You Tube Video on Iran

                  The You Tube video on Iran was fascinating- and extremely useful if one does not know any Iranian history.  Though Rick Steves was not always the most tactful host, I still thoroughly enjoyed the program.  As some mentioned in the class, I think it is important to remember, though, that the program was “guided,” and probably heavily screened by the Iranian government.  Nevertheless, both the images and the information given were very helpful in beginning to understand Iranian culture.  At least, for those of us who might never visit the country for ourselves!

                  There were several things in the program that peaked my interest.  One thing was the mighty Persian Empire that was talked about so much.  I had forgotten that it was the Persians who used cuneiform writing.  I had also forgotten how mighty that empire really was (their idea of “peace through strength” was interesting).  Another thing that was important in the film is that fact that Persians are not Arabs- they are Persians, and they speak Farsi, not Arabic.

                  My favorite part of the program, other than just being able to see parts of beautiful Iran, was the part when Rick was talking to the students in Tehran.  Though I did not like the way he was addressing students, I loved their answers.  The young woman student was very bold in her answers, and she did not seem to be afraid to say what was on her mind.  Her comment that war is between governments, and not always peoples, was intuitive.  It surprised me that she was able to state that she believed that the main problem with Iran was that the religion and politics are mixed.  I did notice that the film cut out right around this time, and that made me wonder if they cut out something else that she said.  This would be disappointing, because she was brilliant, and I wished I could have heard more of her thoughts.

Good choice, Iran group!