Dear Bystander,
Some of the things you say are correct. Iranians today have lost their heritage and often try to pass themselves off as Italians or other southern European types. But if you think they are the most racist people, you have not honestly looked in the mirror lately.

If you think you can I.D. any Iranian from a mile away, you're the racist. I'm an Iranian and most Iranians think I'm a westerner.

I guess it all depends on who's on top. Today, the U.S. and Europe are on top so everyone wants to jump on their bandwagon.

Much like the greeks, your "supposed" ancestors wanted to so deserately be Irainian, that Alexander the Savage ordered all his Generals to take Persian "wives" (more like rape) and he himself married the Persian beauty Roxanna even though he was a homosexual.

Your response seethed with hate and as a Greek which you most likely are not even though you may be 2nd or 3rd generation, you should know that your ancestors emulated Persians in every way because it was fashionable to be Persian. Plato and Socrates proudly admit their Persian and Zoroastrian influence. Why? Because Iranians were on top and they had the bandwagon everybody wanted to be a part of.

What has you confused is how Iranians could have been the torch bearers of western civilization, when their culture today seems so alien to you. Well Iranian culture today would seem alien to the ancient Iranian as well. The Muslim/Arabs almost completely wiped out Iranian culture and replaced it with a backward and closed minded culture which Iranians have been trying to come to terms with for over 1300 years - an exercise in futility as no aspiring society will ever be able to come to terms with Islam.

If Islam had infected Greece, you would be going around today denying your heritage as well. Furthermore, Greeks look very much like Iranians. Look at Pete Sampras. Despite not being infected with an albatross like Islam, Greece has not been able to amount to anything. What's your excuse?

Get over your hate of Iranians because they are not all like the few idiots you met. In fact, according to MIT, the 2000 U.S. Census shows that Iranians make up less than .001 of the U.S. population yet account for $400 billion of U.S. GDP, making them the most productive minority group in the U.S.. You could do allot worse than be Iranian. You could be you!