Blog: Does New Reality Show Focus on Negative Stereotypes?

I am glad that I am not a Beverly Hills or Orange County resident, or a resident of the states that show us boorish millionaire rednecks, sports wives, Repo employees, process servers, Mob wives, New Jersey Guidos or any other number of "types" who have been given their own reality shows. None of them are particularly showing the best of what those states or cultures represent. To put it mildly, many of the people on these shows have misplaced values, dysfunctional families and exaggerated expectations and behaviors. And that's their good sides!

There has already been a significant backlash against the cast of "Jersey Shore" by both residents of New Jersey and Italian Americans. Neither are happy to think that many other Americans think that all people in New Jersey (or all Italians) are like that. Just when you thought that there was no other group that could be put in an unfavorable light, we now have a new Ryan Seacrest-produced reality show called "Shahs of Sunset", which starts Sunday March 11 on Bravo.

Ryan Seacrest has garnished quite a reputation as a producer of reality shows considering that he has had a significant hand in the "Kardashian" shows and the "Real Housewives" franchise. I guess he's now looking for new victims, er, subjects to show another culture that is hardly representative of it's people.

"Shahs of Sunset" follows Iranian residents of L.A. in their day-to-day activities. In and of itself, it sounds interesting and if it were showing typical Persian families, it'd probably be well worth a look. But as is the case in these kinds of shows, the subjects are all rich and based on the publicity put out there so far, they are also boorish and self-absorbed.

One 30-year-old self-proclaimed "Persian Princess' on the show states: "There are two things I don't like. I don't like ants and I don't like ugly people." Of her social life she states: "Looking good and not repeating outfits is imperative." These are probably not the best attitudes to embrace towards a viewing public that knows little about the culture, except that currently the U.S. and Iran are not exactly getting along too well.

Many Iranian people in the U. S. (there are an estimated 463,000 Persians) are already decrying the existence of this show. Firoozeh Dumas, an Iranian author's reaction: "Dear God Nooo! I never thought Iranian Americans could get any press worse than what is on the news every night. But now Americans have a chance to see a slice of materialistic, shallow and downright embarrassing Iranian culture. I just want to shout, 'We're not all like that!." Indeed they are not.

I had an Iranian family as neighbors for years when I lived in South Pasadena and they were a very friendly, warm and good people. They weren't materialistic, shallow or anti-anyone. They just wanted to live normal lives and provide a good future for their children; like any other American citizen.That was my sole personal experience with Iranian people. But it was a good one and, I think, typical.

I do hope that when most people watch reality shows they don't draw broad conclusions or embrace broad stereotypes that all Italians, rural millionaires, sports star's wife or Iranians are like those portrayed on TV. The majority are not like those people.

Ryan Seacrest defends the excesses of "Shahs" and the extremes as "just entertainment." But sadly, too many people will draw other conclusions that will not exactly help us unite as an American society. Some people just can't separate what's on television from true reality. And sadly, we all lose when that happens.