Being Middle Eastern in the United States

When I walked through campus trying to find Tehama Hall for the Cultural Event, Being Middle Eastern in the United States, I expected nothing more then a dry lecture by a professor. To say that I was pleasantly surprised is beyond an understatement. Upon walking in the classroom, I was greeted by very attractive college-aged Middle Eastern guys and dessert. Of course this automatically: improves the event, forces me to pay attention, and curbs my sweet tooth.

The event was based around a video of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour featuring the comedians: Ahmed Ahmed, Dean Obeidallah, Aron Kader, and Maz Jobrani. The incorporation of the film into the discussion was in order to lighten the seriousness of the topic. The speakers were Rami, Sam, Sied, and three others whose names were disclosed. The setup of the evening proceeded as follows: watch two comics, discussion interval with snacks, view the last two comics, then if desired have another q&a with speakers.

The first comic, Dean Obeidallah, based his skit largely upon mocking President Bush. He said that, “President Bush wants to know what you’re reading because he’s jealous.” He also said that being Arab is the new black and is very excited. The second comic, Ahmed Ahmed, joked that the only difference between Jews and Muslims is that one never spends money while the other doesn’t have any to spend.

Our discussion generally consisted of the audience asking questions and snacks. I learned about the backgrounds of each of the students. Each of the students speaks Arabic, but different dialects. They warned us of the canceling of student visas of Middle Eastern students as well as the shorter terms of the visas.

We proceeded by watching the remaining comics, Aron Kader and Maz Jorani. Kader mainly joked about the Americanization of the world. How its possible to find a coke or pepsi or snickers anywhere in the world. He also mocked the President with almost impectably mastering his mannerisms. Jorani, I think made me laugh the most. Out of the group, he is the only Persian or Iranian. He repeatedly said how he was, “Persian like the cat. Meow.” Persians were like herion-addicts with low, relaxed tone, while Arabs acted like they were on coke.

All of the comics were funny and poked fun at stereotypes and misconceptions of Middle Eastern people. The film was a good way to bring to air the stereotypes faced by Middle Eastern people in the United States. I felt like the film addressed these issues much better than our discussion. I felt like the discussion was not well planned, the some of the speakers randomly spoke/answered questions while others silently stood. However, I did enjoy attending the event (laughs and food how could I not?).