Community (Re)Defined: Hailing Successes, Recognizing Failures

December 11, 2012  •  Leave a Comment

Below is an excerpt of my most recent published article, Community (Re)Defined: Hailing Successes, Recognizing Failures

 

The all too common Iranian American myth goes something like this: we are the wealthiest, smartest, most successful diaspora community in the United States.

Unfortunately, by perpetuating this myth, we ignore or refuse to acknowledge the very serious challenges facing the Iranian American community.

In the last decade, various national organizations and numerous individuals have worked tirelessly to combat the racist and misrepresentative images of Iranians in mainstream media. The 1979-81 Iran hostage crisis created a wave of anti-Iranian sentiment that in some measure continues to linger today. In response, many in the Iranian American community have sought to take control of its public image. However, the narrative we've created for ourselves is one of extreme levels of success: we are not the bearded and veiled religious fanatics of yesteryear, but instead, we demand recognition as the CEOs, bankers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and engineers pioneering the United States in the 21st century.

Although our successes in the United States need to be celebrated, we are treading a treacherous slope with our narrow definition of success. As with any community, our socioeconomic conditions are diverse. The real difficulties faced by our community are not a matter of public relations and image; instead the complications emerge from exclusivity. We are marginalizing scores of our own who do not fit the golden image of success...



Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/12/opinion-community-redefined-hailing-successes-recognizing-failures.html#ixzz2EnaMSlVu.


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