Self-Hate and the Self-Righteous Politician - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Denial, as they say, aint just a river in Egypt. And Mahmoud
Ahmadenijad, the Iranian president may wind up being the
caption photo on Wikipedia for that particular phrase. This is
due to the jaw-dropping story in The Daily Telegraph of London
that Ahmadenijad, a boisterous anti-Semite and Holocaust
denier, may be...wait for it...Jewish.

Even Larry David couldn't have scripted this better.

The investigation began in March when the Iranian leader held
up his identity card which had a handwritten note on it. It was
then revealed that his family changed their surname to
Ahmadenijad from Sabourjian after his birth and their own
conversion to Islam. According to experts, the 'jian' in Sabourjian
denotes that they were known followers of Judaism. Now with
all of that said, this news doesn't surprise me in the least. Mr.
Ahmadenijad is just doing what a good deal of politicians do
to get ahead. Iran is an Islamic country, a country that since
the fall of the Shah has embraced it in its fundamentalist and
even extremist form. While it has some moderate elements
that sympathisize with Western ideals, Iran still has some
animosity towards Israel and the United States and Britain.
For Mahmoud, a self-proclaimed defender of Islam who quite
possibly was involved in the hostage crisis in 1979, the only
way to stop detractors who would bring that up in their tracks
is to spew hatred. It only serves to make him that much more
laughable...but also that much more dangerous. Which reminds
me of someone else with those same traits in history.

J.Edgar Hoover. Head of the FBI from 1935 until
his death in 1972, and arguably the most reviled
figure in American politics. He possessed a mean,
calculated animosity that was embedded in his
pursuit of justice. This animosity was notably evident
in his attacks on civil rights leaders like Martin
Luther King and the COINTELPRO program as
well as Eleanor Roosevelt and countless others.
But as time marched on after his death, there
were some startling pieces of information that
came to light. First and foremost, it has been
widely asserted that Hoover was a closeted
homosexual and transvestite. Some scholars do
refute this, but when you have Roy Cohn, the
notoriously gay attorney opine that Hoover was
'scared' of his sexuality, in addition to a witness who
saw him in drag, it wouldn't be shocking. Perhaps
the only thing that could trump that which has been
given credence is that Hoover had African-American
ancestry, as stated by author Millie McGhee who
released a book in 2002 asserting her family's ties
to the FBI chief.

What the recent revelation about Ahmadenijad says
is this: most, if not all self-righteous people, live with
a good deal of self-hatred. They are individuals who
turn this vitriol outward for various reasons. In these
two cases, it is in the interest of maintaining a firm
grip on absolute power. Ahmadenijad recently saw the
people of Iran rise up over a suspicious election that
saw him reclaim the presidency. Instead of trying to
calm the populace, he resorted to threats. Hoover
waged a vicious war against MLK, even starting a
brutal letter campaign that threatened to ruin his
marriage. And those who challenged him felt the
pressure from the FBI, especially those who he felt
insulted him by implying he was homosexual. He knew
he had great power, and so did the government, who
instituted term limits after his death.

The real issue here is not what these men are. The
issue is that Ahmadenijad, like Hoover before him, is
someone who is extremely dangerous because of the
hatred of self he possesses. Someone like that in a
position of power endagers us all. And that is no
laughing matter because they feel they're justified
in spreading that hate through their words and deeds.
There will be those people who hate their lot in life but
are afraid to stand up to them who will unfortunately
stand with them. And that is something the world
can't afford to have happen.