Misperceptions
American Misperceptions About Us
People think that Iran consists entirely of deserts, but it has mountains and jungles, too. Iran is also urbanized, and the city where we come from is a lot like New York, with huge buildings and a large population. Most Americans think that Iranians are Arabs. However, we are Persians, the descendants of the Aryan people. They think that we are terrorists since President Bush has called us part of the “axis of evil.” They also portray us as violent, like in the recent movie 300. They don’t know that Iranian culture has a long history of artistic, literary, scientific, and mathematical achievements. Just as Americans are not responsible for the specific words and actions of their government representatives, we Iranians are peaceful hardworking people who love our families and value our freedom.
Our Misperceptions About Americans
Before we came to the U.S., we thought that every American would be blonde. Iranians also tend to think that Americans are not very friendly, since hospitality is such a big part of Iranian culture. Much of our opinions have come from the entertainment shows that we watch. We expected America to be like it’s presented in Hollywood. We’ve found that the U.S. is pretty much the same place that we saw in the movies and on television - a free country with different climates and different people.
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