Letters
October 25-29, 1999 / Aban 3-7, 1378
Today
* Culture:
- No Disney, no communication
Previous
* Iranians:
- New generation
- Fury does not help
* Photos:
- No girls?
- World citizen
* Identity:
- Raise the bar
- Distilling an identity
- We are American
* Nostalgia:
- Miss kick ass
- Worst weakness
* The Iranian:
- Cutting edge
* Religion:
- Intolerance
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Friday,
October 29, 1999
* No Disney, no communication
I am a fan of Dr. Naficy's work, and I have admired his writings and
his observations esp. on Iranian cinema over the years, but his article
["Crossing
boundaries"] made assertions that were too tempting to pass up,
so here is my response:
1. The globalization of American pop culture is the globalization of
consumer culture, and two persons communicating through American pop culture
therefore cannot communicate unless it is by way of a capitalist communicative
medium (a product of some sorts, namely a movie or a doll), and in this
case a Disney animated product. No Disney product, no communication.
This means we are mute and completely subject to a breakdown of any discourse
without a infrastructure set-up by the American/capitalist culture industry.
This is loss of freedom ... FULL
TEXT
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Thursday
Octrober 28, 1999
* New generation
I think that if anyone would like to read the opinion of the new generation
of Iranians, they should. I have lived in England for 10 years, I only
lived in Iran up to the age of 4. There are many things I love about my
country and many things I hate; my hate has come from the contrast I have
felt from living in a country run by religion and so-called "order"
and living in a country where there is a freedom of speech, of action of
independence ...
I love my country; the smell, the air, the mountains, the people. But
I can not "respect" my country. I hope one day me and others
will be able to overcome our fear of death and stand up for our rights
and others' rights! My dad's best friend was killed simply because of his
beliefs and my dad was shot in the leg when he was a young man because
of his communist friend! I do not believe in communism I believe in democracy
and freedom to live life in the quality which the individual wishes! ...
FULL TEXT
Neda
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* Fury does not help
I have been reading every article Ms. Khalili has been sending to The
Iranian. When I read her furious letter
in response to "Basheh
digeh" by Mr. Rad, I could only go back and read it for the first
time. It was an amazingly well thought-out article by Mr. Rad.
I Find Ms. Khalili's observations superficial and rather dogmatic, even
though her love of Iran is obvious. It astonishes me that people like us
who have left our vatan with all its problems to find a better life abroad,
give ourselves an absolute right to criticize our embattled countrymen
and women and their traditions.
It is like Ms. Khalili has swallowed the stigma the West attaches to
Middle East (although she may not be aware of it) and now she is throwing
it up in the cyberspace. I do not know just what kind of people she is
dealing with in Iran, but her statements of how women supposedly behave
and what is expected of them, is not my experience of Iran. No, Ms. Khalili,
women where I come from do not do "eshve-gari" or any other mispresentations
you have attributed to them.
By the way there is nothing wrong with having "veghaar" when
you are dealing with the public, even though it is not a practiced virtue
in the West. As Mr. Rad mentions, try to look for the real causes of the
social ills of our country and at least try to mention them as a balance
to your Iranian-culture bashing. Hiding behind a furious response to a
logical and well thought-out criticism will not help.
Alireza B.
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Wednesday
Octrober 27, 1999
* Raise the bar
Mr. Alikhani writes an admirable piece on one's perspectives of how
we impact our society.
It is worthy to mention that one has to be a good human being first
and foremost. So often we try to categorize ourselves by using so many
different issues. It doesn't matter if one's an Egyptian, an Icelander,
a Cruzan, or an Iranian. What matters most, when reflected upon, was how
this one individual impacted his/her society.
Mr. Alikhani's grandfather certainly did significant things to impact
his neighbors and friends. However, everyone, in one shape or another,
directly or indirectly has an impact on society. That is how U.S. has become
such a melting pot with a diverse--some may argue-- socio-economic background
... FULL
TEXT
Ali Shemirani
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* Distilling an identity
I keep checking out iranian.com because, every once in a while, hidden
among record promos and not-so-funny conversation bits, there is an article
that completely brings me to tears. These unprofessional articles, often
written in less than perfect English, move me more than any well-researched
study or master reporting from Iran. I guess, as they say in Persian, if
it comes from the heart it reaches the heart (ageh az del biyaad, beh del
mishineh).
And so it was with Mr. Alikhani's recent article "Stop
or go?". I think it moved me because it dealt with a subject that
I have wrestled with many times since leaving Iran -- the search for one's
identity when living away from the source of identification.
Here are some of my thoughts about how our generation of Iranians in
America can distill an identity which is completely in tune with the values
of our parents and grandparents without ending up alienated from the host
society and ineffective as a result ... FULL
TEXT
Ramin Abhari
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Tuesday
Octrober 26, 1999
* No girls?
I was pleased to see your nice photos of Iranian kids ["Moving along"].
But I had one thing on my mind: Aren't there any girls in Iran ? Why did
you only take pictures of boys?
Youth make up a major percentage of our people and half of them are
girls. And we should feel responsible toward their future as much as the
boys. This is more important because of the way girls are treated universally
and domestically.
Parham Gharagozlou
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* World citizen
I had the pleasure of viewing Bahieh Khamsi' s photographs of Ecuador
["Red
orange black blue"]. As a 25-year-old, I found myself excited
to see that an Iranian student had spent a year to serve humanity!
Her pictures capture the spirit and the radiance of those that she encountered.
Here is an example of an Iranian who has shown herself to be a world citizen.
Jian Khodadad
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Monday
Octrober 25, 1999
* We are American
In respose to the Maryam Hosseini's "American?
Yeah right":
I immigrated to the US 22 years ago. I do love our culture and most
of my friends are Iranian as well. But few years ago I realized that one
reason we feel so isolated and disconnected from the American society was
exactly what you prescribe in your article.
The emptiness you feel inside is not because you're so far away from
your homeland as you say in your article. It is because you don't realize
that this great country you live in is your homeland ... FULL
TEXT
Mohamad Vaezi
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* Cutting edge
I have to congradulate you guys for show casing the cutting edge Iranian
arts [A. Reza Rowhani's "Reconstructing
dreams"] in your web magazine. There are many great Iranian web
sites but you are the best in my Explorer Favorites.
Mr. Rowhani's pictures can make a great postcards.
G.H. Massiha
Tab-edy in Louisiana
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