Those are the stories of Dumas which were really influenced by the Iranian- American’s experiences. The stories show that the real life becomes the inspiration in
the process of Dumas ’s writing. If there is a question asking how the relationship
between Dumas’s stories and Iranian-American’s real life is, the answer must be that the real life is an obvious influence and inspiration to her stories in Funny In Farsi.
4.3 Processes of Backgrounds Leading to Signs of Dependency Complex
In the previous chapter, it’s been explained that the backgrounds of people who live in the white world and become dependency complex sufferers are racism,
anti- Semitic mentality, and Prospero complex. It’s been just mentioned what the
examples are. In this explanation, it will be the processes of these backgrounds leading to signs of dependency complex.
The first background is racism. Racism, as explained, is something that leads ones to underestimation to other races. There are so many reasons that describe the
appearance of this hatred. One of them can be jealousy. What kind of jealousy makes someone underestimate other races? The answer will be certainly jealousy of being
the greatest race. It seems that people of other races have been better in some aspects. An example has been shown by Dumas 2003:117-
118 when she tells, “Perhaps the greatest irony in the wave of Iranian-hating was that Iranians, as a group, are among
the most educated and successful immigrants in this country. Our work ethic and obsession with education makes us almost ideal citizens.”
Racism, when it was done to immigrants whose race is different from the race of the place they settle, will make them inferior in numbers and power. Immigrants
of a country are never superior in numbers but they can superior in power. The race who feels superior in power can make the people who are underestimated by the
superior race feel inferior which then lead them to inferiority complex as Oswin in Fanon, 1986:64-65 says:
“...what is proposed is the separation of the native from the Europeans, territorially, economically, and on the political level, allowing the
blacks to build their own civilization under the guidance and the authority of the whites, but with a minimum contact between the races.
It is understood that territorial reservations would be set up for the blacks and that most of them would have to live there.”
Separating the natives of place and authorizing them are the examples of underestimation. The whites are not the people who live there. If they do not
underestimate the blacks, they will not command the blacks even make them alienated from their own place. Separating the blacks also will make them inferior in
number and power. “Economic competition would be eliminated and the groundwork would be laid for the rehabilitation of the poor whites who constitute 50 percent of
the European population Oswin, in Fanon, 1986:65.” This shows the effort to make the native inferior in number by adding the comers. Therefore, racism can lead other
people to the inferiority complex because racism is mostly an effort to make others inferior consciously or unconsciously by restoring people from the place where they
should be. Fanon states: “When one tries to examine the structure of this or that form of
exploitation from an abstract point of view, one simply turns one’s back on the major, basic problem, which is that of restoring man to his
proper pla ce 1986:65.”
It can be concluded that making others inferior is the process of how racism makes persons possess inferiority complex.
Racism appears in Dumas’s story when Americans who lived in Tehran were taken hostage in American Embassy. “...many Americans began to think that all
Iranians, despiteoutward appearances to the contrary, could at any given moment get angry and take prisoners Dumas, 2003:39.” It is the racism that happened to Iranian
who lived in the United States including to the Jayazeris. Underestimation to the Iranian leads the whites to make the Iranian inferior. The whites began to discuss bad
things about Iranian. This is the effort to make the Iranian inferior. “So what do you
think of the racist American CIA pigs who supported the Shah’s dictatorship only to
use him as a puppet in their endless thirst power in the Middle East and other areas like Nicaragua? Dumas, 2003:40”
Another response that makes the Iranian inferior is that they were left when the whites knew persons whom they talked to were Iranian, moreover, when they
talked about Iran. Frightening image got by Iranian absolutely made them inferior because they were avoided by most people there. This is also shown in Dumas’s
story: “Sometimes, mentioning that I was from Iran completely ended the
conversation. I never knew why, but I assume some feared that I might really be yet another female terrorist masquerading as a history of art
major at UC-
Barkeley 2003:40.” Dumas’s other story reflecting racism is that when she was a girl and wanted
to go to summer camp. She boarded to the bus and took a seat. She said, “No one sat next me Dumas, 2003:46.” There is no reason why they didn’t want to approach
her. Yet, this is clearly because she had a different look from mostly people there. Her different look leads to make her inferior by joking her physical look and this is
also a treatment to make her inferior although it was unconsciously done. “ “Hey, can I ask you a question?” he said.
“Sure” I answered. “Well,” he said, “do you look down a lot?”
“No, why?” I asked. “Well, your nose points downward so I figured that’s because you’re
always looking at the ground or something.” Upon hearing this, all the kids around me burst out laughing Dumas,
2003:46.” The second background possessed by dependency complex sufferer is anti-
Semitic mentality. It is described by Fanon as an effort to make other inferior due to a feeling to possess or authorize other people’s wealth through Sartre’s explanation:
“It is propagated mainly among middle classes, because they possess neither land nor
house nor castle. By treating the Jew as an inferior and pernicious being, I affirm at the same time that I belong to the elite in Fanon, 1986:64.”
Before it comes to the step of making others inferior, there is a step behind. It is a treatment of showing the power of superiority although the ones who possess the
anti-Semitic mentality are less in number. “Thus I would call anti-Semitism a poor
man’s snobbery. And in fact it would appear that the rich for the most part exploit this passion for their own uses rather tahn abandon themselves to it
– they have better things to do Sartre, in Fanon, 2003:64.” This shows that not only the poor but also
the rich choose not to be frontal like the poor. Sartre also quotes, “By treating the
Jew as an inferior and pernicious being, I affirm at the same time that I belong to the elite.” They have a will to be the elite. It means that they want to be seen as powerful
people. Although they don’t possess anything in the place they settle, they have a
feeling to be superior by showing that they are powerful. By showing this power of superiority, at the same time they make the natives or the others inferior that then
leads to the inferiority complex. It can be concluded that before the people who have anti-Semitic mentality make the others inferior, they show the power of superiority.
Anti- Semitic mentality also appears in Dumas’s story when the British
realized that Iran is a potential oil source. “The British were the first to realize the huge financial potential of the
Vast Iranian oil reserves with the sound of cash register ringing in its executive’s ears. British Petroleum negotiated an agreement with the
Iranian government that allowed the British to drill for and sell the oil in exchange for a small sumn Dumas, 2003:83-
84.” This shows that the British really wanted to authorize Iran’s wealth. As explained
before, the first thing to do is showing the power of superiority. That the British negotiated the agreement to Iran to sell the oil in exchange for a small sum is the
representation of showing the superiority feeling. They were the comers but they were brave to make an agreement that was unfair for Iran. The other quote that
represents the British’s superiority is this one: “the British applied a different universal concept, greed Dumas, 2003:84.” They were not the people who lived
there but they clearly showed that they really wanted the oil of Iran by being greedy. This greed shows that they were not afraid to oppose the Iranian and this courage
absolutely represents that they feel superior. After showing the power of superiority, the people who have anti-Semitic
mentality began to make others who possessed much wealth inferior. It’s represented
by a moment when Iran nationalized the oil and banned other nations to take it after the Iranian government realized the British’s greed. The agreement between the
British and the Iranian was ended as Dumas 2003:84 says, “The agreement between
British Petroleu m and the government of Iran was destined for disaster.” The effort
to make Iran inferior is that the British boycotted Iranian oil by gathering many other countries to avoid Iran. “the foreign oil companies banded together and boycotted
Iranian oil Dumas , 2003:84.”
The British’s treatment to Iran caused disasters as Dumas 2003:84 tells, “Within two years after the nationalization of its oil, the Iranian economy lay in
shambles. Political upheaval ensued.” They were clearly the results of trying to be
dependent. Automatically, Iran got inferior and possessed inferiority complex. This case is the example of the inferiority complex theory:
“When he [the Malagasy] has succeeded informing such relations [of dependence] with his superiors, his inferiority no longer troubles him;
everything is alright. When he fails to establish them, when his feeling of insecurity is no assigned in this way, he suffers a crisis Mannoni,
1964:61.” Trying to solve this crisis, the only way was that Iran became dependent
aga in as Dumas tells, “Once again, Iran was ripe for foreign exploitation 2013:84.”
Iranian oil was taken again by foreign oil companies and automatically, Iran got dependency complex. That is how anti-Semitic mentality leads to inferiority complex
that soon becomes dependency complex. The last background that affects people become inferior is Prospero complex.
It is defined as a thought that one is the only person who has to be respected. It can be developed that his race is the most respectable race. In the process of coming to
the step of making others inferior, showing the power of superiority is involved like the process of anti-Semitic mentality coming to the inferiority complex. The
difference is the causes. There are some causes that make someone get this complex. The fear to bad treatments of inferior people and the urge to dominate Mannoni,
1964:108 are the reasons. This urge to dominate is the thing leading to a will to
show the superiority. When one feels superior automatically he will treat others inferior as explained in the anti-Semitic mentality. This treatment will make others
get inferiority complex. Prospero complex appears
in Dumas’s story when Iran was boycotted by foreign oil companies which has been told in the discussion of anti-Semitic
mentality. This act really shows a passion to dominate. The greed of the foreign companies also represents such passion. The moments representing Prospero
complex are similar with the moments of anti-Semitic mentality. So is the process. The only difference is the reason causing the complex.
In conclusion, the illustration of the processes of the backgrounds leading to signs of dependency complex can be drawn as the picture below:
That is how racism, anti-Semitic mentality, and Prospero complex come to the inferiority complex.
RACISM ANTI-SEMITIC
MENTALITY PROSPERO
COMPLEX
SHOWING THE POWER OF
SUPERIORITY
MAKING OTHERS
INFERIOR
INFERIORITY COMPLEX
4.4 Inferiority Complex of the Jayazeris
