2 comments

1. Well, I probably know Iranians who have done a lot more for humanity, and I’m not talking about back in the day Iranians, I’m talking about living Iranians and even living Iranian Americans. PAAIA has done a good job of identifying some of them, but the issue is that everyday Americans do not conenct with people like Omidyar, Kordestani, or Naderi. They connect with people like Maz. They connect with their favorite football team’s quarter back, and reciever, basketball team players, actors and actresses. Co-incidently they’re all places and positions that Iranians in America saldom dream about reaching, maybe because there are too many of their peers in America trying for those same places.

2. thanks for sharing the video. I feel that the question is a little bit misleading. It’s hard for me to think this way. What is the ideal link anyway? What would be the characteristics of an ideal link? And how would you say Maz is linking Iranians with Americans?

   Also, if he is linking Iranians to Americans who do you think it is for? Do you mean the Iranians learning more about Americans or the other way around?

   What I find interesting in Maz’s work is stepping out of his Iranian culture and making interesting and funny commentaries. By doing this, he opens Iranian-American’s eyes to critic their own culture and hopefully making it better.

   We all heard from others (parents, etc) that ‘we had an empire’. We also heard critics about making such statements. But being able to joke about it is another thing that I really appreciate in Maz’s work. Because I think this sort of criticism might actually work. You won’t make people defensive about who they are. Instead you invite them to join you in the irony of the culture and laugh with you through it.