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Since many of you have privately contacted me with my thoughts on Iran, I will tell you. I am happy the Ayatollah is dead. First off I have family in Iran and Israel. They are safe right now, which is good news. Second, I only visited Iran when I was very little boy (see picture before) weeks before the revolution, so I don’t remember much but am very proud of my Iranian heritage. I identify as an American first, since I was born here and plan to only live here for the rest of my life. My family is not Muslim and are very opposed to the Iranian Islamic Republic and have always been so. Again, not opposed to Islam, but the Islam Republic and its oppressive ways. Unlike America, there is no separation of church and state. Many (if not most) Muslims from Iran are also against the regime. But removing an 86 yr old Ayatollah who by all accounts, was not really running the country for the last year is not the “win” you think it is. It is largely a symbolic move. He was a tyrant who is responsible for so many deaths of young people and political opponents, but by all credible accounts, was not the one calling the shots on the latest attacks on Iranian protestors. There is a group of people responsible for this and all the counter attacks we are seeing from Iran right now. Iran don't have a centralized leader but a group of people who governs. The real question is what will happen next. Will the world and the US remove the real people in power. Can America stomach what is actually needed to do that? Unless America and the world is ready to do the hard work to eliminate the real leaders of Iran and actually support the Iranian people (money, weapons, troops) to create a non-oppressive regime, all of this is for nothing and could be even more costly for Iran. And by costly I don't only mean American dollars and lives but also the lives of many innocent Iranians, as we have already seen. If America and Israel pulls out too soon, so many more lives will be lost at the hands of the regime. If America stays too long, American lives will be lost. Not to mention the other costs of war. Perhaps Iran will elect a real democratic government but right now, that is not an easy task and of course, but many Iranians would be skeptical of whoever Trump picks (He said "I must be involved" in choosing Iran's next supreme leader) and some are skeptical of the Shah’s son who has his own problems and some people feel, has connections to Israel (which may be a good thing for peace?). Either way, American does not have a good track record in providing democracy to Iran (google 'Mossadegh election') And while I have always dreamed of returning to Iran to see the places that I hear about from my parents and family, I have absolutely no faith in the Trump administration to do the right thing or to even have a long term goal with Iran. Time and time again, they have failed to think long term, which is what is needed in Iran. In all other areas, this administration only looks for short term “wins” which are nearly always long term losses. Look at all the ICE Constitutional violations (and cover ups), DOGE, and all the DOJ losses for Trump’s vengeance tour against Tish James, James Comey and now Don Lemon. (Remember these losses will also result in civil lawsuits and malicious prosecution claims which is again, paid by American taxpayers, not DJT). They are not chess players. Iran is a unique country with a rich history. None of the people in the room right now making decisions are serious people with any knowledge of Iran and I don’t trust them to consult with the people who do know. They have alienated all of them and those in Europe who could also help with what is needed for regime change. If you don’t know the history, you can’t understand how to succeed. And many of the people who did know the history, especially in the CIA and FBI are now gone. The neocons of the past, who, while I may not have always agreed with them, had experience and knowledge about the region and they all decided, time and time again, against warring with Iran. So when Trump says “rise up” to the people of Iran, I say "how?" They don’t have an army or weapons or money. They need military support to finish what Trump and Netanyahu unilaterally started. So yeah, I don’t have TDS and I am 100% happy about the death of the old Ayatollah but that’s just the beginning of what will be a long process that I don’t think America is ready for, let alone has capable leadership to accomplish. But I hope to be wrong. Here is a picture of me in Iran in 1980, giving you the bird. 
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Someone came up to at a show recently and said that to me. And it’s true. I am. It’s more of a burden than a curse. LOL. She was impressed with my joke writing and “crowd work”, which was just me responding to someone who dropped a glass and apologized to me. She asked about my background and since it was a show where I did not bring up that I was a lawyer on stage. WhenI told her and immediately her and her daughter who was with her looked at each other, as if they bet on it. It’s hard for my sense of humor not to be affected by my educational background. As a lawyer, I wrote often and had to condense many briefs to avoid being long-winded or wordy, which judges and their clerks hate. I had a boss tell me to get to the point after I handed him a 3 page letter summarizing a status hearing at court for a client. His edits made the letter 2 paragraphs. Comedy is all about cutting the fat and getting to the point. We need laughs and punches every 30 seconds so details that are not necessary get cut. I think my writing does that. As for delivery, I was trained to adjust to anything so if I have to react to something, I will and am able to roll with the punches. On a podcast, I recently said (somewhat jokingly) that I am usually the smartest person in the room. It has led to conversations in green rooms and my Why Are You Awake Podcast to talk about ACT/SAT scores with other comedians. And yes, I know that scholastic test scores or degrees don’t properly measure intelligence, but it’s a good start. And I happen to have done really well on my LSAT and have a law degree from what was once a prestigious law school.  I got this message recently from a fellow Iranian on social media as I was posting and promoting a show in his town. He asked how I could dare do comedy when people were dying in Iran and quickly unfollowed me. To begin with, this is my full time job. I do comedy full time and have been for almost 6 years. This isn’t a side hustler or a hobby. And last I checked, people rely on comedians not only to escape from the sadness of life, but also to hear their takes on issues in the news. Since he blocked me, and I am a comedian who has time on his hands late at night when I can’t sleep, I found him on a different social media platform. I explained that if he followed me and watched my reels, he would know I discuss the tragedies in Iran as well as the tragedies here in America. Like other Iranian Comedians or even immigrant comedians, I try to expose people in other cities and towns who likely have never met anyone of Persian descent. As for Iran, I share the great videos of comedians like Comedians Maz Jobrani and Max Amini who bring attention to the matter to millions of Americans, at levels I could not do. And perhaps I don’t talk about Iran as much because I have also been focused on the ICE related tragedies happening in my hometown of Chicago and Minneapolis, a city I love and visit often. As a lawyer, I hate to see laws broken, especially by those in power. I ended my message to him saying I noticed he was still working at his full time job in marketing and did not take off work. It was bizarre that he was telling me not to do my job, while he did his. #standup #iran #formerlawyer #comedy  Not even close. The funniest person in my family is my uncle Arsalan, or Arsi as we call him. As a child, he was always the favorite and the one who lit up a room and made us all laugh. Even now, when we decide what family tripes or reunions to attend, the deciding factor is whether he will be there or not. His funny would make the elderly, like my grandmother laugh as well as very young kids. He would make up words that would be silly and randomly yell words out in public, like Persian swear words that would only be funny to me and my relatives and not to the non-persians who surrounded us. I had unkept hair as a child and he used to smell my hair and retract and say I smelled like sheep. He would tell us stories of the racism he experienced in Oklahoma when he moved there from Iran and would mimic the southern accents with perfect precision. I can tell 100s of stories of how he was funny, but it would never translate into words. You had to be there. Even now, as a “great uncle” to my own nieces and nephew, he is the favorite and funniest. Unlike me, he is naturally funny. He has a likability that you can’t learn, it’s natural for him. He meets strangers on the street or a waitress at Waffle House, and makes them all laugh. He should have been a stand up comedian but instead, you guys have me. #standup #family #formerlawyer #comedian  Initially yes. But in today’s world of social media, even those regrets turn into moments of gold. For example, there are clearly times when I ask a question and the person does not hear me correctly or understand the question, which leads to an incoherent response. Those are funny moments but clearly not the intent of the question asked. Of course, thats a win too because the audience loves it. Last weekend, I spoke to someone who was from another country and English was his second language so his answer was unresponsive to my question. It turned into a great moment and we all laughed. Another time, someone gave me a long winded response to a yes or no question and that ended up being funny clip as well. A few times I spoke to someone about their tattoos and they represented someone who had passed away and rather than make it awkward, I leaned into it by including them on the fun and they appreciated it, even though the crowd thought I really stepped in it. I didn’t. I am an expert and am ready for anything. One time, I asked someone a benign question and he got upset because he thought I was making fun of him and it turned into a genuine unfunny and scary moment as he had to be escorted out of the club. I talked about that heckle moment before and will one day have the clip from it online! So in hindsight, even those I initially regretted turned into silver linings. #comedy #comedian #crowdwork  |
AuthorPaul Farahvar is a comedian hailing from Chicago, Ill. Archives
March 2026
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