A Gulf for Sale
By Kamangir • Feb 11th, 2007 • Category: IranIt is no secret that we, Iranians, really hate it when people use the term “Gulf” for what we prefer to call the “Persian Gulf”. For an example, out of hundreds you can find right away in Google, see this comment in response to this comment. It turns out that it is not an obsession only for the Iranian blogsphere. Once every while, the Iranian news sources condemn the National Geography or a news agency for omitting the prefix “Persian”, to some people’s understanding in a deliberated plan.
People seem to be fighting over the three terms “Persian Gulf”, “Arabian Gulf”, and just “Gulf”. I think there are other name which suit this location more. For example, how about the “American Gulf”? After all, thinking about military power, America has the most powerful presence in the region, to my understanding. How else has a bunch of aircraft carriers wandering around over there? I would also suggest the name “Oil Gulf”, because, again to my understanding, if it was not for the oil, no average Canadian would ever know such a place ever existed. How many of you have ever heard of Lake Victoria in Africa?
I rather assign this beautiful body of water, which I have never had the chance to see, not to a country drowning in drugs and on the brink of a full-scale war with the world. I will still use the patriotic term “Persian Gulf”, but, really, do we have time for this?
Posted by Kamangir
Author's email address: arash@kamangir.net | All posts by Kamangir
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I know what you mean when people start calling your stuff other names.
Like I hate it when America is called “The Great Satan”
Maybe “The Great Stupid Country” would be better.. I’d hate to see a country with our power that was truely Satanic , what it would do.
Vince P,
The think is I don’t think they are our stuff. And, good example.
“Persian Gulf” sounds fine to me. When you said “American Gulf”, I laughed because it sounds like you’re trying to make someone mad. I wonder how it works for international waters in the gulf, on account of it getting so narrow. A lot of the countries could claim shipping rights. Maybe we have the nod from Kuwait for shipping.
Brando,
I’m fine with it. America has the huge ships so they rule the area. If I had those ships I would be the king. That’s simple math.
If that’s the case we need to do something about that “Gulf of Mexico” down south. I think “Gulf of the United States” sounds better. :-)
J. Kaiser
The “gulf of florida” at least. :)
Totaltransformation, Brando,
In our case, people prefer “The Gulf”. Can’t you use that too?