Recently I posted a rather inflammatory piece essentially calling us cowards, and abdicating us from any responsibility in what the US and Iran are about to do to each other.

My simplified argument is well, er simple, We haven’t cared enough to do anything about Iran for the past 40 years, so why should we give a shit now?

I know, I need to work on my diction.

A good friend (F) read my piece and engaged me in what I think is a good example of the conversation I know we all have privately with our good friends, but these never seem to make it to the light of day, so I thought maybe it might be a good post.

We’ll see. If this site is anything it’s brutally honest, so here’s goes nothing.

Friend: Wow, dude ... you're not helping!

Me: No one, should ever trust us until we can prove we are honorable, by standing up and fighting for our country. Until that happens, we are nothing but unreliable suspects.

I'm being generous if you think about it.

Friend: We're damaged enough as it is and most people with half a brain know this. On all sides. Nothing new.

What's badly need are practical solutions. Digging up Mossadegh and the Shah and pointing fingers to our host nation won't help, especially in public view.

We can't afford to squander a historic opportunity... 

Me: My mom was a big stickler on owning up to what I did, whenever I did something bad. Before any punishment began, it was important that I specifically stated what I had done, so that I could learn from it and apply the punishment that was coming next to become a better person. My mom would not let me get away with what I had done until I admitted it publicly out loud..

It is important for Iranians to know and admit that their shit lot in life today, is a DIRECT result of their own actions, or rather, INACTION.

It is important for Iranians to know that while the US and UK overthrew Mossadegh, it was done at the hands our fellow Iranians who betrayed him and their country.

It is REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PUBLICLY. Because it is why we are here now. And as my Mom knew, it is why we have not learned from it, and have now repeatedly betrayed ourselves and Iran.

My piece, requires everyone to acknowledge our own hands in our fate. We are here, because we have continually betrayed ourselves and Iran. We will never learn to not do it again, if we don't admit what we did wrong. That is my mom's solution anyway.

Also, she spanked me a lot.

Friend: So, you expect every Iranian to publicly confess to their myriad political sins before we can all move on. And until that happens, we need to sit in a corner and cry ... ??

Another reason why children shouldn't be physically punished. 

Me: Yes. I WANT every Iranian living fat and happy in the US and inside Iran needs to now admit/confess that Iran is the way it is, because as I said in the piece, "It is our fault."

Can we truly look anyone in the eye right now? I will admit that I can't.

Are we a substantial people if we have never fought for our country? I will admit that we are an unsubstantial people.

At this stage of my life, I have come to the conclusion that I should have stayed in Iran and fought Khomeini. Dying for the freedom of Iran would have been better than leaving Iran to come to the US. I think if I had stayed, you would have also stayed, and everyone would have also stayed, and if we had all stayed, we would have fought, and if we had fought, we would have won, and Iran would be free. Precisely because of my own personal guilt at not having done everything I could have done in my life to free Iran, living here has never tasted sweet. It has not worked out so well for me here. I don't feel like I belong here. I feel like I belong in Iran. 

But because I am a coward, I'm afraid to go back. So I stay here, and I feel like shit.

If everyone feels like me, even a bit, that makes us a wholly unsubstantial people. Since we are unwilling to fight for Iran, and since that makes us unsubstantial, my argument in the piece is that we don't get to have a say in anything done to Iran by the US now. By being cowards, we have abdicated the right to participate in the discussion about what to do now. If we want a say in what the US does next, we needed to have fought for Iran.

Then again, if we had fought for Iran, and Iran was free, we wouldn't be having this discussion now. We wouldn't be typing in English.

Like always, like the past 2500 years, we will now get whatever other more substantial people choose for us to get. Even if the US hands us a perfectly sanitized Islam-free country, because we have not earned it, we will inevitably fuck it up. again. As history has shown that we always have.

The first step to cleansing our guilt, is to admit what we have done. Only when we accept our pathetic inaction, can we begin to stop continuing the cycle of self destruction. That is why the US must not listen to us now, as it decides what to do. If we want the US to respect us, we must destroy the Islamic Republic, take our country back, and then we can proudly stand alongside the US as free people.

Friend: Not happening.

Me: When I took that Stance my mom would send me to my room until I was ready to admit what I had done. 

That's where we are now we've been "sent to our room". And we won't move forward until we admit what we've done.  

Friend: OK but how exactly? Is there a confessional somewhere we can all visit to get cleansed? 

Me: As my Mom said, "You need to sit in your room and think about what you have done, and when you are ready to take responsibility for it, and say you're sorry, you can come out when you are ready to be a better person."

So, Iranian-Americans (Specifically) need to now stop doing what they're doing:

Stop just being focused on making money, 
Stop generally being dicks and assholes and arrogant and too good for Iran 
Stop ignoring Iran's reality,
Stop supporting NIAC

Then Iranian-Americans need to think about what they have done to Iran:

Ignoring the crimes, 
Capitulating by going there for vacations, 
Promoting by cheering the soccer team as if it represents them and not the IRI's successful argument,
Stop calling themselves Moslems when not one of them practices even one of the tenets, 
Stop defending the hejab as culture and a personal choice, 
Stop asking America not to harm Iran's Mafia

And take responsibility for their inaction by:

Standing up to Iran, 
Opposing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, 
Refusing to vote, 
Fighting against elections, 
Taking out ads in Iranian papers against the regime, 
Sending emails and faxes and letters to the home of Khamenei to bombard him with "Quit While You're ahead", 
Holding meetings rallies, 
Protesting at embassies, 
Demanding the expulsion of Iran from the UN, 
Suing Iran in the World Court

And public tell each other and everyone they're sorry for not doing anything these past 40 years. Then they can come out, and try to be better people.

Hey, I just noticed that I'm answering all your questions. So here's a question for you;

When will Iranians pick up their muskets, dump the tea in the bay, and kick the "British" out of their country?

Friend: You're forgetting something: Iranians aren't Americans or W. European, Japanese or... 

Misplaced expectations of a damaged-goods society will cause even more damage.

Need to come up with a doable solution tailored to a highly unwieldy bunch. 

Me: Raising children is universal. If anything if there is such a thing as an “Iranian way" to raise kids, it is really bad way. The result of Iranians "not being raised properly" should be obvious. Iranians have been so poorly raised and are such bad behaving children they've misbehaved themselves out of a home. 

The results of Iranians not taking responsibility for their country and if you equate that to children's misbehavior, is clearly evident in the total loss of their country.

Stop stalling. I've proven my theory. Now answer my question. 

When will Iranians pick up their muskets, dump the tea in the bay, and kick the "British" out of their country?