Letters
Oct 26-30, 1998 / Aban 4-8, 1377
Today
* Past: SO DEPERSSING!
Previous
* Identity:
- Iranians: Type 3 personality
- Suffering from adolescent pains
- Why insist on being around Iroonies?
- What do I do?
I'm Italian
* Book: Booy-e Gand-e Paa
* Events: What's happening
in Chicago?
* Spam: No mercy
* Identity:
- Why insist on being
around Iroonies?
- What do I do?
I'm Italian
email us
Friday,
Oct 30, 1998
* SO DEPERSSING!
I am impressed, and happy that these delightful old pictures ["Laid back",
"Cheri"]
have been posted on the web. On the other hand I am depressed and saddened
that our lives have changed so much.
Just a few minutes ago, at the dinner table, my eight-year-old son,
who is very much interested in music, sat through three hours of Mr. Dariush's
October 11 concert in Dallas. He calls Dariush a superstar and asked me
if he held concerts back in Iran. He then asked my brother who has just
come from Iran if there are concerts like that in Iran now. Of course his
answer was NO.
Then my brother told him that they are not allowed even to play music
on the radio that includes a female voice. How do you explain this to a
young mind?
THAT IS WHY IT IS SO DEPRESSING TO LOOK AT OLD PHOTOS OF OUR PEOPLE
NOW.
Reza Khavari
rkhavari@flash.net
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Thursday
Oct 29, 1998
* Iranians: Type 3 personality
Rather than jumping to your own conclusions ["Nargess
Shahmanesh: Why insist on being around Iroonies?"], why not ask
yourself if there may be some validity to what was said. Unlike you, I
have been doing my research; and from that as well as my own experience
I can honestly say there is much to be admired about Iranians as well as
much not to be admired. That it is so strong both ways is what makes it
both intriguing and perplexing...
Each personality-type has both healthy aspects and unhealthy ones. What
I have observed with Iranians is that most gravitate around the Type 3
personality which goes by nicknames such as "Producer," "Performer,"
"Status Seeker" and "Succeeder" According to Jerome
Wagner, PhD, author of "The Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Types,"
positive descriptions for Type 3 are: efficient, successful, get things
done, motivator, enthusiastic, pragmatic, practical, goal-oriented, energetic,
manager, popular, active, dynamic, multi-faceted, organized, self-assured,
marketer, industrious, team-builder, and competent.
Negative descriptions are: mechanical, get ahead, calculating, impatient,
expedient, workaholic, chameleon-like, scheming, popularizer, image-conscious,
self-promoting, appearances, jet set, success-driven, slick, political,
mesrepresenting, oeverachiever, role-playing, and ignore feelings... FULL TEXT
Alex Bettesworth
Alex_B@pacbell.net
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* Suffering from adolescent pains
I stumbled upon your very negative commentaries on the Iranian people
and have to say that I'm completely ashamed of your publishing of this
bogus material depicting Iranians in such a bad light ["People
of extremes"]. These come from a few bitter people who tend to
generalise, as they also admitted.
I do not share their views and know quite a few Iranians. I live in
Santa Barbara where there aren't very many Iranians. I understand where
these negative views of Iranians came about, as the culture clashes are
extreme and should be taken note of, and the struggle for many Iranians
to REGAIN the status they once enjoyed in a country before it began to
suffer from closed-minded and primitive tyrant ruling - by this I do not
mean to condone the royalty, they were a bunch of naive guys taking all
the western lies and so-called promises too seriously.
So not to become political, I just would like to say that you shouldn't
take commentary from people who themselves are suffering from adolescent
pains of friendship betrayals and blaming the entire race and culture of
the one betraying them. And DO take into account real anthropological and
social issues backing the actions of the people of Iran. And the people
of Iran are not the lost second generation living in LA or San Francisco.
Maryam
University of California,
Santa Barbara
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Wednesday
Oct 28, 1998
* Booy-e Gand-e Paa
When I first saw the title for the Book of the Week in The Iranian
Times, -- Scent of Saffron -- I thought this must be another
book on Iranian cooking. Then the full title sunk in "Scent of Saffron: Three Generations of an Iranian Family"
I laughed so hard, I though I was going to have an accident.
I'm sure it is a fine a book, but the title could sure use a little
help. What's next in this perpetual attempt to capitalize on the superficial
understanding and appreciation for whatever deems to be ethnic?
I think I might write my own memoir about the intricate interplay of
religion and the extended family in Iran. I will call it "Booy-e Gand-e
Paa: How Religious Activity Works to Reinforce or Squander Family Ties.
S.T.
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* What's happening in Chicago?
I have yet to see an event -- either cultural or political -- held in
Chicago mentioned in the Community section of your magazine . For those
of you subscribers who live near the Windy City, are there any Iranian
organizations in Chicagoland that promote such events? Any information
with regard to Iranian "kanoons" in or about Chicago is highly
appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Mehran Azhar
mazhar@students.uwf.edu
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Tuesday
Oct 27, 1998
* Why insist on being around Iroonies?
In respose to the articles by eRoTuS,
Alex Bettesworth,
and C.
Mohammadi on Iranians:
After reading these articles and letters the one thing that struck me
was just how generalized and shallow they are. And what confuses me is
why on earth do these people insist on being around Iroonies if they dispise
them as such.
I'm Iroonie, have lived both in Iran, Europe and have spent time in
the U.S. I cannot for the life of me understand this intense hostility.
We are humans, and like every other race on this planet have tall and short,
fat and thin, pretty and ugly, rich and poor, and most importantly good
and evil. Just like all other races.
Circumstances, political upheaval, forced geographical relocations,
have admitidly changed our people, but so have many other nations been
faced with similar, if not worse, historical/political upheavals in the
past decade. I'm not sure if these changes are necessarily for the worse.
For every LA nouveau riche tacky Iroonie, there are hundreds and hundreds
of highly original minds, very exciting and innovative individuals, who
are also a lot of fun to have around.
All I can say to those who are so quick to judge is expand your research
before finding it in their right to criticize.
Nargess Shahmanesh
n_shahmanesh@imeche.org.uk
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Monday
Oct 26, 1998
* What do I do? I'm Italian
Let me start this with a joke I heard from an Iranian fellow named Tony
(used car salesman, aka. mile clipper, he agrees with this one). Anyway
they asked an Iranian guy what do you do for a living? He said "I'm
an Italian!"
I don't know maybe it's only me, but I seem to be bothered by my fellow
countrymen who have chosen Western names for themselves and worse for their
children ["Why
change a name?"]. It seems to happen more in the U.S., where I
think Iranians have succeeded to loose more of their culture and "names".
They seem to be very Iranian, eat chelo-kabab, go to Persian concerts,
and drive BMWs (like myself!) but when you ask their name, you hear: "Tony".
What's worse is when they introduce themselves to other Iranians with
names like, Gino, Giani, Sergio,.... I don't understand who came up with
these names. Maybe we should look for the first Iranian guy who named himself
Tony and give him the Iranian Tony Award.
I can't stop laughing about this Tony name. Is that because many Iranains
think that we look alot like Italians? I have never met an Italian guy
who calls himself Jamshid. I understand that Iranians are very good at
adapting themselves to other cultures, but why change your name?
I happen to have an Arabic name just like many other Iranians, but I
don't find it necessary to change my name to a Persian name or to a Western
name for that matter. Shouldn't we just respect our parents for having
named us or we should all go around calling ourselves Tony?
I have heard from Iranians these horror stories about the hardships
that they had to go through during the hostage crisis in Iran. There are
no more American hostages in Iran, so I suggest all of these Tonys use
their real name.
It may not be so important to many people what your name is. If you
want to be a successful businessman you don't have to change your name.
Instead be honest with people. Sell good used cars; don't clip the miles.
Keep your promises so you don't have to call yourself Tony. If an American
girl in a bar is so stupid that she doesn't catch your beautiful Iranian
accent, then just tell her that your name is Qoli and you are Italian!
Hamid
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