr.
The one point you missed, was the fact that educated Iranians never wanted a Mullah state, but the lack of freedom and the constant threat of government and Savak in the end made them support it, at least in 78/79 as the lesser evil....
Of course the real problem that Iran has is its religion, and it has this problem in common with all other states that have the same religion. It is Islam that prevents education, and its brutal inforcement of its preposterous rules that prevent any progress.
Excellent
If you have met enough diasporas of different countries you may find that nowadays (2020s) almost all of them are similar to each other, not about agenda but their character, clothes, behaviors, style of talking, perferred terms......this is because being diaspora involved into political activism is a real job, they have their own network and they are not actually talking on behalf of themselves as individuals. It makes non sense to ask whether they believe what they claim is true (i'm talking about the phenomenon of political diasporas regardless of their origins and mainly from the experience i know from Chinese diasporas), they claim anything which is suitable for the job, just like therapists don't really think as what they tell the visitors. Also with a globalization, diasporas of different countries will definitely just copy each other, blind to the gaps between their native countries but presenting as they are in same international cause for humanity e.g. as if there is a pro N/A independence feminist crusade from Iran to China led by punk girl Charlotte Wang (found she's a they/them at age 20) who has been studying abroad since 13 currently living with her Tibetan artist boyfriend and shitposting about the penis size of her countries. I'm not going to say it's bad or stupid or anything, I'm as neutral as the most neutral, what I'm saying is, political activism is absolutely not about the reality, and it isn't obliged to be about the reality, narratives don't need to be true, *it's just a way to shape what a decent person should believe*, it's not important how many people died or who blowed up the pipe, the only thing should be asked is "what is a decent person is supposed to believe?", it's like every young european student i met so far in my university tried to persuade me whether Tibet is a part of China is not a discussable question, its independence is a belief a decent person should hold. well, i mean, in short, the problem remains who can define the expectation(s) to local people, to diasporas, to officials, etc., maybe some world manuscripts just as if the world is a RPG game and diaspora is kind of character, whoever on that position will definitely behave the same
Je suis d'accord, les ennemis de mes ennemis ne sont pas toujours mes amis, et il est bien evident qu'il ne peut pas y avoir eu 40 000 protestants tués. Les gens sont enfermés dans leurs pensées et ont des œillères qui les empêchent de prendre du recul sur la propagande.
https://captainfransentim.substack.com/p/between-diplomacy-and-war-why-defensive?r=5jmmex&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://captainfransentim.substack.com/p/between-diplomacy-and-war-why-defensive?r=5jmmex&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
How to pull the plug of this tub?
OMG!
Well, not really, because I do NOT have a god.
Why couldn't America have pushed atheism a bit instead of freedom of religion? Looks like no one is free now.
religion is still making trouble. Especially in America! Idiotic Christians who are expecting the bad Jews to by Jesus or die and the Jews who see the ..ALL others as Amalek filth.
How many variations are there on god and his/her/its demands???
I support Iran 100% and am thrilled when a US military base is hit. only 775 more to go.
Very interesting article. Thank you.