@estersisterco: ***It’s nearly been 50 years since this interview was conducted.*** Let us reflect upon the enduring myths of western superiority vs the perceived “orient”, binary oppositions and their purpose & how one can reverse some of the implicit biases systematically taught to one via state propaganda & false history. Amongst the hundreds of interviews conducted with the Shah of Iran, This one is amongst the ones that I often think about when assessing the depths of western (self- perceived) importance and superiority — especially in relation to my motherland, Iran. From the general tone of the interviewer to the nature of the questions, everything had been systematically designed to stain the image of the Shah and somehow make him appear less kingly. Beyond being incredibly disrespectful and disingenuous towards our Shah - it is easy to identify the distain that western countries (including their interviewers and delegates) had for the shah of Iran for preventing Iran’s natural resources from being exploited. But why? Why is it that westerners felt as though they were somehow superior to people with history and culture that is more than 2,000 years old? The answer is simple but harsh. To justify colonizing the world - you first have to dehumanize it’s peoples and reduce them to mere things meant to be ruled. When you lessen others to naive beings incapable of self-determination; it is easier to justify occupying their land and making decisions for their natural resources. Binary oppositions are pairs of diametrically opposed characteristics. They exist at either end of a continuum. For example: (Weak / strong), (Hot / Cold), (Male / Female), (Up / Down), (Left / Right). 2 other binary opposition that are often discussed in philosophy are: (Colonizer / Colonized) & ( the “civilized” / the “savages”) — and as such I will be concentrating on them for the remainder of this paragraph. In the case of my motherland, Iran; the natives of Iran (Persians, Persia and her numerous ethnic minorities) were historically misrepresented as: unworthy and barbaric savages meant to be conquered and ruled rather than equal & respected human beings with the capacity for self-determination - we (Iran and iranians) were (& in many ways - still are) the colonized. On the other hand; the yt intruders (UK, Canada, America etc.) saw themselves as civilized (whilst ignoring the savagery of waging warfare to extract wealth from lands that never belonged to their ancestors.) and therefore morphed into being the colonizer within that dichotomy. Iranians are not the only victims to western (or eastern) colonial aspirations - ofc - settler colonial evangelical christians, for example, who first arrived to America treated and viewed Native Americans in similar light. Religion also plays a role in colonialism - as you will find nearly every sacred text known to man lays claims to all of earth and all whom dwell within It - if not a particular portion of it. Religion, therefore, becomes a justification for colonialism in the wrong hands: “We are bringing you, [insert name of the people being colonized & exploited], the word and will of god…” Are you beginning to see how the dominoes were stacked? Even the big guy in the sky wants you to be colonized —-they will try to convince you, if you allow them. Alas, what are we to do with the implicit biases that we have adopted which embody “western superiority” ideals and de-center Eurocentric views from our personal lives? Maybe we can begin by accepting that long before we had been born, certain odds (invisible hierarchies) were created & stacked against certain people & others directly benefited from it — and rather than invalidating each others lived experiences, we humanize each others struggles by attempting to place ourselves in each others shoes from time to time. —— 🎥 credits: CBC news (on YT) —— #mohammadrezashah #freeiran #javidshah #mohammadrezapahlavi #pahlavi #freedomforiran #fyp #foryoupage

FREE IRAN 🌞🦁⚔️

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Friday 22 November 2024 01:39:52 GMT