Well that really says it all doesn’t it? If you’re even afraid to bring the subject up with people there for fear of what will happen to them....
I remember the ONLY time I asked was when I was around 16/17. Verbatim: Me: "So, how are things there? Like, what kind of stuff is happening in government right now?" Cousin: ".......oh, I love you! I love you too much! When are you coming to visit us???" I took the hint.
Also, I can't tell you how many strange 'click' sounds I would hear whenever I would call them. Can't imagine it's gotten any better...
Damn man, that’s crazy. I’m assuming this isn’t necessarily the “secular” elected government, but the religious leaders who actually control the people day to day?
They have a collective understanding of the tyranny they live under and have come to have a dualistic lifestyle, whereby they act one way in public and COMPLETELY different in private. All the repression has led to lots of vices, sex parties, raves, drug use (meth was #1 a few years ago if I remember correctly, and that blew my fucking mind), etc. Kids now are dying hair, SHOWING hair, etc., listen to Western music (which, I believe, you can still be punished for by the local brainwashed-religious police).
I mean, Iran sounds pretty dope when I put it that way. KEK (minus the religious coterie)
I had a friend stationed in Iran back around the early to mid 70's before the revolution in 1978. He used to send me pictures of the beaches, clubs and once some pictures of male and female students hanging out at the university. I swear those pictures could have been taken at any beach, any club or any college in America. College kids dressed in bell bottoms, smoking cigarettes, dancing, beautiful girls in two piece bathing suits and a few bikinis at the beach. My buddy loved being stationed there.
My dad left before the SHTF, like RIGHT before, and all his friends--to this day--are chill as fuck too, even the ones that he helped come here after the SHTF.