Persepolis is a story themed around government. Within the context, the rights, wrongs, and questionable actions of this higher authority are brought to light. We are witness to these actions through Marjane's perspective as she is surrounded by the death, separation, and destruction of her country. The cause of these events are put to blame on her government and it's operations. It is described as controlling and brash. During class, I had spoke with Mike about some of the ways the people of Iranian people were suppressed.
I started by posing the question of what he thought about being controlled over what clothing he wore to the music he listened to as the Iranians were, he responded by saying that it is unfair and is not right. He continued, "We live in the United States, which means freedom. This makes it where everyone should be the same and that shouldn't be for just us." I feel that this holds true, for we are all human beings and no matter what background, we should all have the right to live life in the way we desire. However, he added, "If I was in this kind of thing, I'd just go with it, you know? It's not like you can do anything about it." I suppose this was to point out that if people reside in dominating countries, they don't really have a choice. This can very well be the case if the population aren't willing to stand up, fight, and even die for their freedom. Mike went on to suggest that if he was to be surrounded by war, he would try and live as low-key of a lifestyle as possible. "I would just sit back and pray all the time. Like, I would just hang out on the computer, with music and stuff, even though I would feel like I was in a cage", he stated. Taking a look from his point of view, if one was to stay out of trouble, it might be for the best. This could help someone deal with the problems around them in a better way and keep away from the danger.
We then moved on to how the citizens of Iran were forced to stay in the country and could not leave, unless granted clearance. I had asked the question of what he thought about any government keeping their its people prisoners of their own home while enshrouded by death and turmoil. He responded, "That is ridiculous Chris. Like, that shouldn't even be allowed man. That's just wrong. Man, you know what, I would fight that. I change my mind. That's just wrong." This obviously struck a chord as it should have as he is absolutely correct. I believe a government shouldn't put its people in such a position. If they feel the need to flee, the should be able to make such a choice. Mike changing his position was unexpected at that point as he seemed firm on the stance of keeping a low profile, but he continued to say that he would fight no matter what even out of his home country's jurisdiction. He believes that everyone has a right for what they believe in and can say and do whatever they want, unless it was "totally unacceptable". "If they were talking about aliens and crazy stuff like that, then yeah, they should be stopped. If they are completely out of their minds and are creating more trouble than they should, government should do something about it."
Finally, we stepped to the subject of drafting and recruiting soldiers. During its war with Iraq, Iran was running low on soldiers, so they started to call up children as young as fourteen-years-old. I had asked Mike if this was a right or wrong step for the Iranian government to take. "Yeah, it's alright. Like, only if they really had to. If the country was that desperate, then yeah, it's ok. If I was put into [the war] like that, then I would fight. It would be empowering", he responded. As we talked, I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with his take on these topics. I can see his point of view on everything he said, but I'm not sure if it is right to silence anybody no matter how crazed they might be and I also believe it's wrong to recruit that young. In the long run, a government as a whole has the control. Some are more forgiving and reasonable than other, depending on what your opinion of what "reasonable" is. What do you believe? Should all governments be as free and open as ours appears to be or is the variance a nice balance than we might need all over the world? How much control do you think is too much control?
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