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Before Reading: This text is purely descriptive. I don’t intend to offend anyone.
They say Iranians have a delightful sense of humor and skill in creating jokes. Of course I (and most of the Iranians) haven’t had a noticeable encounter with other cultures, so this argument may be valid or not. Definitely the most popular genre of jokes in Iran is ethnic joke. The main protagonists of most of ethnic jokes are Azeri Turks. Persians (as the dominating ethnicity with the prevailing culture) are also subject of jokes but they’re never mentioned directly. Seldom you hear a joke starting with: “One day a Persian…” but these jokes fall under Esfahani, Abadani and Qazvini category. In the following, I have categorized ethnic jokes based frequency of their narration. Of course it isn’t based on statistics, but on my own experience. However, it’s close to the facts.
1. Azeri jokes
2.Rashti, Qazvini and Lur jokes
3. Esfahani,Abadani and Arab jokes
4. Armenian and Kurdish jokes
Rashtis are from Gilaki ethnic group. As mentioned before Esfahanis, Abadanis and (mainly) Qazvinis are Persian. Jokes about Armenians and Kurds are rare, but said once in a blue moon.
What are the characteristics that are attributed to each ethnicity in jokes?
Azeris: naïveté, getting in the heat of the moment easily
Rashtis: having loose wives
Qazvinis: homosexuality and pedophilia
Lurs: naïveté
Esfahanis: stinginess and cunning
Abadanis: boastfulness
Arabs: oversize genitalia and extra-ordinary sexual power
Armenians: their funny encounters with Muslims
Kurds: ?
Note: These jokes are said in the dominant Persian discourse. But we also we have inter-ethnic jokes, for example Azeris for Kurds (and maybe Sistani Persians for Baluchs). In addition, characteristic attributed to an ethnicity may differ based on region. In Tehran, most of the jokes you hear about Arabs relate to their carnal activities but in Khuzestan the jokes are about their naïveté.
It may be interesting that in occasions ethnic jokes are told by people from the same ethnicity. I know Azeri people who are databases of Azeri jokes and Lurs who say jokes about Lurs. There are also jokes that people make for their own ethnics from other cities, for example Tabrizi Azeris for Zanjani Azeris or Esfahani Persians for Shahrezayi Persians. But why? Maybe assimilation is the answer and the fact that many of them haven’t any sense ethnic self-awareness.
P.S: consider this post as a draft. I'm working on Language and Ideology/Power, Ethnicities and Literary Criticism and my further posts about jokes and ethnicities will be more structured and detailed.
分类: Indian Jokes