And obviously, we are talking about Iranian diaspora, especially the one in the US.  Until recently when Iran was still stoning women to death, one of the most common questions regarding any stoning case was: what had she done?

Iran's corrupt 79 generation has always been more concerned about others and especially the west than with their own government. And that emanates from the anti-western tendencies  that separated the 1979 intelectuals from those of the constitutional revolution. The bolshevik leftists and the Shi'te clergy had that in common.

I don't think the problem is necessarily limited to.the diaspora. I talk to people my age --in their 30s-- sometimes, and they have the same attitude. Especially the ones who are new out of Iran. They immediately ask why Iran is on the terrorist list and Saudi isn't. "What about Saudi Arabia?" That's actually a legitimate question, but not when you're trying to get to the route of why our homeland is on the list to begin with. But you're right in general. The 1979 anti-West "oghdeh" crowd is despicable. They're still stuck in the 1960s and 70s leftist liberation movements, even through the rest of the world moved on decades ago.

It is a consequence of the marxist analysis blaming everything on colnonialists and imperialism. Nothing is our responsibility so it leads to what you call whataboutism. That is a tactic pracitsed very well by the regime supporters so called reformists and apologists for the regime.

Here is something really scary, (some of) the generations of diaspora born many years after the national suicide who have never had to live in Iran, often with little appreciation of its history, in a desire to hold Iran high, are actually taken by this favourite tactic of the regime to justify its stinking existence.  Even if they [the  younger generation] are not supporting the regime they are so keen to feel pride in Iran that which can only be explained as a psychological reaction.

Very true. Like I said in my comment above, I see it in the younger generation as well. It's a way to justify living with an opressive regime that has ruined the Iranians' reputation and standing around the world. It's also the lazy thing to do. Instead of actually doing something about the IR, they make it less of an evil by comparing it to other bad situations around the world. Plus, we're not really a nation that stands up for ideals. I have another blog coming on that. It's much easier to run away and justify rather than fix the problem. It's in our culture.

Dear AO:

When you get a person on Internet one day attacking Arabs using vile racial language  because they  threathened IRI and next day says whatabout poor palistinians because the plight of Iranains under IRI is raised, then you are dealing with a 'shy IRI supporter' on a mission.

Thanks for the good blog.

You are correct Roozebh jan. There was a guy on the old site who posted (among other usernames) as "Faramarz Fathi." Every time I posted something about the IR he would show up on my blog and talk about Israel and the oppression of Palestinians. Then there was a news post about something involving an Arab country. All of sudden he should up and posted a comment about how bad all Arabs are and how they should all be destroyed! :-)

AO, I've also had one of our hamvatans respond to me with "What about the Vatican". The same guy (a very decent and quite liberal-minded attorney), when I said Seyyed Ali is a leader for life, replied "Well, Queen Elizabeth II wasn't elected either".

Unbelievable Amir jan, the length Iranians go to justify their predicament, and to make themselves feel better. You should've reminded your lawyer friend about the Magna Carta, and the lack of a similar document in Iran. I'm not a lawyer, and I know about the Magna Carta. I agree with Fozoli and Mehrdad. Along with the general backwardness and intellectual laziness of most of the Iranian population, a lot of this goes back to the 1960s and 70s leftists who, to this day, control much of the political and social discourse about Iran--- on account of them now being "college professors" and TV pundits. After putting their tails between their hairy legs and fleeing the revolutionary utopia they created, of course.

AO jaan, Britain had a "Glorious Revolution" (1689) that effectively started the process of making the monarchy largely a ceremonial office. Comparing that to the Rahbar-e Moazzam is the height of stupidity. But, as you correctly point out, that is what our Ann-telluctuals are all about.

You know dear Amir, if we were a nation that was self-critical and was eager to learn from our mistakes, we would have a hundred books written in the past 40 years about how we fucked up, so that we don't repeat this mistake. Instead, every 5 years we have a new book out about the 1953 coup and how the West screwed us. That should tell you a lot about what kind of people we are.

AO jaan, I agree with you 100%. In addition, there is a lot of mythology built up around the 1953 ouster of Mosaddeg (e.g. that he was "democratically elected", etc, etc). I think it was just yesterday or the day before I saw a comment on Facebook from someone that if it weren't for the CIA and 1953, Iran would be a secular liberal democracy, etc

In a way dear Amir I blame you doctors for all this. If you guys hadn't come up with all the advances in medical technology and treatment, all these fossil 1960s and 70s Che Guevara wannabe "revolutionaries" who are now in their 60s and early 70s would have died aleardy and we would have had a whole new generation of sane people (hopefully) taking their place. :-)

Yes, AO, I can see your point....As I like to say, every solution creates its own problems (which tells you what a pessimist I am  :-)

Its all about not wanting to take a responsibality for the society, but I don't really know if its only confined to Iranians though.