A few years ago, I read this book called Crescent by Iraqi-Irish-American author Diana Abu-Jaber. It takes place in Los Angeles and it is a kind of like reading the script of an Arab channel soap opera. This very beautiful and sensual (Abu-Jaber's words- not mine) Arab woman has a restaurant in LA and lots of students come and go. They gather to fuel and foam. It's a fun book to read if you are into food books. It's such a foodie book that it has a recipe chapter in the end.
Two neat things about this book are 1. Iranians are mentioned over and over as coming to the restaurant. Fascinating because the book was written right after the Iraqi invasion of Iran ended. 2. The book wasn't published when she submitted it for consideration because Gulf War 1 was under way. Hooray. So when that war ended and a decade and half went by and George Hussein Bandar Bush invaded Iraq and people were happy that the Iraqis were cooperating with flowers and candy, Diana Abu-Jaber got published.
Now it is post double wars in Iraq and Iranians are very anti-Arab world wide because we blame Arabs (among other tribes) for all of our problems, especially Islam. But in Abu-Jaber's novel, Iranians and Arabs came together shekam be shekam to enjoy dolmeh and kabobs.
Then this octuplet thing exploded in LA and it turns out the mother is Iraqi-American. Her father looks like Mr. Zoorehezafeh if he shaved his head and he went on Oprah Winfrey and was both funny and sad. He laughed and cried. When a Middle Eastern man cries, in front of millions, you have to feel sorry for him. I do.
But imagine if this insane and selfish young woman who can't bother to let her parents enjoy a retirement was IRANIAN instead. Also imagine if her greedy doctor were Iraqi instead of IRANIAN. I bet you would have gotten lots and lots of nice anti-Arab blogs. Hissing about Arabs and how they want Iranian families to be submerged in poopy diapers and baby vomit aka Islam.
Hmmmm.
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Marge
by Kaveh Nouraee on Mon Mar 02, 2009 03:13 PM PSTI don't listen to KFI much myself, so I never heard it.
I wouldn't call this idiot an Al-Qaeda doctor from a 3rd world country, but I would definitely say he is devoid of ethics and is motivated purely by money.
As far as being interested in sewage Iranians, I don't know where you might readily find them around here. I don't think even my biggest detractors on this site, as long and as undistinguished as the list might be, fall into that category.
Then again, maybe there are.
fine by me
by anonymous fish on Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:06 PM PSTit's just that YOU were the one who made an issue of it. i was just following up.
:-)
no kaveh
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Fri Feb 27, 2009 05:21 PM PSTwhen this story broke, KFI was blasting the doctor as an AL QAEDA doctor from a 3rd world country with no concern for ethics or law, just concerned about money. That was very fun stereotyping and no one really cared because of the reputation of Iranians and middle easterners by right wingers. I hate KFI, and I think it is a load of broadcasting bullshit, but I listen anyway. talking hypothetically about another group who spews stereotypes in situations - you talk about this a lot in regards to how people discuss (emphasis on CUSS) republicans - is the entire point of blogging and internet.I'm sorry i did not provide you with something you cannot react to. good for you. i'm glad there are people who can't fathom the crazies in the world :)
What I'm interested in is sewage iranians. Yup :) merci for your 2 cents.
anonymous fish - stop wondering. i don't care.
boshe Rosie jaan
by anonymous fish on Fri Feb 27, 2009 04:35 PM PSTi was taking a little break. :-)
actually, we're in the middle of packing. moving from OC to long beach. found this AWESOME apartment in an old house. wood floors and enough nooks and crannies for all my "stuff". we have boxed up 5 BOXES of books already and those were just ones in the spare closet on the shelf and floor!!!! forget in the bookcase in the living room.... cookbooks in the kitchen... miscellaneous books in the car and office! and definitely forget the boxes of books we left in SC. i am not allowed to purchase any more books. :-( i have to go to the library from now on. call me the emelda of books...LOL.
margie... still wondering why my being american was curious to you in this blog...:-))
well one thing ya gotta admit..
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Fri Feb 27, 2009 03:51 PM PSTfor all our differences in temperament, writiing style and ideology..
we're a clever bunch of twiddlers.
ps fish i was wondering what'd happened to you. anyhow could you please e-mail me at rjgoldbird@aol.com, so i don't have to hunt dowwn your e-mail address among the hundreds of spams. I'd wanted a couple of days ago to e-mail you. thx.
Margie jaan
by Kaveh Nouraee on Fri Feb 27, 2009 03:00 PM PSTthere aren't any nut jobs on this thread to pick on!!
It's mostly just you, me, Fishie and Rosie twiddling our thumbs.
It's Friday, and I need to body slam some mental midgets before the sun goes down, or my weekend is shot to hell.
I better start peeking around the site like a cyber-pervert. I'll go get my trench coat.
in other words
by anonymous fish on Fri Feb 27, 2009 02:34 PM PSTstay HERE and make fun of people...:-0
Kaveh you misunderstood me
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Fri Feb 27, 2009 11:50 AM PSTI mean that I'm not interested what you Kaveh understand about this situation. Obviously anyone of any ethnicity does dumb shit. I'm talking about the reaction of dumb people to that dumb shit. You're not dumb. That doesn't mean I don't want you to comment. It means I want you to comment on the dumb people, not you! ACTUALLY, I wish you would comment more on my blogs but I've been having awfully crappy blogs so I don't blame you.
Well Geez Marge!
by Kaveh Nouraee on Fri Feb 27, 2009 09:45 AM PST(mumbling under my breath)......All I did was answer your question you didn't have to cut me off like that if you didn't want me to say nothin' you coulda put no answers from Kaveh on the thread but nooooo you had to single me out and make an example of me and tell me you're not askin what I think but how would I know that beause you didn't say you're not asking what I think, geeez Marge, excuse me for posting why don't ya?
:-)
Great thread by the way.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more people to make fun of.
??
by anonymous fish on Fri Feb 27, 2009 09:28 AM PSTBut i'm curious why you say this considering your previous identity as "AMERICAN" here.
not sure exactly what you're curious about? :-)
Thanks Kaveh; however, this isn't about normal conditions
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Fri Feb 27, 2009 05:02 AM PSTI'm not asking what KAVEH would think. You have always seemed like a free-thinking, fair minded person. What I'm aiming at is people who are NOT like you. I'm wondering about those unfair people who believe stereotypes and it's quite funny what they think. Some of you are so damn serious.
If Nadya Was Iranian
by Kaveh Nouraee on Thu Feb 26, 2009 07:42 PM PSTI would still think she's a psycho piece of trash.
iraqi, iranian, lebanese,
by gigi joon (not verified) on Thu Feb 26, 2009 07:14 PM PSTiraqi, iranian, lebanese, saudi arabian, it doesn't matter. all middle easterners for the most part have the same mentality in this regard. to boil it down to a single race and point fingers is ridiculous and a waste of time.
del
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Fri Feb 27, 2009 02:24 PM PSTdel
Congratulations
by MarKa (not verified) on Thu Feb 26, 2009 06:59 AM PSTThen this octuplet thing exploded in LA and it turns out the mother is Iraqi-American. Her father looks like Mr. Zoorehezafeh if he shaved his head and he went on Oprah Winfrey and was both funny and sad. He laughed and cried. When a Middle Eastern man cries, in front of millions, you have to feel sorry for him. I do.
Congratulations, you got me in trouble for giggling out loud at work. I think this is one of the funniest paragraphs I've read in a long, long time.
But honey bunny, I don't see anything..
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Thu Feb 26, 2009 05:53 AM PSTin the blog about the rich classy doctor, only at the end the what if he were Iraqi...?
Anyway as far as the title goes, you can change anything you want until/unless it gets refeatured.
que sera sera
ps well, looks like que sera has already seraed. lass es los. allein, allein! achtung achtung! nicht mehr! lass es! danke schoen, lieblingchen. :o0
The title is bad. The doctor is who I am MORE concerned with
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Thu Feb 26, 2009 04:11 AM PSTClearly this "young lady" is nuts. But what about this rich and classy doctor? If he was Iraqi instead of Iranian (tables turned), I really think I would hear lots of "Jakash e khar" about what trouble he has brought on an Iranian family and made Iranians look like welfare hogs (marge).
I do not feel sorry for this woman to be honest. I feel sorry for her parents. They are so old and they deserve much better right now in their lives. THey fled danger and dictatorship for this zoo? I feel bad for them. I think they should be making the case and she should be wearing a muzzle. They are much more convincing that people should give them money and real estate.
MPD - get yourself off the floor!! :) thanks
JD - I do remember this case. You know the more I read about medical problems like this, I just think of Frankenstein. I think what was true back then about people being irresponsible with these abilities is true now: we cannot be trusted.
If Nadya was Iranian..
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:51 PM PSTshe'd be Nadya-jaan.
Du-uh.
Hilarious
by Multiple Personality Disorder on Wed Feb 25, 2009 09:46 PM PSTJust hilarious. I’ve fallen on the floor and I can’t get up.
good point
by JD (not verified) on Wed Feb 25, 2009 08:44 PM PSTI am wondering if the zealot doctor possibly contributed some of his own sperm too! You recall about 15 years ago a doctor donated his own sperm to more than 40 mothers throughout years of in vitro fertilization without telling them.
I feel sorry for this woman and regardless of what she did people should help her to raise those kids. I just heard on national news that a porno company has offered her a million dollar. That is sad.
bah leave it. I'm diggin what you said
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Wed Feb 25, 2009 07:15 PM PSTin the war blog.
never too late..
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Wed Feb 25, 2009 07:14 PM PSTe-mail him.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p9L79X1XNU
too late :( also regarding "nationality"
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Wed Feb 25, 2009 07:09 PM PSTI had to fix it because it did not make any sense.
Anonymous Khan,
Of course nationality is not "the matter". But when IS nationality a factor? Just when you apply for a visa? In war? In murder? Come on. It's always a factor in the minds of judgmental people. That's what I'm asking about.
Good girl!
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Wed Feb 25, 2009 07:05 PM PSTI must go and change the Pampers now.
My cat soils them so quickly!
LOL
Marge...
by Anonymous- (not verified) on Wed Feb 25, 2009 05:50 PM PSTkhanoom naz,
This is not the matter of nationality, this young women has couple of loose screws in her head. Jobless, homeless, mate-less, hopeless...but wanted 14 kids!!
BTW, that fertility doctor should be barred from practicing medicine. He knew this single jobless women already have 6 kids, but he went ahead and implanted embryos into her body!!
LOL
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Wed Feb 25, 2009 05:26 PM PSTIs the sky blue? Of course it "doesn't matter" but it comes up in the classiest of Iranian dinner parties and gatherings. If you have never sat with an old guard of an Iranian family talk about this kind of superficial and conspiratorial thinking, you might think that way too. But i'm curious why you say this considering your previous identity as "AMERICAN" here. It might not "Matter" but it comes up. It's just a blog. Jesus christ. Happy Lent to you btw.
i didn't know she was
by anonymous fish on Wed Feb 25, 2009 04:56 PM PSTi didn't know she was iraqi-american and i don't think it makes any difference... period. maybe i haven't been reading the same articles in depth but i haven't seen anything or anyone who's made comments about her ethnicity.
does everything have to come down to race or creed or whatever? how sad!