Nafisi and her magician both make the argument that Ayatollah Khomeini and "they" "did to us what we allowed [them] to do." How is that true? How is it not true?
My answer to this question will be similar to my answer to Question 2. I think that a government has the right to regulate your observable behaviors, but they will never have any power over your reasons for doing what you do. Anyone in Iran who held the regime in contempt as they obeyed what they saw as unjust laws was in a way destroying the government’s ultimate goal of complete loyalty and acceptance on the part of its citizens.
I don't remember the context of this quote (maybe I haven't gotten there because I still have 75 pages to read), but I think this is true if the "we" they are referencing is the citizens of Iran. The people have the right and responsibility to take control of their own country. And I think to a large degree, a revolution is simply when a people realize they have the power to control their own political destiny.
If the "we" refers to just the two of them, then I agree with James. The amount of actual change in their own beliefs and views of themselves was dependent on how they chose to respond to the situation. So much of what "they" were able to actually do in fulfilling their goal (as opposed to just making it look like they were doing) was largely dependent on the response of the individuals.
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My answer to this question will be similar to my answer to Question 2. I think that a government has the right to regulate your observable behaviors, but they will never have any power over your reasons for doing what you do. Anyone in Iran who held the regime in contempt as they obeyed what they saw as unjust laws was in a way destroying the government’s ultimate goal of complete loyalty and acceptance on the part of its citizens.
I don't remember the context of this quote (maybe I haven't gotten there because I still have 75 pages to read), but I think this is true if the "we" they are referencing is the citizens of Iran. The people have the right and responsibility to take control of their own country. And I think to a large degree, a revolution is simply when a people realize they have the power to control their own political destiny.
If the "we" refers to just the two of them, then I agree with James. The amount of actual change in their own beliefs and views of themselves was dependent on how they chose to respond to the situation. So much of what "they" were able to actually do in fulfilling their goal (as opposed to just making it look like they were doing) was largely dependent on the response of the individuals.
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