2006年VOA标准英语-Arab-American Comic Hopes to Educate Americans

By Persian Service and Barry Unger
Washington, DC
16 November 2006
 
watch Arab Comedian¹ report

One Arab-American comedian is hoping to educate Americans about his heritage through laughter. VOA's Crystal Park narrates².

Dean Obeidallah   
  

"I grew up in the heart of the Middle East conflict in a place called Lodite, New Jersey³," says Dean Obeidallah. "When I say Middle East conflict, I am not talking about the Palestinian-Israeli one. I am talking about a potentially more dangerous one -- of the Arab world versus⁴ North Jersey."

Dean Obeidallah used to be a lawyer. But he quit his job and became a comedian. He is currently performing his one-man show titled, "I Come In Peace."  Obeidallah created the show after noticing the way Arabs were seen in the United States after the attacks of 9/11.

"I think it has a lot to do with being concerned over how Arabs are being portrayed⁵ in the media and being concerned for my own uncles and cousins and aunts who live here and have accents and look Middle-Eastern. I wanted to do something to try and help them. I wanted to explain my fellow Americans who Arabs were and what we were about."

But Obeidallah discovered there was a problem with his plan. "I realized that on September 10, 2001, I went to bed a white guy. September 11th I woke up an Arab. But I realized something, before I could explain to them [American citizens] who we really are, I had to find out who we really are. I did not know anything about my own heritage and I set out to learn. I became proud of it and I wanted to share it with people."

In his act, Obeidallah tells a story about his late father denouncing men who committed violence in the name of Islam.

His comedy includes skits⁶ about racial profiling and other serious issues    
  
"My father was a real Muslim. He was a man of peace. And I often wonder how he would be treated in a post 9/11 world. His first name was Abdul. He was born in the Middle East.  He had an accent. How difficult would his life become here?"

Obeidallah discusses a range of issues in the show. He tackles serious issues such as racial profiling and the media's portrayal⁷ of Muslims.

"I am a Middle East expert. In fact, I just spent a week in Morocco -- Pavilion at Disney's Epcot Center. It was like being in the Middle East, I can assure you."

But he also talks about light-hearted issues and pokes⁸ fun at fashion styles and dating issues in the Arab-American community.

"The deli worker. White shirt. Gold chain. Continual use of the word 'habibi' my friend. They will usually work at a deli owned by an uncle or cousin but claim they own it themselves."

Obeidallah says Arabs are thought of very differently today. "When I was a child, people were really intrigued⁹ by my Arab heritage, they wanted to know more. Again today, they are intrigued and want to know more. The difference is their motivation. When I was a kid, they wanted to learn about an exotic heritage. Now, they are studying the enemy."

Obeidallah is trying to change that -- one person at a time.  He wraps up his show with an Arabic saying of peace.

1 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 skits   

n.讽刺文( skit的名词复数 )；小喜剧；若干；一群

参考例句：

• One of these skits, "The King of Beasts" resembles a traditional frontier prank. 一出滑稽短剧《兽王》酷似传统的边疆闹剧。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• Kids can develop ad campaigns, commercials and skits to illustrate character traits. 孩子们会发动宣传运动，制作广告宣传片和幽默短剧来说明性格品质。 来自互联网

7 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

8 pokes   

v.伸出( poke的第三人称单数 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• He pokes his nose into everything. 他这人好管闲事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Only the tip of an iceberg pokes up above water. 只有冰山的尖端突出于水面。 来自辞典例句

9 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。