Conspiracy Theorists

One of the most frustrating aspects of talking to many in the Middle East, and especially those from Iran, is how enamored they are of conspiracy theories, no matter how far fetched or contradictory those theories may be. Their predilection for believing even the most far-fetched theories partly stems out of a colonial past, and colonial domination, where the powers that be pulled many of the strings and worked underhandedly, but also often overtly, to keep the native populations in line. (Although Iran was never colonized in the true sense of the word, it was still under the influence of Great Britain, and later, the U.S.)

However, that can't explain all of it. I think part of it is that many Iranians in particular, do not want to blame the political mess they are in, at where the blame belongs ... namely, at themselves. It is much easier for them to believe in a bogey-man, rather than look inward, and deal with the issues that brought them to national chaos.