Page 47 - Shahrvand BC No. 1218
P. 47
English Section
47 “The Iranian Americans”:
Fleeing one kind of persecution for another
1391 ید1 جمعه- 1218 شماره/ سال متسیب This self-funded doc by and about Iranians
who fled the Ayatollah wants to be a
corrective to “The Shahs of Sunset”
In touch with Iranian diversity BY ROGER CATLIN and “The Armenian Genocide: A
www.salon.com Story of Survival.” “The Iranian
Americans” switches between
Between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recollections of various Iranian-
Bravo’s reality show “The Shahs of American success stories, from a
Sunset,”” and the lingering suspicions two-time mayor of Beverly Hills to a
of a nuclear program, Iranians living vice-chair of Citicorp.
in America may be in need of some Still, aside from insights that could
good P.R. right about now. describe any number of close-knit
So a few of the tens of thousands ethnic groups – They love their big
of Iranians who moved to America extended families! They love to eat!
in the late 1970s pitched in to help They want to hold on to their culture
finance the sunny new documentary by keeping its language alive! – there
”The Iranian Americans” premiering are insights about Iranian-Americans
tonight on PBS. The value of such that emerge almost between the lines.
self-financed cultural puff pieces Mostly, the successful and well-
is questionable. It may make its adjusted interview subjects reflect
community swell with pride, but its both the growing Westernism and the
unflagging self-promotion may make multiplicity of beliefs that reflected
it seem unreliable to outsiders. the modern Iran before the Islamist
Director Andrew Goldberg has some Revolution. They were attracted
experience in this area, with such to America through everything
similar PBS documentaries as “The from fashions in the Sears catalog
Jewish People: A Story of Survival” to pop culture icons. Former U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Goli “Shahs of Sunset.”
Ameri obsessed over her Barbie With its tight dresses and big
doll. Beverly Hills Mayor Jamshid mustaches, “Shahs of Sunset” has
“Jimmy” Delshad was a fan of been doing its own job depicting the
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ Tarzan. The comic Max Jobrani was lives of successful Iranian-Americans
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ a consumer of Superman. Many of in L.A. — but in the same battling
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ them came to the U.S. originally for and boozing, garish excess as any
604 - 980 - 8571 higher education, but stayed after number of “Real Housewives.” It all
the ouster of the Shah, whom Jimmy seems quite different from the family
Vol. 20 / No. 1218 - Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Carter described as his closest friend albums and home video that make
and ally. up a lot of “The Iranian Americans.”
Iranians who could afford it clamored Which is more accurate?
for a plane to the U.S., taking only a Often, all a cultural group needs
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ suitcase; hoping to return home once is one figure to emerge as role
the Ayatollah Khomeini was not a model and representative to bring
factor. When that didn’t happen, understanding to a wider audience.
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ they found a way to become part of Among Iranian-Americans, it might
their newfound country, at first by be Firouz Naderi, who helped lead the
downplaying who they were. team that launched the Mars rovers.
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ “They thought I was Spanish,” Haleh To help close the film, he shares the
Farmanara, a special ed teacher, says outpouring of thousands of positive
of her Texas neighbors. She changed emails he received from around the
her first name to Holly because world when he got his NASA post.
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer “people just weren’t getting it.” “I want to come to NASA and fly the
As American hatred for Iran grew shuttle,” an 11th-grader from Iran
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- during the hostage crisis, transplants declares. “You make me believe I can
took to calling themselves Persians, do anything.”
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- which Mehdi Bozorgmehr, a “With so much misinformation in the
professor of sociology at the City U.S. about who the Iranian people
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- University of New York, says are, you have set an example that
speaks of “the grandeur of Persian shows who we really are,” another
NORTH SHORE LAW LLP civilization, and Persian rugs and writes. “Today I walk with my head
47 6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. Persian pistachios.” To present a held high.”
full picture, Goldberg might have And that’s just the kind of feeling the
klotfali@northshorelaw.com incorporated or at least addressed film is meant to engender.
the glitzy self-styled Persians from
47 “The Iranian Americans”:
Fleeing one kind of persecution for another
1391 ید1 جمعه- 1218 شماره/ سال متسیب This self-funded doc by and about Iranians
who fled the Ayatollah wants to be a
corrective to “The Shahs of Sunset”
In touch with Iranian diversity BY ROGER CATLIN and “The Armenian Genocide: A
www.salon.com Story of Survival.” “The Iranian
Americans” switches between
Between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recollections of various Iranian-
Bravo’s reality show “The Shahs of American success stories, from a
Sunset,”” and the lingering suspicions two-time mayor of Beverly Hills to a
of a nuclear program, Iranians living vice-chair of Citicorp.
in America may be in need of some Still, aside from insights that could
good P.R. right about now. describe any number of close-knit
So a few of the tens of thousands ethnic groups – They love their big
of Iranians who moved to America extended families! They love to eat!
in the late 1970s pitched in to help They want to hold on to their culture
finance the sunny new documentary by keeping its language alive! – there
”The Iranian Americans” premiering are insights about Iranian-Americans
tonight on PBS. The value of such that emerge almost between the lines.
self-financed cultural puff pieces Mostly, the successful and well-
is questionable. It may make its adjusted interview subjects reflect
community swell with pride, but its both the growing Westernism and the
unflagging self-promotion may make multiplicity of beliefs that reflected
it seem unreliable to outsiders. the modern Iran before the Islamist
Director Andrew Goldberg has some Revolution. They were attracted
experience in this area, with such to America through everything
similar PBS documentaries as “The from fashions in the Sears catalog
Jewish People: A Story of Survival” to pop culture icons. Former U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Goli “Shahs of Sunset.”
Ameri obsessed over her Barbie With its tight dresses and big
doll. Beverly Hills Mayor Jamshid mustaches, “Shahs of Sunset” has
“Jimmy” Delshad was a fan of been doing its own job depicting the
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ Tarzan. The comic Max Jobrani was lives of successful Iranian-Americans
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ a consumer of Superman. Many of in L.A. — but in the same battling
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ them came to the U.S. originally for and boozing, garish excess as any
604 - 980 - 8571 higher education, but stayed after number of “Real Housewives.” It all
the ouster of the Shah, whom Jimmy seems quite different from the family
Vol. 20 / No. 1218 - Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Carter described as his closest friend albums and home video that make
and ally. up a lot of “The Iranian Americans.”
Iranians who could afford it clamored Which is more accurate?
for a plane to the U.S., taking only a Often, all a cultural group needs
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ suitcase; hoping to return home once is one figure to emerge as role
the Ayatollah Khomeini was not a model and representative to bring
factor. When that didn’t happen, understanding to a wider audience.
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ they found a way to become part of Among Iranian-Americans, it might
their newfound country, at first by be Firouz Naderi, who helped lead the
downplaying who they were. team that launched the Mars rovers.
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ “They thought I was Spanish,” Haleh To help close the film, he shares the
Farmanara, a special ed teacher, says outpouring of thousands of positive
of her Texas neighbors. She changed emails he received from around the
her first name to Holly because world when he got his NASA post.
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer “people just weren’t getting it.” “I want to come to NASA and fly the
As American hatred for Iran grew shuttle,” an 11th-grader from Iran
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- during the hostage crisis, transplants declares. “You make me believe I can
took to calling themselves Persians, do anything.”
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- which Mehdi Bozorgmehr, a “With so much misinformation in the
professor of sociology at the City U.S. about who the Iranian people
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- University of New York, says are, you have set an example that
speaks of “the grandeur of Persian shows who we really are,” another
NORTH SHORE LAW LLP civilization, and Persian rugs and writes. “Today I walk with my head
47 6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. Persian pistachios.” To present a held high.”
full picture, Goldberg might have And that’s just the kind of feeling the
klotfali@northshorelaw.com incorporated or at least addressed film is meant to engender.
the glitzy self-styled Persians from
