Kamangir (Archer)

The War Between Classes

Kamangir | December 14, 2005 | Category Iran

There is a war going on in Iran. This war was neither began by Ahmadinejad nor will end after him. This is a war amongst people. Between different classes of people. Here, in Canada, I live in a very common society. The people I see everyday are just like the man in the street. It’s something strange if I meet a genius here, the kind which you will meet at every corner of Sharif. Ordinary people are happily living their lives here. You can be friends with them, but you can not talk about philosophy to them, they will soon get bored. They do not have to be engaged in “serious” problems like “is it moral to force somebody to do something?” My Canadian friend Mark had no imagination what it really meant, when I told him “people are in tension in Iran”. Finally, he was just having a blurred idea about Iran and its internal affairs. We hear “Ganji is imprisoned because of what he believes” and at the best we say “shame on them”, Azadeh’s friend was not believing that men go to social service, but not women. Canadians have no information about all nasty discriminations present in Iran. They are common people because they do not need to be clever. We went to the administration building to do an installment for paying our tuition fees. The lady there computed the installment three times and after the whole process, the results were different for Azadeh and I. That was three months ago. This month, when paying the fee, the lady working there told me that there is an extra 40$ charge for me “because the initial computation was not correct!” In my opinion, Canada is governed by sharp people, at the top, and common hardworking truth worthy people, at the bottom. The point is that these two classes are not separated. They live in similar situations, not completely identical but practically comparable. There are some differences, though. Ordinary people, including students, shop at Superstore, while richer people go to SafeWay. What is the difference? I don’t know, maybe SafeWay cashiers are more attractive. As I’ve seen there is no major gap between people here. I am comparing this with the kind of gap we see everyday in Iran. For example, lower classes adore Ahmadinejad, or at least they admired him and elected him. On the other hand, educated people believe that Ahmadinejad is even not a politician.

The first class presume him as a sound for “truth”, the later class assume his “a populist man with no certain plan for country’s problems” Have you ever tried to talk to the man in the street about “the problems of religious politicians”? You tell him “that’s a great power for those weak hands” or “it may become a deadly weapon” he replies “are you fighting with God’s power?” The problem between different classes is serious in Iran. Educated people are relatively living in better conditions. Most of them are living in cities, and it really differers whether you live in a city or not, when you are in Iran. So the problem between educated and non-educated people turns into the problem between rich and poor, while it is not all about money. So, when you say “Ahmadinejad has no knowledge for managing the country” they answer “he is an honest man”. “What is honesty in you point of view?” “Don’t you see? He is always traveling around Iran”. “What do you say about the situation of Iran in the world? They are even trying to ban us from World Cup!” “Those idiot Zionists will behave us even worse! Saying the truth has its own prices”. “Wasn’t Khomeini like him? So why are so many Iranians living in poverty?” “People like you didn’t let him to do what he intended to do, like what you do to Ahmadinejad!”.

You can talk about economic plans. But, the lower classes are more concerned with religion. They watch satellite channels, their children even look for pornography where ever they can (though, they assume it a very bad thing). But after all, deep in their heart, they are seriously engaged with God. So, “forget if he does not have any plans for the country, at least he is wearing like us!” These people go for demonstrations, maybe because of its fun. “The leader is coming to town! Let’s go to the streets!” I think the gap between classes is a fundamental source of problems in Iran. Khatami was the candidate for the educated people, so ordinary people did not like him. If they do not make sexy jokes about his family members that’s mainly because of him being a handsome smiling clergy. Though, they do not hesitate to say “he did nothing!” or at least “they did not let him do anything!” Who is this “they”? Not the tribe of Ahmadinejad? And then, Ahmadinejad is the president of illiterate people living in poor conditions. They need simple lives, nothing philosophical, plus being sure that God is happy. Ahmadinejad gives that to them and so literate class assume him “populist”. I see no such kind of gap in Canada between classes. I think that’s one of their reasons for being a stable society, compared to Iran. Iran is separated to islands. People of each island hate the others. I think that’s the problem, Ahmadinejad is just a sample.