STFU, White Liberals!

Given the right amount of Orientalist historical cherry picking, “Persianness” is nearly synonymous with being white (being empire-builders rather than imperial subjects). The term “Persian” is ostensibly evocative of exotic culture and grandeur, whereas “Iranian” is usually redolent of less glamorous associations. In this curious “post-racial” age where diversity is celebrated—yet xenophobia is on the rise—being Persian is the seemingly sexy way for the Iranian Americans to be ethnic without sticking out amid growing Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments.

- Beyond Mullahs and Persian Party People - The Invisibility of Being Iranian on TV by Roozbeh Shirazi (via destination-illiyyin)