Was this show frustrating to listen to or what?
Okay, I agree most sheeple (sheep-like people or followers) who get plastic surgery do not think that they’re going to be loosing their identity consciously, but that’s because they’re not really thinking. They’re fixing up their noses, “augmenting” their breasts, or cutting/pasting something somewhere in their body. They are basically saying “F*$& YOU!” to 10,000 years of evolution because they’re apparently too good for their own genes. There is a reason I have a big nose, it was not decided when I turned 13 for me to have a big nose, it was shaped over hundreds of years of evolution because the fittest nose for my ancestors and me has now been inherited to me. So for me to say that I’m better than what has been passed down to me is nothing short of being a pea sized brained, self serving, public opinion controlled douche bag.
Now a bunch of you may have already had a plastic surgery or considering it or have close friends who’ve had them, and you’re probably pissed off at me right now. Well, I’m glad, because if you think the fact that you or the people around you who have had cosmetic plastic surgery are “successful,” “powerful” or “intelligent” makes what they do right, then you’re just as wrong as they were when they decided on cosmetic surgery! Are you telling me successful, powerful, or intelligent people don’t make mistakes? Tell me, what are they saying to the world, when they shrink their nose? What are they telling themselves? “Oh, it’s not for the world, it’s just for me” That line has to be largest imaginable sea of monkey diarrhea I’ve ever heard in my life. If you’re cutting and breaking yourself for you only, then obviously you have some sort of psychological disorder, because unless you have a physical defect, the fact that you’ll be happy with the shape that you are seeking after surgery is no more strong as being happy with the shape you already have. So for whatever reason, you have managed to falsely convince yourself that the way you were born is somehow defective or less “perfect,” whatever that means when it comes to beauty.
And to the people who are thinking to themselves… I just want to look more like me just 30 years ago.. well I have news for you, you’re no different than the Paris Hiltons of this world in that regards. If you’re unable to appreciate the natural change your body goes through with every step of aging then you too have a clear case of psychological disorder. If people were meant to look like they were 23 their whole life, we would have 23 year olds being born and dying some time later just the way they looked. You obviously can not appreciate the beauty of age, you can not see that an aged person is not judged, internally or externally, by how similar they look to a 23 year old and how often they have sex. So it’s not really you that you’re trying to look similar to, because you can not possibly look more like you with any procedure, you look like you now!
Don’t get me wrong here, you could stretch my stance against me and say “If you think you’re true to your identity Mr. Sohrab, why do you dress like an urban American and not like a Tehranian? Why do you cut your hair short? Why do you shave?” And to that I have this to say: Growing up I can’t say I saw clothing that’s authentic to Tehran , I did not see hair-cuts authentic to Tehran, and I did not see facial hair authentic to Tehran. What I did see when I went to Persepolis was that the men holding the arrows had longer hair, a full beard, and a manly nose with a hump just like I do. The hair, facial hair and cloths are supposed to be influenced mostly by lifestyle, technology, and finally fashion. So I wear jeans because it’s made from the most easily accessible and durable fabrics that exists. I cut my hair short and shave to keep cool and clean. Also unlike my nose, I can grow back my hair and change cloths at anytime. Lastly but very importantly when my child is born and he/she hits the age of 13 he/she won’t wonder why the hell he doesn’t look a thing like his parents and start developing psychological problems himself/herself.
Don’t think for one second that I was not influenced by things around me. My parents/friend/strangers/tv/school pointing to people who look “white” and saying oh look how beautiful this person is. I had all of that and a bag of potato chips, but I chose to question it. So don’t follow this blog like sheeple. Think about it!
My nose is who I am and if I’m proud of me, I better be damn proud of my nose!
-Sohrab (not approved to be on the show by iranican producers)
If you support this blog, you’re welcome to put my picture as your facebook profile picture and change your status to the quote above.
Living in Berkeley for most of the year, I’m a bit insulated from the political attention spans of most Americans. Protests are as common as papers or problem sets, and much more varied. Tired of the University of California single-handedly destroying the world? Then respond in the most logical fashion – by taking over a tree and protesting! Sick of most Americans’ murderous habits of consuming meat? Then take your minority views to the masses by protesting in front of crowds of meat-eating students!
Bu this culture of protest epitomized by the Bay Area is definitely not a representation of the political philosophy of most Americans, especially that of us Iranian-Americans.
Some of us may support protest-worthy causes, but would rather leave the demonstrations to the degree-less inhabitants of our nation’s tertiary institutions.
Others are definitely inclined to protest, but only if one is well-organized and draws many other people – none of us want to be that lone protester who’s mocked by countless passerbys, no matter how noble the cause.
And a few of us protestophobes let our money do the talking, and demonstrate by giving money to political organizations or candidates.
By far, the vast majority of us choose not to protest, and have no qualms about doing so. Maybe, many of us argue, this is a good thing. We all know the disastrous effects of protests that turn violent, not only in Gaza or Pakistan, but also in France and right here in the U.S.
What’s the solution? Well, Iranican’s most recent show on Radio Javan, of course! Listen to it, give me a holler, and put your protest boots on (the ones to the left of your Nikes). We’re going to Berkeley.
-Kevin
Hillary Clinton ran a losing campaign second to none in modern American history. She made numerous strategic mistakes such as lack of infrastructure in post Super Tuesday states. She was so confident of Obama’s defeat on Super Tuesday that she failed to set up the most basic campaign facilities in post Super Tuesday states such as Nebraska or Washington. Mark Penn, Clinton’s chief strategist, only added to her troubles by not knowing California’s primary was NOT a winner take all contest! This was a huge mistake by someone who has spent a life time in US politics and was credited to have been one of Democrat’s best strategists.
Clinton’s camp made mistakes, and no one is denying that. But what really caused Hillary the presidency was her bad timing to enter the race. Clinton announced her candidacy convinced of an anti Bush/anti GOP mood in the country. She thought she picked an easy fight,until Obama entered the race. Clinton’s calculations about an easy Democratic victory against a GOP candidate were correct. She made only one mistake: She ran four years too late! Obama and his message of change was much more appealing to the disgruntled, angry Democratic voter and Hillary’s moderate stances did not stand a chance.
Hillary lost her dream because of her political calculations in 2004. You may ask why? The Democratic Party entered the 2004 election without a quality candidate. Kerry supporters voted against Bush and not for Kerry. The Democratic nominee for presidency in 2004 was mediocre at best. He ran a terrible campaign and lost to President Bush in November. Hillary did not enter the race because she believed it was not possible or too hard to unseat a president. She could have easily won the Democratic primaries in 2004 but Hillary did not have the COURAGE to pick a fight. She set her sights on an easy victory in 2008 and gladly, she lost!
That is why Clinton, in my opinion, is a political opportunist! She tried to ride the waves of dissent and dissatisfaction in 2008. She could have had it all had she run 4 years earlier. Sometimes in politics, courage is much more important than precise calculations.
Congratulations to Senator Barack Obama for courageously making history this past week!
-ArashA
You’re probably single, if not most of your friends are! This is where we’re going to continue our never ending discussion about Dating Iranian Americans/Canadians/Diasporans. If you haven’t heard the Radio Show’s Podcast, it’s available on Radiojavan.com (click here). Feel free to add any issue you think we may have missed.
Just to give brief threads on what we discussed, we had the following:
-So many singles in the US and Iran and Iranian Americans are no exception.
-Iranian Parents Differentiation between how much freedom their sons have vs. daughters
-Should we have Standard Rules of Dating?
-Online Dating Sites
What we didn’t get to cover:
-Is there anything wrong with dating your friend’s Ex?
-What is the consensus among Iranicans about “TORSHIDEH” girls not getting married?
The drive was a great success, thanks to everyone who supported us with their hearts and minds, and those who contributed with their generous donations. Thank you all for being a part of our event and registering to save lives. This year’s event was put together in honor of a 22 year old Iranian-American who was diagnosed with Leukemia, and is in desperate need of a match. Let’s hope that him and every patient in need finds a match and starts a new day.
If you did not make it to our event, or want to inform others to become a donor, please follow one of these steps to join the program:
- Fill out this form to have a testing kit mailed out to you
- Or find a list of upcoming drives in your area by typing your zip code here
Once you’re on the donor registry, PLEASE be sure to send your donor ID number to marrow@iranican.com, so we can accelerate the matching process for our young friend.
Donate to our cause…
Thanks to our Sponsors: NMDP, Persian Cultural Club, Bia2.com, Bebin.tv, RadioJavan, MTV
Many of you are already aware that the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) recently launched in Washington, D.C. Besides sounding like a delectable afternoon treat, PAAIA is apparently the first Iranian-American lobbying organization, and definitely comes at a useful time for improving perceptions of and gaining influence for Iranians in the U.S.
I’m wondering what are your thoughts on the group’s launch? It’s pretty much a fact that our community has largely veered away from political issues and safely engages in what I would deem “informed apathy.” This stands in stark contrast to other “ethnic lobbies.” AIPAC, the much-vilified, pro-Israel advocacy group, is arguably among the strongest lobbies in the nation. And even Iran’s northerly neighbors, the Armenians, have a strong political voice in the U.S., made even more apparent by the fairly recent controversy over the Armenian genocide in the House of Representatives. With regard to our potential (especially considering our numbers, and the fact that we’re among the most highly educated people in the country) Iranian-Americans have done a poor job of influencing public matters. Can PAAIA, along with groups like the NIAC, end this political drought?
What’s more, the internal split in the Iranian-American community over the issue of U.S. sanctions on Iran can also stymie efforts at forming a united political front. This is one of the reasons that the staunchly anti-sanctions NIAC has not gained a bigger following. Time and time again, we see the debate over the shir o khorshid versus the lalah overtake other issues and divide us. Can PAAIA effectively navigate these hazardous waters without taking on some of its own?
Pardon my crappy analogies, but I’m just trying to play devil’s advocate for a moment. I’m curious about your thoughts. . .
-Kevin
Remember Iranican’s discussion panels? Well it’s back, and it’s on Radio Javan!
Iranican aired its last satellite show in September of 2007 and moved to find more of its audience online. Since then, Iranican has been producing short reports, appropriately named Iranican Reports, and showcasing them right here on Iranican.com
The need to have an informative discussion panel still existed however, and hence Iranican has found possibly the best medium for its talk show Iranican Live right here on Radio Javan. The show’s hosts are Behnoush, Iman, and Mahvash and it will be airing from San Francisco Bay Area, California.
Catch the radio show, Iranican Live every two weeks on Wednesday nights at 7PM Pacific or 10PM Eastern. The first one is on Wednesday night, May 21st. “FOBs vs. WhiteWashed Iranians” Listen to the Podcast Now
feedback? iranicanlive@radiojavan.com
Obama finally won North Carolina in a blow out! Congratulations to the Senator from Illinois. Obama and his staff are celebrating their strong victory in Edwards’ home state, where Bill Clinton campaigned heavily for his wife in the past 12 days. The ball is now in Hillary’s court. She must decide whether it is worth to stay or leave gracefully. She is running very low on cash, almost none since she has been loaning money from her own pocket to her own campaign, and her fund raising prospects do not seem all too well.
But the reason I decided to write this piece was not to speculate about Clinton’s decision. I want to know about Obama. I want to know what YOU think about Obama. And this goes out to all those Obama supporters who happen to love their candidate passionatly. What do YOU see in Obama? What has he done that makes him a better candidate than McCain or Clinton or Romney? Has Obama ever sponsored a major piece of legislation? What are his accomplishments in the US Senate? I know all too well about his charisma and his message of change, but I need to know if the man has been part of anything SIGNIFICANT besides campaigning?
What makes Obama a better Commander in Chief than Sen. John McCain?
-ArashA
This years event is being held to support thousands of people in need of bone marrow transplants. We would like to strongly encourage you to give this matter some thought as we are doing this drive in honor of a young Iranian man who has been told he needs a transplant and unfortunately his family are not a match. Perhaps it is you, your neighbor, co-worker or friend. Please tell all of your loved ones about this drive as I’m sure this family and thousands of other families will appreciate it. Testing is simple, in the sense that there is no blood work involved, they will only need to swab your cheek. You will then be placed on the donor registry and will contacted if you match a patient in need. For more information on this process please visit the National Marrow Donor Program website, www.marrow.org. For those of you who are not located in the bay area but would like to be on the donor registry, please visit the website and find out how to get the swab kit mailed to you or find a local drive. To help our friend in need, email your Marrow Registry ID # to marrow@iranican.com
Thank you,
Behnoush Babzani
Community Service Director, Iranican
Donate to our cause…
Thanks to our Sponsors: NMDP, Persian Cultural Club, Bia2.com, Bebin.tv, RadioJavan, MTV
Another Sizdah Bedar came and went, and another celebration at Vasona Park in Los Gatos is behind me. But unlike previous festivities within the Iranian-American community, I felt more intimately connected to this one than probably any other.
Is it because of a deep, physical connection to the land of my forefathers? Probably not. I have only been to Iran twice, and the last time was a good seven years ago. Is it because of Farsi being my mother tongue? Hardly. My command of the language is tenuous at best, and many of my relatives actually grew up speaking Azeri rather than Farsi. What about the presence of numerous family members and friends? No. Unless by numerous you mean several.
Why then, was this year any different for me?
Well, I attribute it to the stale and overused, yet incredibly relevant concept of identity. No, I didn’t finally “find myself” after a weekend of pensive soul-searching. I didn’t, in a flash of teary-eyed revelation, realize that the powerful green, white, and red flag – parcham-e Iran – being held up by a bunch of Ey-Iran-singing seven-year olds on stage was the essence of my quest for self-meaning.
Instead, my newfound Iranian-American identity took many years to internalize and appreciate, a progression that by no means ended two weeks ago on that sunny day in Los Gatos.
I remember growing up an “Americo-phile,” and being embarrassed whenever my parents spoke Farsi to me in front of my friends. I remember rolling up the windows and glancing away from the eyes of my schoolmates whenever my Mom or Dad dropped me in front of my elementary or junior high school, a private school for which they made many sacrifices to pay the tuition, because I thought it was “uncool” that Morteza or Leila, rather than Metallica or Linkin Park, was playing on the stereo.
But about a decade later, I’ve come to respect and embrace the first part of the hyphenated demonym that I am: the “Iranian” of Iranian-American.
I now relish the opportunity to practice my mangled Farsi, find myself listening to Arash and Valy more than most fourteen-year old Persian girls from Westwood, and find myself connecting with many members of the Iranian-American community, in spite of the fact that I had few Iranian friends growing up.
But I’m still not a big fan of Torshi…
-Kevin