multibeautiful | Shappi Khorsandi

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Shappi Khorsandi

Opening this week’s theme, Comedians, is Shappi Khorsandi, British-Iranian stand-up comic. Her family fled Iran after a satirical poem published by her father, Hadi Khorsandi (also a stand-up comic as well as a poet), following the Iranian revolution was perceived as critical of the new government. She has appeared on numerous British television shows, including Have I Got News for You, on BBC Radio 4 and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She tells hilarious anecdotes about race relations in Britain.

On political correctness (audio only) for the Secret Policemen’s Ball 2008 (YouTube, 02:10)
At the Edinburgh Comedy Fest 2011 (YouTube, 04:03. Don’t miss the Tube anecdote.)

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Oh, she's amazing! I'd seen a couple of clips of her before but not a lot. I really like this clip from the Stand Up Againt Racism show.

Funnily enough, I didn't include that one because I've got mixed (heh) feelings about it. I identify as mixed race because I don't think of it as merely a matter of genetics - it's cultural, too. Although I do think that it was quite pushy of the nurse to insist on a newborn's racial identification. Unless there's a specific medical reason for it - say, you're looking for a bone marrow donor - I think that's a choice that can be left for later in an individual's life.

Edited (more thinky thoughts) 2011-10-11 09:10 (UTC)