Comments on: Mahmoud and me

By: Andrei Lopatenko

Andrei Lopatenko — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 22:19:00 +0000

Scott,
I am not sure that you are completely right.
It may happen that the behaviour of Mr. President of Iran is dictated by another notion of a political correctness.
“A political correctness” dictated by religious extremists in his country and Middle East armed groups maybe stronger a political correctness dictated by the West.
Look at the Moon. Its “behaviour” is dictated by the gravitation fields of the Earth adn the Sun.

By: Bunny Dee

Bunny Dee — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 16:08:00 +0000

Hey people, what’s wrong with voicing an actual opinion, as light-hearted as it may be, instead of just blogging whatever one’s told to think and feel about political issues?

Scott, man, I’m impressed.

BTW, I’m 1/4 Greek, and I must point out that the day this was posted is the national holiday celebrating the greek refusal to open the borders to invading italian troops in 1940, during WWII. Interesting coincidence

Just to clarify where I stand:
I have a humanist heart and a miser’s mind. I am against all forms of verbal or physical violence, I really wish we could have a world without arguments and wars, but I’d rather appreciate the diversity and understand where everyone stands in the political or social map. People always have their reasons for believing things, whether you agree with them or not, mr. so-you’re-the-guy-who-wrote-all-those-poems Anon.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 05:26:00 +0000

“People talk this way about the United States too, that it must be time to move to Canada or Europe if the president is bad.”

Hey, some of us did more than talk.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 05:25:00 +0000

Kaveh: Thanks for your insights. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry either. What makes the situation particularly sad — but, at the same time, gives me a bit of hope — is that there are so many Iranians who feel similarly to you.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 05:13:00 +0000

Gilad: Thanks so much for the poem!

By: Greg Kuperberg

Greg Kuperberg — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 03:41:00 +0000

But Iran has 70 million people and generally viable (if fragile) civil institutions, and you can’t just tell everyone to leave. People talk this way about the United States too, that it must be time to move to Canada or Europe if the president is bad. It’s the same mistake. When it is a mistake; often it’s blatant hyperbole.

I’m as disgusted as the next person by Iranian wrath against Israel, or maybe it’s Jews. But the only solution is deft engagement, not exodus or regime overthrow.

By: Eldar

Eldar — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 03:06:00 +0000

Regarding Kaveh’s question, I would vote for “start crying”. My advice to Iranian postdocs in the West is not to return to Iran at the end of their studies for now, as the current president seems to set course towards a singularity.

By: Kaveh

Kaveh — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 23:31:00 +0000

I wish you could hear and understand him in Persian. People laughed at him when he was a presidency candidate because of his crazy words and appearance. Now he has taken power (and yes many voted for him) those who laughed are wondering if they should keep laughing or start crying.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 23:01:00 +0000

Greg Kuperberg said…
Anonymous #3: As anonymous #1 may have noticed, Scott is being sarcastic.

Maybe anonymous #1 was being sarcastic too …

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:17:00 +0000

Interesting opinion, Scott. Would you find Hitler “refreshing”, too? Because he probably had all the “qualities” you just named.

(B.t.w., if you just wanted to be sarcastic, I didn’t notice by your writing. And I find the subject way too serious to laugh about that).