An Iranian man left this comment on my YouTube channel. This is without a doubt the single best explanation of the reality facing Iranian people today👇
"As an Iranian, I can tell you the situation is no longer just political—it's existential. We are trapped between two collapsing structures: one internal, one external. On one hand, we face a deeply dysfunctional government, led by the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic’s unelected institutions.
Decades of economic mismanagement, suppression of dissent, and brutal ideological control have alienated multiple generations. No one believes in reform anymore—because every attempt has either been co-opted or crushed. But here's the paradox: We are also terrified of regime collapse—because we've watched the aftermath of Western intervention in countries like Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan. Each was promised freedom; each descended into chaos, civil war, or foreign occupation.
So no, we don't trust the U.S. or Israel. Not because we support our regime—but because we know how imperial powers treat ‘liberated’ nations in the Middle East.
Freedom, in their language, often means vacuum, fire, and permanent instability. Right now, many Iranians live with three truths at once: The Islamic Republic is morally and politically bankrupt. The alternatives offered by foreign actors are not liberation—they’re collapse.
A bad government is survivable. No government is not. We are not silent because we agree. We are cautious because we’ve learned—too well—what happens when superpowers decide to "help." In a sentence: Iran is a nation held hostage by its own regime, but haunted by the fate of its neighbors. We are stuck in a house we hate, surrounded by fires we fear more."
@SkyIreland 3 weeks & No internet @skyireland@SkyHelpTeam
Indoor guy came, said it was an outdoor problem. Outdoor guy came called a 2nd outdoor guy. Both left without reporting the outcome & still no internet. Mumbai Call centre takes 45mins to answer & has no clue.
@SkyIreland@SkyHelpIreland
The promised call back today ( day 5 of no TV or internet) has not happened. Husband moved an important board meeting to facilitate it. Virtual assistant doesn't understand english. We're new clients from Virgin Media. I see us reverting to them.
Is there any #ombudsman who can protect customers from big companies like @skyireland taking our money without providing a service and insisting on dealing with only 1 account holder. That account holder has to wait on underfunded helplines for hours while trying to work.
@SkyIreland Husband cannot work from home without internet.
He has been promised a call back on monday. Day 5 of no internet.
You need a proper call centre.
@SkyhelpIreland
We've been 3 days without TV or internet & unable to contact you via bots or "helplines" ( on hold for 1 hr)
I reinstalled X on my phone to reach out !
@SkyhelpIreland
We've been 3 days without TV or internet & unable to contact you via bots or "helplines" ( on hold for 1 hr)
I reinstalled X on my phone to reach out !
@travisakers Poor people generally know how to spend their money wisely. Read Poor Economics by Profs Banerjee & Duflo. You cannot buy fresh vegetables living in a food desert with no fridge and no cooker.
@drdanchoi For who the investors.
The main stakeholder, the patient and community would be far better off.
I m involved in the retirement chats on line and US residents can't afford to retire u till 65 because they have to wait for medicare.
@SydneyLWatson It was a shot show when I worked in Texas in the early 1990s. The same scams are coming to private insurance in Ireland now and the same management philosophies have infiltrated socialised medicine in Ireland and the UK.
@patrickc We are an island with a culture of coming and going. I left 3 times to the US, Saudi and France and came back wiser everytime. This is one of our superpowers.
Whatever you do, please don't stop reading. Read for joy. Read for education. Read for resistance. Read books. Read about experiences that differ from your own. Just. Keep. Reading.
Left my airpods at home before a 6 hour flight. Looks like it’s just me and my thoughts.
Anyone have any starter thoughts for someone just getting into thinking?