Wednesday
November 29, 2000
Tearing down individuals
In response to Iraani, I hope she realizes that racism is exactly what her closed-minded
and judgemental message portrays.
It's clear that Iraani feels that the actions of Iranians speak for the
Iranian community. However, in making that the statement that she did,
I feel that Iraani, not Maryam [Maryam
and Daryl], is depicting a negative picture of her community.
Who is Iraani to judge whether a person is good, bad, disgraceful, or
"all that"?
I recently attended a workshop in Chicago in which a panel of Iranian-Americans
spoke about how the diaspora has influenced their lives and personal expression.
A very clear message of pain and even shame surfaced and resurfaced throughout
the session - hurt from being judged and misunderstood repeatedly. This
is the same kind of pain that Iraani's letter perpetuates.
Perhaps it's easy for Iraani to stand with "her kind" while
tearing down individuals; I wonder if she'd have the same strength standing
as an individual member of the human race. We are all human beings and
words are powerful tools that should be used with thought and consideration.
I find it particularly ironic that Iraani's letter was published on the
same day that an African-American-Iranian, T.J.
Houshmandzadeh, was featured as the Iranian of the Day. I wonder how
T.J. would feel about Iraani's assessment.
Kyra Liston
Chicago
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