Originally posted by Eagler
of course, with our state run media outlets and all ...
Hmmm:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1067There seems to be a perception amongst many people that Iranians are little robots who all share the same value systems, political and religious beliefs and world view. It may come as a surprise to those people that Iranian views have bell curve of diversity as most other peoples do. Perhaps the curve isn't as wide as one in, say Europe and the US, but it's there.
I recently saw a documentry in which average Iranians were slagging off their government, the west, the man down the road and the encroachment of Islam into what they considered secular matters. Many people looked for their news on radio and the internet and not state television.
In the documentry some of them didn't seem frightened about voicing their opinions, but others were very concerned so they spoke in a sort of 'code' with a lot of nods and winks and 'say no more's. Recently, a group of teachers who assisted the human rights watch group were arrested, but the national teachers' association has openly criticised this and is intending to hold a demonstration to demand the resignation of the minister of education (good luck to them - I hope they don't get thrown into jail too).
So the problem to me is not so much that they're brainwashed, its that they get arrested if they are critical towards the government.
Ravs