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Cake day: August 17th, 2023

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  • What happened to the Iranian left after 1979’s revolution:

    The Iranian left played a significant role in the 1979 revolution but was ultimately suppressed and marginalized by Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamist forces in the aftermath. Here’s an overview of what happened to leftist groups after the revolution:

    Initial Collaboration and Support

    Many leftist groups initially supported and collaborated with Khomeini’s movement to overthrow the Shah:

    • Various Marxist-Leninist, socialist, and communist organizations participated in the revolutionary coalition[5].
    • Some leftist groups like the Tudeh Party (pro-Soviet communists) and Fedayeen (urban guerillas) attracted many student members[5].
    • The leftist-Islamist group Mujahedin also gained significant support among students[5].
    • Many leftists viewed Khomeini’s movement as anti-imperialist and hoped to push it in a more progressive direction[1].

    Gradual Suppression

    However, Khomeini and his allies soon moved to sideline and suppress leftist forces:

    • In March 1979, Khomeini declared “do not use this term, ‘democratic.’ That is the Western style,” signaling his opposition to liberal and leftist ideals[2].
    • The National Democratic Front (a leftist group) was banned in August 1979[2].
    • Universities were purged of leftist influence starting in March 1980[2].
    • By early 1981, the government had closed MEK (People’s Mujahedin) offices, banned their newspapers, and issued arrest warrants for their leaders[2].

    Violent Crackdown

    The suppression of the left intensified into violent persecution:

    • Between 1981-1985, nearly 8,000 political opponents were executed, many of them leftists[3].
    • In 1988, a “Death Committee” oversaw the mass execution of leftist prisoners[1].
    • Overall, the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on dissent was far more brutal than the Shah’s regime, which had executed fewer than 100 political prisoners between 1971-1979[3].

    Reasons for Failure

    Several factors contributed to the left’s inability to maintain influence:

    • Lack of unity and organization among moderate and radical leftist factions[2].
    • Underestimation of the conservatism of the Iranian masses[2].
    • The left’s secular ideology conflicted with the religious fervor driving much of the revolution[1].
    • Khomeini’s skillful co-opting of leftist anti-imperialist and social justice rhetoric into an Islamist framework[3][4].

    Legacy

    By the end of 1979, the “secular middle class” and liberals had been largely sidelined, leaving mainly Islamist factions in power[2]. The suppression of the left helped consolidate the Islamic Republic’s hold on power and narrowed the range of acceptable political ideologies in Iran[3]. However, some leftist ideas around social justice and anti-imperialism were incorporated into the Islamic Republic’s ideology, albeit in a religious framework[4].

    Citations: [1] Ideology and Iran’s Revolution: How 1979 Changed the World https://institute.global/insights/geopolitics-and-security/ideology-and-irans-revolution-how-1979-changed-world [2] Aftermath of the Iranian revolution - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_of_the_Iranian_Revolution [3] Four decades later, did the Iranian revolution fulfill its promises? https://www.brookings.edu/articles/four-decades-later-did-the-iranian-revolution-fulfill-its-promises/ [4] What Iran’s 1979 revolution meant for the Muslim Brotherhood https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-irans-1979-revolution-meant-for-the-muslim-brotherhood/ [5] How Iran’s Theocrats Allied With — and Then Crushed — the Left https://jacobin.com/2022/10/chahla-chafiq-iranian-left-khomeini-protests-feminism [6] Iranian Revolution | Summary, Causes, Effects, & Facts - Britannica https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution



  • Voters in every western country have no idea what policies are being voted on. They vote with their feelings.

    There are a lot of enthusiastic people who want to be on team man, team money, team military. The first thing those people learned after their names was that they were BOYS and they would be sorted into the BOYS section, play on BOYS team. Voting Conservative is a natural extension of what they’ve been doing their whole lives.

    It’s harder motivating people to get out for team women, team tolerance, team responsibility. It requires a leader with charisma who we fall in love with.

    I’m being absolutely serious when I say the Democratic Party should have nominated George Clooney — a famous celebrity figurehead would guarantee they win every presidential election.


  • The Democrats expended a ton of political capital bailing out the teamsters pensions and they didn’t even earn an endorsement from them.

    Arizona had a ton of money and jobs pumped into it with the CHIPS act and it went for Trump.

    Delivering on promises and improving people’s material conditions didn’t move the needle at all.

    Voters don’t care about policy, they care about the President being a charismatic man who reminds them of their dad.



  • Your stance strikes me as performative. As everyone’s lives are getting harder, including the people you claim to be prioritizing, that’s okay because at least your hands are clean. That’s the most important thing to you, that everyone knows you personally are pure.

    The majority of the blame lays with the DNC, the GOP, and those that voted for Trump. But you will also share a portion of the blame, even if you deny and refuse to take responsibility for it, we all lay it on your shoulders anyways.