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22-Mar-2012
The negative response of the Iranian-American community towards the reality show, Shahs of Sunset is noteworthy and entertaining. The Iranian-American community that has worked so hard in the last 30 years to hide its skeletons in the closet has found itself battered by a thunderbolt of reality. The dirt is out and the elite are unhappy. Facebook pages, petitions, articles and commentaries against the show have gone viral. Some have even gone as far as suggesting that the whole thing is conspiracy by Jews to distract attention from a military strike against Iran, which is in its planning stages. The Iranian-American community is not only under attack by the ugly of the Islamic Republic but also by the fabulous of the Beverly Hills.
What upsets us most about the Shahs of Sunset is its accurate depiction of the Iranian psyche. The Shahs are real. Like many of us, they are a group of fun-loving, hard-drinking, backstabbing, money-worshiping, showoffs who spend every minute of the day reminding each other how much they know about everything. The only difference between Shahs and the rest of us is that we fake the funk and they hump the trunk. Shahs are vain and unapologetic. They do not seem to be constrained by a typical double life that the rest of us lead.
You do not find doctors, lawyers or engineers among the Shahs. That is upsetting to us. After all, many of us have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars earning useless degrees just to have a title next to our names. Shahs do not have PhDs and do not pose for pictures in front of bookshelves full of untouched books. They are shallow and they are not afraid to show it! Worse of all, they don’t talk politics! What kind of a fucked up Iranians are they?
The gay dude, Reza reminds us too much of friends we grew up with back in Iran. That makes us uncomfortable. After all, our gays are not supposed to act gay. Like many other things in our culture, we sweep our cranks under the rug. That is why we invented the rug. Our gays are not full flavored gays but rather gay-light with only five calories. Reza on the other hand is very gay and seems to be getting along just fine. That is not how things are supposed to work. You are supposed to leave your gayness at home and bring your un-gayness out to the party. That is how we roll.
The ladies of Sunset are sarcastic, whiny and conflicted. They are looking for their hairy Persian prince but at the same time, they are not sure if marriage is right for them. Just like most Persian women, they just are not sure what they really… really… really want. They constantly moan about the abuse they receive from family members for being single but they seem to enjoy the attention. They also switch to this weird Puerto Rican accent when they get emotional! Finally, like many (not most) Iranian women, they are gold-diggers with no plan of attack other than half-baked charm and phony mystic.
There is no reason for the Iranian community to get upset. After all, everybody knows that Shahs of Sunset depict Iranians as much as Kardashians depict Americans. I mean we all know that the whole thing is a fake anyways … or is it not!
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potential news on season 2
by sarshar45 on Wed Mar 28, 2012 09:08 AM PDTthis will be a six episode season 1, but according to blogger tamara tattles the potential for a season 2 is very good.
Shahs of Sunset Episode Three and a Halftime Report. Great Picture of Asa, and news on potential Season 2... //www.tamaratattles.com/2012/03/shahs-of-sunset-episode-three-and.html?spref=tw
Really????
by Ferdosi on Sat Mar 24, 2012 07:25 PM PDTI don't who Mr. Baniameri hangs out with, but I think they could use him in the show. He seems very familiar with the culture and the circle depicted.
I agree: that it's not a
by Hafez for Beginners on Sat Mar 24, 2012 01:00 PM PDTI agree: that it's not a crime to show the underbelly of any society. But do consider that it's a pendulum swing of negativity going from being portrayed as terrorists to shallow socialites.
What concerns me most is that we're culturally in a world where a "dictatorship" produces films that win an Oscar, and "Freedom" on this side of the world is producing Reality TV. The World has gone bezerck. America can't "inspire" the Middle East to spill their blood, if the "Freedom" they attain is the dream to produce Reality TV. "Go Syria!" and then you too can have Ryan Seacrest come and produce shows in Damscus! Sad, shallow times, all around.
good blog
by gitdoun ver.2.0 on Sat Mar 24, 2012 02:59 AM PDTYou brought up good points. Nice blog
Negative response of the Iranian-American. Why?
by Farfromheaven2002 on Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:41 AM PDTIranian culture draws a boundary around one’s personality. Iranians act the way they are supposed to pretend. Fake acting is clear by typical Iranian ‘choices in education, socializing and careers. Formal education is Iranians’ priority because they have no aptitude to read books and educate themselves. Have they learned to manage their confidence if they are not a top university graduate?
A typical cultural concentration is in West Coast where Iranians, who like acting and singing careers, choose to live. I have no idea how Iranians, who spent the best moments of their childhood in snowy North West or North East of Iran, choose to live in a hot climate. The last question they should ever ask is why they become home-sick!
MM has a very good point
by Anonymous Observer on Fri Mar 23, 2012 08:09 AM PDTThe Shahs of Sunset type Iranians are exclusively a West Coast phenomenon. No such cheeziness on the East Coast. We really don't have tolerance for this stuff here. It's too cold and crowded, and attitude like that just gets on our nerves. Plus, we have better school systems and institutions of higher education here. Hence, a more culturally refined people. I've been to L.A. a few times and have seen a glimpse of the Iranian community there. Very different of what I see here.
Although I have to clarify that this is the behavior of SOME Iranians on the West Coast. There are many, many Iranians on the West Coast who are better educated, more cultured and better mannered than...well, myself for example. I personally know quite a few.
But don't even get me started on Vegas. Went there for a seminar for a couple of days once. I felt like I was on a different planet. A cultureless, cheezy, gambling infused, drunk planet. Completely sucked. Believe it or not, I was thinking about going to a library the the whole time I was there! I locked myself in my hotel, and its gym, most of the time.
Esfand Jan they don't need to 'Act' ... They Are
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Mar 23, 2012 06:15 AM PDTOnly a King May Slay a King (* See Caption below)
But do Feel Free to comment on your Sovereign's Photo Essay it's Called "Democracy" after all ...You know ... that Not so "Jomhurykhah" Concept ...
ROYAL FORUM: Explaining the Concept of a Constitutional Monarchy to a Staunch Republican
Happy Norooz to all of you Schizophrenic Jomhurykhahs Nevertheless !
Hee Hee
;0)
PS:No Offense intended only Irony (*) Clip From the movie Alexander the Great - Alexander (Richard Burton) ferrets out Darius’ assassins and rewards them with death and dishonor for betraying their king.
BTW here r the number of Twitter followers for each cast member
by Esfand Aashena on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:48 AM PDTDarius jaan I was going to leave a comment on RP's and family photo album asking if behind the photos they act like Shahs?! but let them have their fun and Norooz. Happy Norooz Darius jaan!
You'd think Reza would have the most Twitter followers but noooo:
ASA 2,114 followers
MJ 2,200 followers
GG 2,573 followers
Mike 2,600 followers
Reza 10,465 followers
Sammy 23,186 followers
Everything is sacred
Thank GOD they ain't ;0)))))))))))))
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:45 AM PDT"A Country that Loses it's Poetic Vision is a Country that faces death" -Saul Bellow.
No one can imitate the GENUINE Ones !
A GENUINE IRANDOKHT's Answer to Shahs of Sunset
Darius jaan me monarchist?! Even Shahs are not monarchists!
by Esfand Aashena on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:28 AM PDTEverything is sacred
Not typical of the east coast
by MM on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:27 AM PDTI fell into the frenzy about this show and recorded a couple of episodes. I watched ca. 15 min of the first show and lost interest. This is like watching the Kardashian and generalize it to all Armenian-Americans.
I don't know about the west coast, but this show depicts the opposite of what I see in the east. I realize that every show needs to sensationalize to gather audience, so I wish them luck.
Eh Vah Esfand Jan ? ;0))
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:26 AM PDTI always knew you were a closet Monarchist ...
HUMP OR DEATH: Golshifteh’s «nudity» as metaphorical as her «acting»
LOL
"A Country that Loses it's Poetic Vision is a Country that faces death" -Saul Bellow.
I like the Shahs but can do without the GG, or maybe not!
by Esfand Aashena on Fri Mar 23, 2012 05:04 AM PDTI don't see anything wrong with the Shahs show. Everybody says they're "shallow", what's shallow?! It all depends what your definition of the word "shallow" is IS!
Or as Siamak puts it they're shallow and they're not afraid to show it! Except GG is one crazy and kookoo beaech! On the other hand I think she is a reflection of many Iranians her age (man or woman) who go nuts on everyone for no apparent reason. So perhaps as we say in Farsi, some of our fellow Iranians can learn what NOT to do if they can only see GG or others who act like them but don't look good on camera.
Seriously, what is GG thinking? Which man would want to buy that much headache? Perhaps in her blonde highlights moment she is thinking the show needs different kind of "opinions"!
Everything is sacred
Interesting article but off the facts!
by farrad02 on Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:46 PM PDTSiamack jan, you write "everybody knows that Shahs of Sunset depict Iranians as much as Kardashians depict Americans"!
Do you really believe that the average American watching this garbage knows that real Iranians are not like these people?! Think!
This is all a mute point anyways, because reportedly the program is being cancelled!
Ironically enough,
by AMIR1973 on Thu Mar 22, 2012 09:10 PM PDTReza Aslan is a moron in his own right. And his writings prove it:
//www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/01/do-we-have-ahmadinejad-all-wrong/69434/
I have to agree with Reza Aslan on this one
by aynak on Thu Mar 22, 2012 09:21 PM PDTwho Said:
"It's a silly reality show.... Only the most moronic viewers would watch 'Shahs of Sunset' and extract an opinion about Iranians and Iran." He failed to add, only morons who call themselves Iranian, will see this as a depcition of Iranian-American".
Congratulations to Andy Cohen, the executive VP of Bravo's "Original Prgramming".
Can you imagine the warm reaction such portray of a group would recieve, had the subject been Chinese/Black ... and yes Jewish Americans?
nailed it!! Right on point!
by Anonymous Observer on Thu Mar 22, 2012 08:50 PM PDTand of course, the Iranian sense of superiority that is sooooooo hurt in the process...
thank you SB!!!!
by sarshar45 on Thu Mar 22, 2012 07:46 PM PDTnow THIS is one of the reasons why i love siamack and his writings! "bravo" and merci! :) you hit the nail on the head. i, for one, am enjoying the show for what it is.... and not what it isnt.....
thanks o.y. it seems that
by hamsade ghadimi on Thu Mar 22, 2012 05:37 PM PDTthanks o.y. it seems that the intellectuall wannabes in your link hadn't even seen the show (min. 3:15). i feel more sorry for them than the douchebags who're getting paid for the fake show. they should somehow include this "critique" in the show!
Hamsade ghadimi jaan khoosh amadid! The author has a good point
by Oon Yaroo on Thu Mar 22, 2012 05:05 PM PDTabout these better than thou LA Iranian doctors and engineers who have nothing better to do than critiquing the SoS gang.
See for yourself:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bb_dPZcE0w
Great commentary Siamak. It's time for all these ghollabi
by fanoos on Thu Mar 22, 2012 04:51 PM PDTdegree people gave up and let these young and restless mostly Americans and leastly Iranians have fun, sex, and whatever their hearts desire. I would join them in a second if they let me audition. It's time for all the pardon my french old crank Iranians to mind their own business. Well said!
i don't always agree with
by hamsade ghadimi on Thu Mar 22, 2012 04:47 PM PDTi don't always agree with you siamack but you nailed it.
Right on!
by Faramarz on Thu Mar 22, 2012 04:38 PM PDTFor us Iranians, it is useful to look in the mirror once in a while.
West Hollywood, among others, wants SoS banished
by maghshoosh on Thu Mar 22, 2012 04:33 PM PDTRacist & offensive, is the outcry.
Siamack jaan: Priceless!
by AMIR1973 on Thu Mar 22, 2012 03:29 PM PDTAbsolutely hilarious. Now, if Ryan Seacrest would only give you your own show....