Day after the election

What does a professor do? What does a comedian do?

Every Sunday, I take my 3 young boys to Chicago Persian School, where they learn the language, play with friends, eat pizza, and get reasonably rowdy, all while the parents mix and mingle over chai and gossip. A true cultural gem and a wonderful community of Iranian diaspora in Chicagoland with a shared mission to pass down the wonderful Persian heritage and language to our children. This past Sunday was the first session post-election. A few days prior to election day, I had sent out my essay about Trump-supporting Middle-Eastern men to the Chicago Persian School’s group Whatsapp chat, which was politely removed by the group’s moderator due to a violation of community rules. But before it was removed, a few parents had already clicked the link and read the essay. So last Sunday, I was sitting down when one of the parents - an Iranian mom - walked up to me, leaned in, and in a stern whisper said, “You know you owe us something now, right?” Caught off guard, I said, “What?” She told me I needed to write a follow-up post now that Trump has won the election. I was flattered, and of course, I had to accept the challenge. But I need some time to think. Like many of you, I’m still processing the ass-whooping Trump and his followers delivered to the nation. For now, I am sharing our latest episode of PCWB, a podcast I co-host with Chicago comedian Mike Knight. We met in his studio last weekend to discuss the election results. Both of us had to get back to work the very next day. I had a room full of somber undergraduate students I had to address the morning after the election, and Mike hosted a sold-out show at the legendary Laugh Factory that very night. We swap “day after” stories in this episode, and generally try to find some light amidst the darkness. Tune in!