Esfand Aashena

Nothing is good!

Are you in Europe?  Are there any shows about Iranians that are popular?  The point is not about Europe or America or you judging what is good or bad.  The point is that the Iranian diaspora has in the past 30+ years FAILED to show a lasting positive view of Iranians outside Iran.  We're just circling in our limited circles.

The most popular show about Iranians is actually the news and the 24 hours demonizing of Iranians.  As far as stereotyping of Iranians, there is something to be stereotyped.  Besides as I mentioned many times before the point here is that this show is being watched by millions and our chance to use it to promote something better, at least in the advertising segments.

As they say; speak now or forever hold your peace!   

Everything is sacred

Speaking of generic statements!

EA, no, I don't live in the U.S. Perhaps that's why I don't get this "reality tv" thing! But then again, majority of Iranians abroad do not live in the U.S. -- including many on IC. However, our "Iranian/American" fellows nonetheless seem to see everything from their own perspective!

Perhaps, based on the cultural environment you live in, you can not relate to my poinits (which is cool by me), as I can not with yours.

However, regarding your point (which I'm confused as to what it is) about the viewership (which is apparently 2.3 million for SOS), my points (as it is edvident) were not about the popularity or number of the viewers of such shows. Otherwise, 'Film Farsis' were among the most popular forms of entertainment in Iranian society (at their peak, they drew millions to movie theatres), but had little to offer in terms of cultural values! There's no doubt that they're entertaining to their target audience, hence the term, 'escapism,' which means they allow the viewers to escape the realities of daily life and, in a vicarious way, live the life of the protagonist (anti-hero) of the show for an hour or two. The main gimmick here is to make the characters as stereotypical as they come, whether they are situated in Pamenaar, or the Sunset Boulevard!

With regards to following Elvis, I never followed him to notice his presence or absence! There are certain cultural elements that do not become outdated, for example, literature (or better yet, literacy). A book could become an e-book but still remains a book, for its value does not lie in what fashion its read in, but the substance it contains! 

Generic statements.

Arj the "reality tv" is nothing new and dates back to 70s or even before.  What you refer to as reality tv was shows that started in 2000 with shows like Survivor or Big Brother or American Idol.  A show like american idol had it's predecessor in American Band Stand  in 50s/60s.

Anyway, the reality tv has changed since 2000s and you have a lot of educational shows like people living in Alaska being self-sufficient or people making moonshine or others and then you have trash tv about Kardashians or this Shahs show.

I didn't like reality tv and used to make generic dislikes like many others.  However, we are living in America, no?  We don't like this show because it's not reflective of Iranians in America, no?  All those alternative media and cultural events you mentioned are LIMITED.  So they have NOT become part of the conversation and you're STILL trying to stay with the old methods? But we have ZERO ads about alternative Iranian activities/culture. 

The term "consumer culture" that you use is generic.  It is irrelevant.  This show actually gives Iranians with good deeds and money (which we have plenty of) to use the advertising segments of this show to advertise about what they believe is good Iranian culture or whatever good about Iranians.

The show had 2.3 million viewers last Sunday.  The biggest Iranian event outside Iran was Googoosh's first concerts with about 20,000 viewers.  So the generic statements here or elsewhere or these limited engagement with Iranians from a certain age "cultural events" do not do any help in prompting anything good about Iranian culture because no one hears about them and so you don't even know if people like them or not.

Do you see what I'm saying or do you still want to argue that this is trash and Iranians "should" talk about politics, poetry, theater, etc. that has very limited viewership?

Elvis has left the building and you still want to stay in the empty theatre?! 

Everything is sacred

Re culture

Dear EA, my use of such allegories as "cultural waste" was in reference to the "reality tv" phenomenon in general rather than a particular product, Shahs Of Sunset included. 

However, I disagree with your opinion on reflection of cultural products in the society, both within the Iranian diaspora communities, and human society in general. It's true that such cultural products are not widely reflected on TV, but if you look at the alternative media (including, but not confined to the internet), one can find a significant amount of cultural contributions such as music, poetry, ballet, theatre, cinema, tv programs... A good example of such is the top portion of IC's main page that features videos of all sorts. 

Of course, even on IC not all featured videos necessarily have something to offer in that regard, but at least (for time being) they offer a more ballanced and diverse menu to the viewer. Whereas, TV (that is mainly network and in part, cable tv) in genral, nowadays has become a vehicle for commercial interests to manipulate the consumption market in parrticualr and public opinion in general. "Reality tv," due to lower production costs and its ability to connect with the viewer on a more personal level, provides a suitable vehicle for the sponsors of certain goods and services to increase the consumption of their products by presenting a less perfect, hence more identifiable protagonist (or anti-hero if you may) to the viewer, who is ultimately seen as the prime consumer of such products by their sponsors. 

Hence, Shahs Of Sunset is not all, but a part of such a consumer culture! 

بدبخت مولف و ناشر اون کتاب ها!

Everything is sacred

...

Citation of the books below was not intended as a personal attack on anyone.

These books point out to the cultural, social, political and economic structures and practices that have "dumbed down" American popular cultur, and the overall culture in general. "Shah's of Sunset" is only a minuscule part of this dominant trend.

On the other hand the non-dominant trend, the alternative culture is also very much alive and kicking. It just reaches a lot less of an audience than the garbage stuff. That's all. Cheers

It takes one to know one!

Everything is sacred

...

Dear Arj, your comments are very precise and highly appreciated.

By pure accident I happened to see a book in our community library on the topic of: "A..holes." The entire title is:" A..holes: A Theory." Author is a professor in UC Irvine, and the book pretty much speaks for itself.

It was interesting for me that he also refers to how reality TV also promotes and augments A-holes in todays world. Although the scope of his book is only the US.

Dummin gdown of popular culture ahs been a very old debate and topic, adn it probably deserves a few blogs to just cover the basics.

Here are the links to two books related to our 'debate.' Cheers

//www2.macleans.ca/2012/11/23/assholes-a-theo...

"The truly optimistic among us believe that there is no such thing as an
asshole. That is to say, the guy who cut you off in traffic or butted in
front of you at Starbucks is probably possessed by some temporary
affliction (lateness, cluelessness, hangover) that recedes as quickly as
it came. In other words, he was acting like an asshole, and that same
guy might well hold the door open for you or even save your life 10
minutes later. Aaron James is no such optimist. In fact, the author
spends 214 quite convincing pages arguing that “assholeness” is less
inattention than a permanent state of mind, and that assholes are more
than numerous enough to be called out in book form."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

BAD – Or, The Dumbing of America. 1991.

//www.nytimes.com/1991/10/13/books/creeping-n...

Jeremiads about the decline of America are not in especially short
supply, but when the Jeremiah is Paul Fussell, author of the masterly
"Great War and Modern Memory," attention must be paid. "Bad" is his
summa contra America . What he likes about the United States would
comfortably fit under a gerbil's paw. Mr. Fussell makes his home in
Philadelphia, where he is a professor of English at the University of
Pennsylvania, but after more than 200 pages of excoriation you're left
to conclude that on the whole he would rather be somewhere else -- like,
say, England, where he spends a lot of time.

We are all living in sewege!

Mr. Arj the cultural nurishment that you are so proud of has been absent in large screen and in a meaningful way in the past 30 or so years outside Iran despite the fact that all kinds of opportunities were available in the free world.

This show while trash is no more cesspool (your reference) than what the rest of us are going through inside or outside Iran.  We have all lost one way or another, inside or outside Iran, we are not complete.  If the objective is to say something to make ourselves feel better then so be it as I've mentioned in the blog itself.  

This jumping up and down in every blog related or unrelated to the topic of political prisoners is as much reflective of one's culture and mutual support as was Farah's support of Azadeh Forghani an Iranian women's rights activist which was the subject of her open letter here.

There are hundreds of so called cultural millionaires and billionaires who had every chance, many have more chances now than ever, to promote an Iranian show.  In the absence of such vacuum shows like this pop up which are really not that far off from the reality on the (American) grounds.  

Everything is sacred

Sumps vs reservoirs

My friend, Zendanian; although such issues are not of my particular interest, yet happening upon this blog prompted me to throw in my two cents with regards to the main discrepancy here.

Much like a building structure that requires a water reservoir (whether local or regional) for nurishment of life (that is of humans and animals/plants), it also needs a sump or a septic tank to handle the waste that is the byproduct of such nurishments, social/cultural structures, however different, are no exception to this rule. As a society, too, needs a cesspool for its cultural waste. What is known as "reality tv" nowadays provides such a mechanism for today's society for the flow of such cultural wastes. 

Hence, expecting anything of actual cultural value from these "reality tv" products would be as futile as searching for nurishment in a septic tank. Each has its own place and caters to its own target audience! 

یاسین ... یاسین ... سکینه دایقزی ... یاسین ...

Everything is sacred

بی کار و بی عار کسی است که از تحقیر ایرانیان در رسانه های عمومی

کسی‌ که بیکار و بی‌ عار باشد میرود بلاگ مردم ابو عطا خوندن!

Everything is sacred

Some enjoy seeing Iranians on TV as clueless, vulgarians

Most self respecting Iranians do not enjoy such "publicity."

First learn Persian, then try giving meaningless one liners! 

کله شخ وغد!

بیزحمت به دهخدا مراجعه کن.

قد از قد قد میاد، کله شق هم گفتن عامیانه کله شخ است. 

نمی‌فهمه دیگه چیکارش کنم. کل شق و قد.

Everything is sacred

Depicting Iranians as a bunch of vulgar, debased, consumerists,

Or depicting Iranians in L.A., in Calif and the entire diaspora in their multitude and complexities.

Those are the differences.

Not a simple difference between tow kinds of fruit, but a substantial difference between representation of a multi-faceted community with deep historical and cultural roots.

Some chose to cheer on vulgarity, some chose not to.

Apples and Oranges.

Everything is sacred

...

I wasn't the one who started to use "choice vocabulary" in here.

All I mentioned was the historical memeory of  Niosha Farahi and why they won't be making a TV program about that particular Iranian living in LA, any time soon: Becuase he fought for his beliefs, and paid the ultimate price for his principals.

All of a sudden there's this rush of insults about a simple reminder of a name.

What is it with that name and the culture that Niosha represented that made "our" blogger so mad?

Am I the only one who thinks that "Shah's of Sunset" is an insult to Iranians in L.A., Calif and all over the world? Not.

Guys!

Watch out! I think one of you might get blocked any moment now!

چشمت کور دندت نرم می‌خواستی وراجی نکنی‌!

Everything is sacred

تو به جای فکر کردن به نیوشا، به فکر ابتذال، حقارت و پستی ی باش

نیوشا تنش تو قبر از دست خاله زنک بازی های تو می‌لرزه!

Everything is sacred

"خوشبت" بچه مز.ف های لوس آنجلسی که تو سنگشون را به سینه میزنی.

بد بخت زندانیانی که تو طرفدار شونی!

Everything is sacred

باز هم مارو با بچه مز.ف های هم ایالتی تان، اشتباه گرفتید.

I'll take comment-control!

Everything is sacred

Wishing Comment Control for Christmas!

Esfand Jaan,

I don't mean to pour salt on your wounds, but you either get lots of comments and no "comment-control" or no comments with "comment-control!"

Such as life!

اهل قزوینی دیگه کاریت نمی‌شه کرد!

Everything is sacred

مزخرف سریال های "واقعی" تلویزیونی مبتذل در مورد "ایرانیان" مزخرف