This is exactly why any attempt to promote the development of a free society is utterly futile. The mindset of people like this is remarkably similar to that of poor inner-city neighborhoods here in the U.S., where people in a dysfunctional culture and social order despise the police because "they abuse us" but at the same time demand their constant presence because "they keep us safe."
Hitchens' experience in that story pretty much supports my contention that Iran is no more capable of flourishing as a free society than Detroit is.
Ping.