I was watching an interview with Shahrokh Aghdashloo the other night in which she verbally attacked Googoosh, legendary Persian diva in a very ugly manner. In fact after this interview I thought about one of our national psychological disorders and diseases and that is “attacking others with no particular reason.”
Have you ever ever thought about the fact that we Iranians spend hours and hours talking behind other's backs about things that are not related to us at all? Don't you think we should think about this problem some day and solve it? Isn't it true why we Iranians never tolerate other's success and popularity?
When a compatriot of ours becomes popular he suddenly gets attacked from everywhere. Many Iranians not only never pat his back or encourage him with nice words, but also try to do something to topple him and destroy his image for good.
One of the most outstanding presentations of such behavior can be seen by Shohreh Aghdashloo, the Oscar nominee who takes every chance to destroy the popular Persian diva Googoosh. Aghdashloo hates Googoosh. This is a fact. Everybody who watches satellite TVs knows that. She makes the most of each and every opportunity to attack Googoosh whenever she happens to be on the air.
I remember when Googoosh came out of isolation in 2000, Aghdashloo was on Pars and Jam-e Jam TV saying ugly things about Googoosh. Then recently I watched her interview on one of these so called stations and again I saw talking about Googoosh with such rage as if Googoosh had killed her dad.
Aghdashloo has done this on many occasions and I have always wondered why. I would like to analyze the situation to get to the bottom of the matter. What is wrong with our culture that we can never tolerate each other? Why do we resort to personality assassination to destroy others whenever we get a chance? I would like to ask you the reader to help me find some answers.
I am not doing it for the sake of Googoosh or anybody else. I am doing it because when Aghdashloo who claims to be an intellectual appears on TV and without any particular reason makes faces for another artist like a clown, it shows a big probe lm in our culture. I think we Iranians have problems and need to see a doctor very soon.
To further clarify the situation I thought about possible incentives for personality assassinations and I would make all my examples from one of her interviews last month. There could be various reasons for Aghdashloo's personal hatred and I will put them as possible scenarios:
First scenario: Aghdashloo is a patriotic heroine and Googoosh has betrayed her country and that is the root of these strong feelings.
I don't think so. Aghdashloo and patriotism? Wow. She's on Fox TV's “24” as an Iranian terrorist who killed her son's girlfriend in cold blood. In fact she brought a big loss of face for all of us Iranian women in that episode.
Everybody knows that Googoosh has been dealing with charlatans and mobsters these four years, but on stage she always told us, “I wish if one day there will be justice and freedom, we could get together in Iran.” (AREZOO MIKONAM AGAR ROOZI EDAALAT O AZAADI BAASHE HAME BAA HAM IRAN BAASHIM.)
Second scenario: Aghdashloo thinks given the Googoosh's massive popularity she should have done better for her country.
This scenario does not fit wither because I have not seen any spectacular action by other Iranian artists, including Aghdashloo, in the past quarter of a century. Meanwhile Googoosh has done whatever she could to put the message of freedom through to the people since the moment she left Iran four ears ago. In her masterpiece album Zartosht and later on in Q Q Bang Bang and Akharin Khabar.
Third scenario: Googoosh does not want to work with Los Angeles mobsters anymore and all these interviews on those trashy TV stations are aimed at putting more pressure on her.
In fact the last interview I saw of Aghdashloo was with the same guy Googoosh does not like to work with anymore! I respect Googoosh for standing by her principles. She could easily keep quite and continue to work with charlatans and get $150,000 for each concert, but at some moment she said a big NO to them and decided to stand firm against them.
But I don't think an intellectual like Aghdashloo will ever succumb to charlatans and say those things to make them happy. Never never never…
Fourth scenario: Aghdashloo is simply jealous and that is the reason for hating Googoosh.
I am afraid this is the only possible scenario that makes sense to me. What other reason could there be? Googoosh has not for one single moment talked or given opinions about Aghdashloo and other artists in any media whatsoever, yet she has always been verbally attacked by Aghdashloo.
Aghdashloo has talked about things not related to her and she has no detailed information about it. You have to see the light of hatred in her eyes whenever she talks about Googoosh. Why? Aghdashloo has her own career and follows it properly and why should there be such a strong feeling toward another artist who has never crossed her way? Is there any other reason beyond jealousy?
I know very well that Aghdashloo has come a long way and quite deserves what she has achieved. I remember her working for some radio stations in Los Angeles for a few hundred dollars a month, driving a battered car and living with hardship in these past 25 years, but Googoosh has had her share of hardship too. She has had experienced jail, solitude and betrayal over and over again in her life.
Yes it is jealousy. It has to be jealousy. This is our national psychological disorder. Just look at one TV personality attacking another, or this politician and opposition leader attacking his opposite number all day long, seven days a week. They are all jealous. Jealous of their competitors's success, fame and popularity. They want to destroy their opponents because their opponents happen to better than them in many ways.
I think I am jealous too. Sometimes I do things that on second thought I would never have done. Don't you think many of us need a shrink to free ourselves from our goddamned sense of jealousy?
