Letters
August 14-18, 2000 / Mordad 24-28, 1379
Today
* Humor:
- This isn't a joke
* Iran-U.S.:
- Iranian hospitality
Previous
* Humor:
- Racist jokes
* dAyi Hamid:
- Keep rocking the boat
* Politics:
- Final say
* Rug:
- Persian rugs with American designs?
* The Iranian:
- To educate, or entertain?
* History:
- No documents, no history
* Photos:
- Perfect
* Identity:
- Women are not men, Persians not Arabs
- Wonderful message
- Behkhodaa we're Italian
- True stereotypes
* Googoosh:
- Googoosh's teacher
* Militia:
- War heroes deserve respect
email us
Friday,
August 18, 2000
* This isn't a joke
In response to Mr. Hossein Tabrizi's letter, "Racist
jokes", we are very happy to know that there are people with your
point of view out there. Your criticism towards Jokestan.com
opens doors to a vast spectrum of social problems/crisis within the Iranian
society. Frankly, it is hard to find a starting point for this issue.
We think you would agree with us that many jokes have roots in ethnicity
and this is not restricted to Iran. English jokes against French and vice
versa, Polish jokes, Red Neck (Southerner) jokes, Mexican jokes, Italians,
Jewish, etc. are all examples of ethnic humor and reflection of the fact
that no matter why, humor is related to ethnicity. Interestingly enough,
a good portion of these jokes are created by people belonging to the very
same ethnic background.
In Iran, ethnic jokes have a long history and was not invented by Shahanshah
. These anecdotes go back at least 700 years to Obeyd-Zakani
jokes. The subject of these jokes are Ghazvinis, Turks, Esfahanis, Khorasanis,
Turkmans, Arabs, and even Coptics! Believe it or not, Obeyd's work should
be considered as one of the more recent works of Iranians on the subject
of humor. Definitely there are older sources that are not available to
us for reference.
Ethnic jokes are everywhere. Apparently, people take pleasure in teasing
and making fun of each other. But, to what extreme? Why have Iranians pushed
the limit so far?>>>
FULL TEXT
Jokestan's Self Appointed Board of
Directors!
Go to top
* Iranian hospitality
I really enjoyed your article "Amazed"
by Doug Biesecker and "One
planet, one people" by Alan Hale in your August 17, 2000 issue.
It made me very proud to see once again, the hospitality of our people
in Iran, from small towns to the big cities despite of all the hardship
of day to day life in today's Iranian society still impresses our guests.
Iran is a country filled with rich culture and history and it is a shame
that non-Iranians would only see and remember the horrific images of hostages
and protesters. In their mind men and women are running around in black
chadors and turbans attacking locals and visitors in the streets and it
is not a safe place to go for your hard earned vacation or research! >>>
FULL TEXT
Shervan
California
Go to top
Thursday
August 17, 2000
* Racist jokes
I want to express appreciation for all your effort in creating this
excellent Iranian site. There are links provided to most of the available
Iranian media,
and I appreciate your effort to enabling me to access them.
However, there are many sites full of discrimination and racist materials.
It is true that the owner of the site has all rights to create a page and
fill it with what he/she wants, but I think we have to decide if we are
in the same level as they are.
The web page, "Jokestan"
that you have provided a link to is one of these sites. I do not think
that you yourself have checked it to read its stupid jokes. This page has
nothing to read and enjoy except stupid jokes against Rashtis, Esfahanis,
Azarbijanis and other people of our country.
I think it is the time to put an end to such discrimination and racism
that was invented by Shahanshah by abandoning them, and providing reasons
for such activities.
Hossein Tabrizi
Go to top
* Keep rocking the boat
dAyi Hamid! Damet Garm! I enjoyed your article in The Iranian ["Leila
ham bad neest"]. You are the only guy who has the balls to write
in a "vagheeh" manner and get away with it.
Anyhow with your command of the Iranian community in Los Angeles, I
am shocked to see how you can manage being away in Switzerland.
Keep on rocking the boat.
Triumph
Go to top
* Final say
I applaud your fight for freedom in your native country ["No brainer"].
Best wishes for the establishment of a democratic government which is
not run by an unelected 'supreme leader' who has final say over everything.
Rather, the people of Iran should have the final say over everything, through
the medium of lawful elections.
David F Mayer, PhD
Go to top
Wednesday
August 16, 2000
* To educate, or entertain?
I have been an avid reader of your news magazine for last two years.
Lately, I have noticed a disturbing trend in your feature stories. Some
features are informative, educational and some leave the reader with void
and wondering what is the point?
As you know The Iranian has become a medium for the diaspora
community across the globe. Has Iranian.com become an entertainment magazine?
Or are you dedicated to inform and educate the readers about Iran.
The younger Iranians are at risk of becoming shallow-minded and superficial.
Morteza Loghmani
Go to top
* Women are not men, Persians not Arabs
What a beautiful
letter written by a young son of this old country. There is obviously
nothing wrong with being Arab and I personally have a lot of Arab friends
whom I am really happy to get the chance to meet with and I honestly respect
them for who and what they are.
However, there is an issue called identity. If you are not an Arab you
are not and if you are, you are. This is like being a woman or a man, there
is nothing wrong with being one of each but if you are a woman you don't
wanna be called Mr. --- and vise versa >>>
FULL TEXT
FK
Go to top
* Persian rugs with American designs?
After reading the article
on rug merchants in Tehran, I was deeply saddened to learn how some
merchants who obviously are not thinking of anything else except their
own profit, are so naively and superficially ruining one of the most precious
aspect of Iranian heritage and culture which has been manifested in carpet
weaving , by trying to find out what the Americans want or like and changing
the carpet industry in Iran by implementing those "American"
designs >>>
FULL TEXT>>> FULL TEXT
Hakhamaneshi
Go to top
Tuesday
August 15, 2000
* No documents, no history
I just read Khodadad Rezakhani's article "Not
too deep", and would like to add a few of my own thoughts on why
there seems to be no in-depth study of Iranian history in today's academia.
One very important fact to remember is that in order to get a detailed
insight and understanding into the hearts and minds of Iranians in the
past, you need to have access to the written records of the period. I've
only recently begun to study Iranian history on my own, but I quickly learned
that in some cases Iranians may have been their own worst enemies in preserving
a written record for posterity >>>
FULL TEXT
Parviz Ghavamian
Go to top
* Googoosh's teacher
Dear Googoosh:
Welcome to America! I am so proud that an Iranian has brought her talent
to this height and that everyone knows her. I hope to be at your concert
in Washington D.C. and that there would be an opportunity for me to hug
and kiss you.
Your middle school teacher,
Gitty Shahidi
Go to top
* Wonderful message
I just read "Vacationing
American style" by Bahar M. Jaberi . I found her story by accident
but am glad I did. I enjoyed reading it and the wonderful message it contained.
Russell Burgess
Go to top
* Behkhodaa we're Italian
This is in reference to the emails that my family has been recieving
from you. I have no idea who you are or what you are. I am offeneded that
you assume that we are Iranian because of our last name. We are Italian
and have no Iranian relatives whatsoever.
Sheri Zandi
Go to top
Monday
August 14, 2000
* War heroes deserve respect
Najmeh Fakhraie's latest scribbling ["At
war with your people"] leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, for
the very reason that her mocking tone should not go unchallenged.
Unlike some readers, I do not dismiss her writings as childish rants,
because they open a helpful window into the mind of young Iranians inside
Iran, who have the country's destiny in their hands.
But her tendency to heap scorn on the memory of the revolution and the
war are insulting for anyone, like my family, who lost loved ones, giving
them often willingly, to preserve the sovereignty of Iran >>> FULL
TEXT
K. Husseini
Go to top
* Perfect
I very much appreciate your great online magazine. I will appreciate
it even more if you tell Javad Montazeri that his photos were perfect ["Cheers
& fears"]. They show that he is a real photojournalist. Can
we see more of his work?
Shahpan
Go to top
* True stereotypes
While reading your article "Get
real real", I realized that most of my STEREOTYPICAL friends would
not read it at all. Unfortunately Iranians are one of the nations that
nagative stereotyping about them is absoulutely true. I can not give you
reasons, but everyone knows it.
The last extreme transformations in our society, specially among youngsters
in Iran, are the fruits of this negative stereotyping. You may see fewer
dAyi Hamids among them and more Poopak Taatis because negative things force
them to study their unpleasant situations and cope with them (that was
a joke :-)
Mandana Asadi Tadayon
Go to top
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
