Persepolis

"Politics and Sentiment Don't Mix"

I don't believe Marjane Satrapi agrees with that statement at all, is obvious in her enitre graphic novel. Too much of her novel deals with her emotions towards the revolution and war for her to think that the two don't mix. Her novel is not an entirely emotional piece, but sentimentality plays a strong role in her book.
Her novel is about how the war and revolution affected her and her family. The book doesn't have a message about what should be done in Iran as it's main focus. Yes, there is evidence that Satrapi would like certain things to politically move in Iran and Tehran, but the story mostly focuses on her childhood experience.

Marjane's grandmother and mother would have similar ideas. Although Satrapi's mother would agree with her husband, that politics and sentiment don't mix- her points of view are based on her own emotions as a woman, a mother, a daughter and a wife. The same goes for Marjane's grandmother. Marjane's grandmother and mother lived through poverty and were punished for simply being female- of course their reactions to the war are going to be sentimental.

Also, the war and revolution are made only more personal to Satrapi and her family through all of the family members whose lives were either endangered or lost to the war/revolution.

From my own point of view- yes of course politics and sentiment mix- even if they shouldn’t. War becomes personal quickly, even if its purpose is not meant to be personal in any fashion. War starts off as for monetary gain but when lives are lost and restrictions on people’s freedom affect their everyday life, all of a sudden it is an emotional problem.
The US’s involvement in the Middle East may have started out about oil or protecting nuclear arms- or what have you- but after 9/11- it was personal. This nation was able to take a few punches to the arms and chest, but the suicide bombers in 2001 was a slap in the face. Quickly Americans made it personal.
What I think Marjane’s father meant was that, even though politics and sentiment are two different things- they get involved with each other and that it should be avoided. Sadly, when people react emotionally, their reasoning ability suffers. Politicians feel pressured by citizens’ feelings towards war and war tactics, and a huge mess ensues. Could the problem been taken care of quickly? Oh, yes. Had sentiment not gotten in the way, for all we know, a huge nuclear war could have begun and people would be left wondering what happened to a population of millions of people.
The point I’m trying to make is- politics, mixed with sentiment, can be messy, illogical, irrational and makes progress slow. So yes, I agree with Marjane’s father. At the same time, that sentiment is saving people’s lives…so… who knows?