Hello class. Welcome to the first blog post opportunity. Below is the documentary we watched in class. Finish watching it and post up your impressions. Were you surprised by any of the information presented? How do you think the government supervision of the production affected the final product? Is Rick Steves a little off?
-Amir
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27 comments:
The documentary definitely provided a side of Iran that I had not been aware of. Still, what really caught my attention was the news of Iran launching a satellite into the orbit. As it was mentioned in class, I understand that there is a desire on Iran's behalf to seek recognition for its power and status in the region. And who knows, perhaps this launching of the satellite was a way of demonstrating their capabilities. But couldn't it also be argued that it actually did more harm than good by creating unnecessary tensions with the West, especially when the new administration has reiterated their intent to seek direct dialogue with Iran? I'm not trying to deny any country's right to launch a satellite into orbit, as India did so a few months ago, but thought maybe the timing was bad in the case with Iran
With Khatami announcing his candidacy for the upcoming elections, it should be interesting to see how the elections will turn out. Ahmedinejad seems to be in a tough position with the state of the economy and the tensions and hostilities with the West that has escalated within the past few years. It should be interesting to see what position Khatami will take on key issues concerning Iran.
I liked the documentary since it was one of which showed the better sides of iran. News media is biased and they have not been showing a clear picture of the Iranians. There was definitely much more that wasn't still shown because they were watched over by the government. They didn't go into the houses of people to show the western culture is widely accepted and followed by the youth especially in the metropalitan areas. I think overall it was a good documentary but there was a lot left out from both sides (conservaties and liberals).
Very interesting and beautiful documentary. It depicts Iran from a completely different angle. For a video lasting an hour, I think Rick Steeve did a fair job. It was a smart choice for him to go travel to a nation that we are not so well aware of. And I find it okay that he covers mostly the positive side of Iran, since we are mostly exposed to an "aggressive" Iran through media.
Rick Steves did a wonderfully awkward job. After this, I'd love to visit Iran at least once in my lifetime. I see that many people mentioned that the documentary highlighted a more positive side of Iran. Because I know very little, I'd be interested to hear what are the negative aspects that were not covered.
I'm very intrigued to see how the Obama administration decides to approach Ahmadinejad's invitation to talk with the US. Given that Iran is pursuing uranium enrichment, it would be likely that the US would make a move. But I wonder how the June elections will inform US decisions.
I really liked this documentary. It was lighthearted and very educational, not what I'd expect from a video about Iran. I've seen another one of Rick Steve's documentaries before (I think it was on France), and it seems that he tends to act like a dorky tourist in all of his trips. Maybe that's why the Iranians liked him so much--because they didn't feel threatened by him at all...
Anyway, I was surprised when one of the Iranians told Rick Steve's that the tensions between the U.S. and Iran is a battle between the "governments" and not the "people". If the Iranian people don't hold tensions against the U.S., then why do they elect a government that propagates the tension? This is not to say that the U.S. isn't also at fault (because it is), but I was really questioning the authenticity of the Iranians that Rick Steve's met. If these Iranians were authentic, then I guess they don't represent the (political) majority of the Iranian population.
Rick Steves is definitely "a little off" but in being awkward and dorky he actually makes the documentary more entertaining than it would be with a more dry host.
In response to Mike Kuo (above) I think that you could equate that with Americans that would say the same thing when asked about their feelings toward citizens of countries in the Middle East. We had a regime in power for the last 8 years that was militarily aggressive in the Middle East. Although we "elected" them into power, their actions don't necessarily reflect the feelings of average citizens.
I also thought that the footage of Persepolis was very impressive. I hope that I can go visit someday. :)
I enjoyed the documentary, but viewed it as entertaining. Whenever censorship is involved in any form of information, I considered it propaganda. Propaganda comes disguised many ways and I believe it is up to the individual to decide what they chose to accept. Rick Steves' allowed himself to be manipulated to get the story. It was beautiful footage of a beautiful country. It was like watching the travel channel.
What was new information to me was the fact that Iatola Khomeni is reverd as a great spiritual leader and a gentle man in Iran. For most of my life, especially in the eighties, I have seen Khomeni refered to as a hard liner. When he was on television, an evil sounding background music track would always accompany his images. I also remember when he died and all of the shock jocks on the radio were making jokes and rejoicing in his death. Besides in the Rick Steves' documentry I have recently read an article in the New Yorker in which an economist named Tabibian had met the leading clerics in the late seventies and found them to be very caring and concerned with moral issues. I also have seen a segment on the News Hour with Jim Lehara(sp?) in which the same memorial to Khomeni from the Rick Steves film was the focus of the story. Again the segment reiterized the fact that Khomeni is seen as a great spiritual man amongst most of his people. But typical to mainstream media accounts, I have also recently seen a news anchor man refer to the religious leaders of Iran as, "hardline clerics." This slanted view of the country's government has been pervasive over the years. However, I do see a possibility of change if Obama and his people take a more collaborative effort in bringing Iran into the national community.
Rick Steves is certainly a little off. Yet, I think he's one of the few people the government would feel comfortable fliming in Iran (well obviously since they let him). He's a non-threatening person. Though Steves was an unintentional racist (especially when he compared Iran to America with the "as well" and "they too") he was fairly unbiased. It was refreshing to watch a documentary about daily life, without the overemphasis on politics. Displaying the similarities between our cultures serves to familiarize (and humanize) Iranians to Americans, rather exacerrbate the estrangment the political world has fostered.
And even though the government has obviously constrained Steves' movements I'm not sure this changed his itinerary much. It feels like he accomplished what he intended. The restrictions put a damper on the documentary, but it is still positive to me.
The documentary was pleasantly different from the standard news media portrayal of Iran. Usually we see the harsh militant one-sidedness. This was more about the actual citizens of Iran and their everyday life. I don't know very much about Persian culture so it was interesting to learn about. The one issue I had with the documentary was the way Rick Steves presented the "modern-ness" of the youth. He seemed shocked that they knew how to use the internet and that girls wear makeup. As if Iran is a village country that just received technology. Also, Rick Steves himself seems a bit elitist with his comments, but otherwise he's harmless.
O...Rick Steves. I showed this video to my friends and we all came to the conclusion that he is without a doubt the biggest geek/dork/weirdo/awkwardly annoying person that we've ever seen. However, I’ll have to say that overall I enjoyed the documentary. He did a relatively decent job on depicting the Iranian culture as somewhat unique, but still surprisingly similar to European and American culture. Similar could be either positive or negative. Nonetheless, it regrettably was somewhat enjoyable.
One thing in particular did catch my attention. Everyone being overtly positive and welcoming to Rick Steves was rather suspicious to me. Without a doubt, Steves must have encountered people on the street who were negative. I’m not saying that particularly because of the social/political tensions between America and Iran. It’s just people in general. If Steves took a camera and started interviewing people at Berkeley, he would inevitably get a large amount of people that would ignored him or respond negatively. Haha. I would. So, it was obvious that only the most positive and encouraging interviews made it onto the video to promote Rick Steves’ objective of making Iran look friendly. Which is okay I guess since it’s obvious that the Iranian government agent/guide approved his documentary. So, taking that even further, I thought it was encouraging to see that the Iranian government approved his video that promoted friendly interactions and thoughts towards Americans. Well, everything promoted this underlying theme except for the banners that directly displayed hate towards America. But, I’m positive banners like that exist around the world. The French Government probably secretly funds banners like such to be hung around their country. Haha.
I really can’t further my critical analysis any further than this. I don’t know anything about Iranian culture so I lack credibility. I just hope that the Iranians in the class were satisfied with the depiction.
Rick Steves actually reminds me of my Dad when he visited me while I was studying abroad in Chile. As the week went on his hand gestures got bigger and more elaborate. His sentences starting losing verbs, even though I had to translate for him so he was really talking to me. And he started talking with the best fake spanish accent he could muster. So maybe Rick Steves isn't a little off, he is just laboring under the notion that Iran is so different that he needs to bridge the gap with universal gestures and over emotional sentences. That is probably is completely surprised at any similarities. As for the actual documentary, I liked how he included lots of historical facts when he introduced a new place. He did give a heads up that he realized his visit was a little confined, by bringing up that the family he ate dinner with was "fairly wealthy", in other words, chosen for the documentary to make a good impression. However, overall it seemed like he covered what he normally would. Main tourist spots, food, culture, history, and some main Iranian products.
Rick Steves, what a strawberry-blonde dream. I think people's comments that it "showed a different side of Iran" are accurate, obviously, especially when contrasted with other depictions (Kumawar!). What's interesting to me is what the chances are of people like Rick Steves visiting Iran and having similar experiences? I agree that the contentment and friendliness of all the people he met seemed perhaps a little contrived. I guess though that was inevitable when he had to make his doco the way he did. I thought his selfies with everyone were hilarious, as was the way he compiled images of Iranian women with make-up on to show that they're not so different after all.
However, I must confess that I have since been on a bit of a Rick Steves binge and can confirm he's every bit as cringey in places far more accustomed to American tourists. Anyway, if it humanises Iranians to people that have only viewed them as unthinking supporters of a "rogue state", it's not all a dead loss, right guys?
The one thing that shocked me was that this documentary is not from 10 years ago! Finding out that this is a current documentary was almost unbelievable. The tone of the film made it seem like it was from the 80s.
I don't think I was shocked by any of the information presented; I think that a lot of it was interesting and eyeopening because I don't know much of anything about Iranian culture. However, I feel like the main project of the show was to show us (Americans) how much like us they (Iranians) are. This makes me feel like, as a viewer, the true nature of Iranian culture is far from what was shown in the documentary. He says, at the end, that "I've overcome my fear by getting to know the Iranian people. Getting to know this culture is a step in the right direction.” But he has really only "overcome his fear" by getting to know that Iranian people aren't different than he thinks himself to be. This seems like a poor way of getting to understand a culture. It also seems a bit strange to say that he was afraid of something but not discuss what he was afraid of at all.
However, I do think the message in his quote at the end is an important part of learning about a culture that is, politically, at odds with your own. It is important to get to know the culture and understand that the individuals in that culture are, in fact, people.
Also, it seems obvious that the governmental control over the documentary effected the final cut. There was nothing negative said about Iranians and nothing indicating that the tension between the US and Iran was real. It was all "everything is okay" and "we love each other." Which is obviously not the case.
It would be interesting to hear what the individuals making the documentary would have to say about their relations with the Iranian government regarding the content of the documentary.
And yes, that guy is a bit off. But it's television!
After watching the documentary, I felt some mixed emotions. I felt like Rick Steves did a good job of presenting a better side of Iran, one that is not often seen. I wasn't really surprised by the information presented, except for Iran's plans to launch a satellite into orbit, but I did catch him saying a few things that were inaccurate. What annoyed me though, was the way he talked to some of the people. I feel like it was unintentional (as was some of his racist comments), but nonetheless, felt as if he talked down to the people in the cities. He also was so fascinated by the fact that the youth was well in touch with the internet; it's not like Iranians live under rocks, they are in touch with the world. With the exception of those things, and his awkwardness, I feel like he did a good job. As far as government involvement, I feel as if it did hinder the film in some ways, but good overall. Definitely an entertaining host, makes me want to visit Iran again!
I thought it was a fairly good documentary. Obviously, Rick Steves is a little weird, but that is a quality I equate with most documentary makers and nothing too serious. He certainly has his bias as well, but short of going to Iran your unlikely to get much pure factual information through any kind of media. I liked seeing the Iranian's spin on our own pop culture and how they have dealt with many of the challenges of modernization and mass culture. I think a large part of possible future connections with Iran is hinged upon Iranian and American youth, and Rick Steves did a fair job of representing the youth and leaving plenty of common ground to start such connections without (too much) disrespecting of either side.
The documentary provided a fascinating insight into a world I knew little about, aside from heresay and the medias depiction.
A segment in the documentary that really caught my ear was the part where Rick Steve was attempting to describe the western world's view on women covering their faces and the iranians opion on the same matter. He said muslims view it as modesty for women to cover their faces while westerners view it as disrespectufl. Nevertheless, one must remember that we are people with a different past, culture, traditions and values. Each perspective must be considered within the context of a specific culture, and be rendered "respectful" or "disrespectful" on that basis.
Another interesting point in the documentary was the attitude at which the youthful iranians accepted Rick Steve.Although the institutional support behind the hatred towards America was conspicuous, such as on the building with the flag of America dropping bombs, the youth were frankly separate from such a mindset. The young Iranian girl said there "is no war between the people," which I personally believe everyone can agree on.
However, I am in no way trying to say that everything American media says in false. Alot of is true and I also take into fact that Rick Steve had an Iranian supervisor that dictated what was to be recorded and what was restricted. All in all, I am eager to see how the Obama administration will negotiate with the Iranians. Hopefully, some success can be construed and set our nations at comfoting peace.
Rick Steves is definitely a character....I think that man means well but it was funny to see how he dumbed down his intelligence to speak with the Iranians who spoke English. I think it was amazing that an American crew was able to go and make a documentary in Iran during the escalated tensions between Iran and the West. I agree that Khatami's announcement for the elections comes at a time where many poorer people in Iran don't care how Iran is viewed on the world stage because it wouldn't affect them directly. Many say that they support Ahmadinejad's money that he returns back to the state workers. We will see how loyal Iranian voters will be to Khatami given that many of his proposals were shot down by the conservatives and having a poplulation that is less than 25 years old.
I also think Rick Steves did a good job for a reported that visited a foreign land for the first time. specialy he got the culture right. however, he should have done some research before going to the country. one statement that i heard was that you dont see western products in the streets which is not true. as long as you know where to look, you can find electronics like PSP, PS 3;also, you can find American product like like Mustang and Hummer in Iran but it is not that many of them. as clothing goes, shops have designer brands like malls here.
Another funny thing i saw was that at the begening he wallked on the pedestrain cross walk like cars will stop for him (he got lucky) and then he found out that he has to dodge the cards :)
one last thing is that from interviews we see that most of the people are not like their governments and they do not have the same idea about Americans or their government.
i Also loved the ending.
My initial reaction to Rick Steves' Iran was at first embarrassed that Rick Steves had to represent our country as an interviewer. I often found him to be very ignorantly disrespectful towards Iranian culture; for instance, when he was being explained to by a woman that she could not shake his hand he said, "he'll shake my hand for you" !!!!! Fortunately, these particular citizens could laugh this off but I found it to be an example of the exact reason why the states are often despised, for inflicting western ideals.
When I reconsidered the format of this documentary I realised that often Rick Steves' ignorance (perhaps played on for the American audiences)was quite fitting because it represents many of American's ignorance towards Iran. When he was asking about the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, while his questions and interrogations about the matter were framed and critiqued very "after school special," I realized I personally needed an after school special kind of lesson to learn things about Iran that I could NEVER find in any other media in the states.
With propaganda such as the video game slaughtering Iranians, to be able to see ancient, emaculate artwork, different foods, religious centers, schools, landscapes, and opinions citizens have of our country was a fortunate opportunity even though it had to be through Rick Steves.
Rick Steves’ documentary was an entertaining surprise. It goes smoothly; it tells so many interesting delightful stories and is certainly filled with beautiful pictures. However, and I hope that doesn’t sound rude, it was way too cheesy for me. All this: “Look, they live like real (real meaning American) people and they don’t want to harm us” made me really feel uncomfortable. I don’t understand why this constant comparison was necessary. Of course, the insight in how younger people in Iran enjoy their leisure time and how they are not hostile against western culture really impressed me. But for me, a good documentary is more investigative, especially in a restricted environment where the guide and translator probably reports your behavior and some things need to be presented between the lines. However, to be on the safe side and to be allowed to film in Iran Rick Steve had to choose that type of format, and that is of course more than understandable. But obviously that’s not the big picture. On the other hand, in these times of ongoing propaganda (also from the American side), a simple portrait without any deeper implications and attempts to influence, was quite enjoyable as well. At least the viewers, and I include myself, simply watched a documentary about the historical and modern, about the everyday Iran. If that helps bring nations, that feel culturally so far away from each other closer together, I think Rick Steves did a good job.
I found the documentary to be particularly eye-opening to modern day Iran and what life is like there for some, although it is clearly apparent that this is what the government of Iran wants us to see, to some extent. Rick Steves' acknowledgement of their "tour guide" provided but the government to "keep them out of trouble" and make everything run smoothly, apparently shows that the government only wants certain things to be shown, and what is also odd is that Steves doesn't even speak out against or question this. But then again he is quite off in parts of the movie, asking bizarre and embarrassing questions that only the most touristy of the touristy would ask. I mean he can only show so much of the country under the given circumstances but it would have been nice for him to question things or point out things that seem oddly wrong or oppressive etc. And it would have been even better if he hadn't acted so kooky and weird, trying to shake the hands of women even when he knows that is generally not allowed and what not. Although he opens the country up to us in certain areas, he does so quite embarrassingly and it makes it hard to watch. Overall though, it was amazing to see Iran as it is today, viewing life in Tehran and Esfahan and the village he visits. I think that people need to first understand a culture before they can understand the politics and government of a country and this documentary slowly leads us in that direction.
I think Rick Steve's pronounced effort to come across as open-minded defeated its own purpose. For example, dumbing down the English language, using unnecessary hand gestures, and awkwardly trying to shake the hands of women were all somewhat insulting to the Iranian people and culture. I feel that we can acknowledge differences between cultures and nations without making it awkward and/or funny. By making it humorous, we would be trivializing such differences.
I also am skeptical of the suggestion that the Iranian people look favorably on the US. I don't think that the individuals that were interviewed were very representative of the population at large.
I thought that this was a beautiful documentary on Iran. It was eye-opening in the sense that I was able to see a different Iran than the one in the newspapers. I have never seen nor heard anything about what the country is really like in terms of culture, youth, and surprisingly warm feelings towards Americans. I thought it was very interesting when a person said aggression with the west is between governments, not people. It is nice to hear that amidst political tensions Iranians don't actually hate us as much as I thought they might. The country of Iran is rich in culture and history and is very beautiful. I think this was a great place for Rick Steves to go to, altough his accent that started to come out (the one where he himself sounds like an Iranian talking to an American) made me laugh at some points. I do think that a lot of things may have been left out due to censorship, but what they let us see was great.I am really glad this documentary was shown in class, it was great to watch.
I quite enjoyed Rick Steves' portrayal of Iran. I felt that it was a rather delightful departure from the conventional media barrage we often see that depicts Iran as a potential threat, or something evil. I think it surprised a lot of people and made them realize that Iranian society does indeed have its "normal", happy side. Iran is actually very technologically modern in that one can find a plethora of western products there. The youth gets a jump start on fashion trends also because their television programming is often provided by European Satellite. It was really refreshing to have a piece of media related to Iran that doesn't exemplify the political tension and other negativity. That being said, I definitely feel like there were restrictions on what Rick was allowed to discuss (this was even explicitly stated at the beginning of the documentary). I was very bothered at how the religious struggle between Sunni and Shia was downplayed by the tour guide, seeing as how this fundamental clash has been a part of Iran's history. Also, something else that was disconcerting was the casual mention of segregation of women, like in the university. Simply based on this documentary it is impossible for people to know the extent to which the discrimination affects women's lives.
I think that overall Rick Steves did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the Iranian people, and I liked the fact that he demonstrated that the majority of the working class in Iran do approve of the American government and that there is no hostility between the people of these countries.
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