I guess every country has some old-fashioned stick in the mud citizens who refuse to accept change. The difference is what they will do (if anything) in order to punish those who step outside the lines of their idea of 'acceptable behavior.'



>>they are too busy policing artists. It wasn't until 2000 thatIranian authorities permitted Googoosh, the most popular Iranian singer of the prerevolutionary era, to resume her career—albeit from abroad—after 21 years of forced silence. Their best Persian-language literature is still suppressed and only written and published abroad. Their media is still suppressed - the publication of any anti-Muslim sentiment is strictly forbidden - although they are guaranteed freedom of expression. Oh gosh, stop me now before I get started on women's rights :o)
>
>I watched the other day on Al-jazeera show about female writers in Iran.
>Interesting point was, that one of them felt constrained much more by intelectual circles and by immediate family and friends then by state censorship. State at the end published her work but some 'friends' never forgave her.
>Which prety much reminded me of totalitarion way of ruling in communist era
>where citizens were doing much better job policing other citizens then
>police state itself.
>
>Mind you she wrote about ulitimately unforgivable subject called - infidelity!