no, that is exactly what Chris did. Historically, he, Wojtek, and Joanna have usefully pointed out that much of the understandings westerners got of the Soviet Union and satellites was the product of elite artists and intellectuals who, unable to stand not being treated like prima donnas in the SU, took their chance to escape to the west. They then justified their move, and entertained entranced westerners with tales of their subjection.
they were, Doss argued, a class that sought to "gain material or social priviliges he or she perceives as deserving due to his or her special accomplishments/characteristics." (The argument goes way back, I'm too lazy to look up, but there have been many excellent posts on the topic, stored in archives. I have assembled his recent comments about the soviet middle class which, as you recall, he claimed held the same concerns about the economy as the Iranian upper middle class. Doss's aanlysis here is an idealist analysis masquerading as class critique. )
It was that claim which piqued *my* ire: that could unproblematic ally superimpose the dynamic discussed by Doss, Wojtek, and Joanna on top of another country, and identify some class of strivers who think they are owed something for their talents, which has *just* got to explain economic discontent among that class of strivers. Remember, he was all fine with economic injustice among the poor, the working class. it was the middle and upper middle class of iran, who go to school in the West, who are the strivers, the fakers without a legitimate economic grievance: for them, they were upset with lack of jobs, the corruption, etc. because they believe they are owed something for being their special snowflake selves. (He elaborated in great detail and the quotes are below)
The insistance on reducing what I described (via Moaveni) to the faux-concerns of strivers, unsatisfied with their lives because they felt they deserved more, special snowflakes that they are.
Furthermore, Doss has continued to harangue on the same theme with his claims about culture. While he concedes that there are competing cultural orientations toward veiling and so forth, he nevertheless consistently implies that, with the exception of the fifty year blip where veiling was not required (forced to concede that because he didn't even fucking know about it and, if he does, he won't go there... for obvious reasons!), there is a _trend_. And this implies that culture is some sort of hermetically sealed mechanism, that it will continue on and on like it is, one long trend, unimpeded. That trend in veiling remains strong and resilient in spite of that 50 year history where veiling was not required, where women had far more rights than they do today. It was a mere blip, helpless against the overwhelming trend of veiling. (not even to frickin mention the internal contradiction in the Iranian economy itself which mitigates against the "trend") Culture operates almost independently, a force of change, that has no relationship to economy at all (quotes below).
And it is this, a conception of social change at the heart of Doss's 140 character or less chew toy sessions, that is at issue.
shag
doss: "I doubt the Persian Prince won the election, at least by that much, but you're assuming that the economy, and not say religion, is the most concern for the Iranian poor in general and the A-Man's electorate in particular."
"I may have misread you, but you seemed to be implying that because he hasn't delivered on the econ, therefore he would be unlikely to have support."
responding to my description of the iranian's economic concerns: "Your description is almost word-for-word the complaint the Soviet middle class had about the Soviet system."
"The complaints don't relate to economic stagnation and/or political repression. They relate to the individual's desire to be able to gain material or social priviliges he or she perceives as deserving due to his or her special accomplishments/characteristics."
But don't forget the ire of the soviet middle class was: The ire of the Soviet middle class (a term that actually refers to the intelligentsia and educated professionals) was more directed at the system that 1) kept them at a fixed salary ceiling and 2) paid them less than miners and factory workers."
(Please ignore the earlier statement that my description the Iranian upper middle class was "almost word for word" the same complaint made by Soviet middle class -- which now seems to be about a fixed salary ceiling and being paid less than some manual laborers. Yes! Just like in Iran!
Again, the concerns of the soviet middle class (Just like the Iranians!) was "In fact, their ire was, specifically, economic, aimed at the fact that they did not live as well as their counterparts in the West."
And again, more on the fakers in the Soviet Middle class (just like Iranians!) "In my experience, people's complaints about that era generally revolve around "I couldn't get cool stuff," not around "I had no personal and political freedom! My intelligence was being insulted!" "
Oh, more examples of how the soviet middle class just like Iranian middle class: "In my experience, people's complaints about that era generally revolve around "I couldn't get cool stuff," not around "I had no personal and political freedom! My intelligence was being insulted!" "
"I think Michael's point is that what you see as important the majority of humanity may see as frivolous.
I mean, really. "I can't go swimming (in the desert)! I can't name my kid Hiddzubb-ulla-Nyarthathotop-Yog-Sothoth! Oh noes! The dire oppression! I must revolt!"
Middle class concerns indeed."
"Aha! The nature of the swimming proscription is actually stated! Whether it is an elite concern or a mass concern or just a marginal concern depends on what most Iranians think about the matter, something of which I have no data."
and on and on.
"let's be civil and nice, but not to the point of obeying the rules of debate as defined by liberal blackmail (in which, discomfort caused by a challenge is seen as some vague form of harassment)."
-- Dwayne Monroe, 11/19/08
-- http://cleandraws.com Wear Clean Draws