A very English dispatch
Robert Tait in his last, and very boring, dispatch from Tehran. Basically he wants us to know that inside every Iranian is a 'Westerner' trying to get out. Notice that whenever a Western reporter wants to talk about a Middle Eastern country, it must be peppered with references to the women, their exoticism and their pent up sexual frustration, just waiting to be liberated. Tait is no exception to this it seems. While I would criticise the Islamic republic for many things, stupid university activists, the "eroticism" of the women, and the fact he can't grab a pint except in hiding are not some of the things I'd get worked up over.
"women discarded their obligatory overcoats and hijabs before letting their hair down for an uninhibited knees-up"
"Iranians perform with a grace and subtle eroticism beyond most westerners."
"...it will be forever associated in my mind with glorious food, dancing, dramatic landscapes, dazzling mosques and stunningly beautiful women."
"It explained why women from poorer families cover themselves with forbidding black chadors, why women are expected to remain virgins until marriage and sundry other social conventions."
"Its people are thirsting for a sense of social freedom which the Islamic system is withholding from them. The gusto with which they danced on the bus was ample demonstration of that."
3 comments:
I think you're being a bit unfair and selective in your criticism. Tait's article is primarily about the political climate. It's largely devoted to a discussion of Iran's president. The 'restrictions' Tait delineates for women (dress, public behavior, chastity, etc.) are not restrictions at all to many women in Iran, but women's lives more than anything DO illustrate the complexity and tensions that are part of life there.
Thanks for your comment and I suspect there is much truth in what you said. I guess I was being a little bit unfair. By the way, your blog is very interesting - thanks for stopping by.
In my experience with Iraniuans, I have noticed that they are very starnge strand of people more of a vocal phenomenon. For example, most Iranians I have met are medicoral in almost all aspects- while they have nothing to blab about but a medival, poorly managed country with history that is totally trivial when compared to Iraqi or Egyptian one. For example , in Egypt everything Iranbians blab about we have what is better , yet we dont produce so many words. That definetly proves the long vision of Saddam Hussien in breaking the back of Iran during the Arab- Irani war as it is clear that he understood Iranian chauvinism, ignorance and backwardness. He made a mistake by not invading Iran after the surrender of KHOMEINI IN 1988. Maybe he should have done so, and rebuilt that NON MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY ( persian culture belongs to the Indian civilisation sphere) on more rational basis.
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