SHAME ON YOU FOR PROMOTING COMEDY NOW

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
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