Oral History Interview Paper
COM 360 – Advanced Communications in Society
Kathleen Serra
July 30, 2012
ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW PAPER
“What you see and what you hear
depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of
person you are.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew. The development of this paper has given me the
courage to ask tough questions in order to learn about another culture and to
better understand another human being’s experience and perspective. I appreciate an open mind and willingness to
share, even if the memories are difficult.
Understanding the journey of an immigrant’s quest to live in America has
changed my own perspective about how fortunate I am to be born an American. I appreciate my new friend, Said (Sigh-eed),
for sharing with me the cause and effects of emigrating from Iran in the late
1980’s at the height of the war between Iran and Iraq.
Culture Influences Perception by Rick Nauert, PhD explores the
differences between Chinese and American approaches to a task. It did not surprise me to read that taking
into account another person’s perspective was more work for the Americans than
for the Chinese participants. This
project made me realize that I have not been exposed much on how to ask people
appropriate questions about their background and culture in order to learn more
about them. I have only been accustomed
to wait for a person to share anything they want to share with me at the time
they feel it is right for them. I was
pleasantly surprised that Said was such a willing participant in this
project. He seemed almost glad that someone,
especially an American, was interested in his story.
Although Said came to America from
Iran, his cultural background is as diverse as those who already live here. He is of Turkish and Persian descent but,
during out conversation, he mentioned certain instances that supported a strong
push for cultural identity in Iran with the shared system of symbols and
meanings and norms for conduct (Jandt, 2013) which derived greatly from the
Koran. As a child, he couldn’t relate to
a lot of what was being taught in the Koran.
He was glad to be free to choose not to follow the teachings of the
Koran once he arrived in America. The
teachings of the Koran are an overreaching system of law, a code of ethics, and
a way of life which embrace all areas of human affairs, from the most personal
to international relations (Jandt, 2012).
Said agreed that the goal of the religion is more than just a spiritual
guide.
Said immigrated to the United States at the behest of his parents who
were concerned about his safety and those of his 7 other living siblings. He lost an older brother who fought on the
front lines in the war and the family was not willing to risk the loss of
another child to war. He travelled with
an older brother through Italy and Turkey and stayed in hostels or with other
family until they could make their way to the United States where two other
brothers were living and attending school.
As anyone could expect, it was difficult for Said to deal with a different
culture at 13 years old. He felt the
understandable confusion that comes with learning the differences in cultures
he was now surrounded by in the United States.
The contradictions between different beliefs made acclimating to a new
culture especially hard. Simple
pleasures like enjoying certain music in his house was challenging because of the
beliefs of his older brothers who were raised in Iran.
Although he has succeeded in finding the balance and independence to
live happily and comfortably in the United States, he continues to reconcile
between the Iranian and American ways of life.
He finds it emotionally draining at times to be torn between
cultures. As he defines himself within
one culture he is also adapting to what is acceptable, who he is and what he
believes in another culture. He feels
comfortable to speak his mind even if the position might be wrong or widely
accepted which is what he defines as “the American way”. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he still
thinks about having to accept everything he is told regardless of his own
thoughts which is the Iranian way.
This idea is explored in
the article Reconciling Faith and Freedom
by Scott Marian. The focus of the
article is one Muslim’s experience, Ishrad Manji, and her efforts to serve up
an “indictment of Muslim attitudes toward women, human rights and Israel
(Marian, 2011). She feels that
"multiculturalism has been sanctioned as this way of celebrating diversity
when in fact it's only superficial diversity.
The more meaningful form of diversity, which is diversity of thought, is
being completely papered over".
There are some countries and cultures that “turn a blind eye to
injustices allowed in the name of diversity” and even go so far as to justify
mercy killings in the name of culture.
Manji says about these extremists that "They've been raised in an
era in which they've been told culture is wonderful. But what they haven't been told is that
sometimes what happens in the name of culture is morally wrong and
unconscionable." It isn’t until
people from other cultures experience the fundamentals of American freedoms, such
as having the option to decide for oneself on such matters, that certain
injustices become apparent.
Because of the freedoms
that Said is now enjoying, he believes in his heart that he is never going back
to Iran and that he feels more American than Iranian. He has enjoyed the multicultural experience
of the United States and knows that it is an experience that would never come
out of Iran. He feels that the superiority
of race and culture that is emphasized in Iran would never allow for it. He is also an American citizen now and would
not give that up to return to his native country. He has visited on occasion and sees that the
economy is weak. Most families must work
two jobs in order to survive. Families
are tired and have less opportunity to enjoy visiting with one another as they
once did when he was a kid. He enjoys
being part of a co-cultural society which allows him to enjoy his friends in
the U.S. who are of Iranian descent which exposes him to certain enjoyable
segments of his heritage and culture.
However, he definitely identifies more with American culture as an adult
and enjoys the new traditions that he has developed with his American friends.
Many of the experiences that are most vivid to him are both positive
and negative. Traveling around the
United States when he first arrived was the most exciting for him, especially a
trip to Washington D.C. from Raleigh, North Carolina where he lived for some
time while his brother studied at the local university. There were a lot of occasions for him to
travel with his brother and their friends by car and he enjoyed taking in the
scenery. The positive experiences he
enjoyed did not come without the normal experiences of culture shock that is an
inherent response of an immigrant (Furnham & Bochner, 1986 as cited by
Jandt). A very difficult adjustment to
the American culture was in learning about distance between boys his age in
America. In Iran it was not uncommon for
boys to walk around holding hands as a sign of very strong friendship. He mentions not being able to find such
friendships here “for obvious reasons” which I took to mean for misperceptions
of homosexual relationships. Saddled with
the already difficult task of mastering English and adopting new customs, Said
did not want to give kids any reason to treat him badly or not include him
because he was different than any other kid in the group.
One of the most vivid memories he has of being the target of negative behavior
came not only from the kids in a computer class but also from a teacher. He hadn’t mastered English at that time so he
wasn't completely sure what was being said, but he knew their laughter was
directed at him. He recalls the look on
the face of a girl sitting next to him who was horrified at what was happening and
was looking at everyone else in shock by what was happening. Although the American Creed calls for an
open, pluralistic, diverse multicultural region and nation, there are still
those who evaluate immigrant more negatively because their definition of an
American and Americanism is quite restrictive (Griffin and McFarland, 2007).
Said described Iran as the oil rich country most Americans recognize it
to be. However, Iran’s vast
concentration of natural gas and minerals makes it more than just an oil rich
country. But due to corruption
throughout the government and the society in addition to the embargo that was
placed on Iran by the U.S. and European countries, the people are not rich by
any means. The middle-class is very
small, the percentage of poor is big and there is a small percentage of rich
people who are usually “in bed” with the government. Since the 1979 revolution that removed the
Shah from power and put Khomeini in power, Khomeini considered himself the
"Supreme Leader" and was "god's representative" as they
were told. Whatever Khomeini said was
the law and whatever he rejected was gone instantly. Khomeini brought hardcore theocracy to Iran
and women were forced to cover themselves from head to toe. People could not date freely and openly and
people were expected to dress "modestly”.
It was only after Said left Iran that he started to see that society was
becoming a bit freer ranging from their attire to Presidential elections and selecting
parliament members.
Intellectuals like Fourough
Farrokhzad, a twentieth-century Iranian poet, writer and actress may have been
a large contributor to the openness is now observed in Iran. Her poetry has been adapted to operas, can be
heard in alternative rock music as well as stage adaptations and photography
here in America (Darznik, 2010). Jasmin
Darznik’s essay describes Fourough’s work as an embodiment and exploration into
issues of gender, faith, social justice and human rights, discourses of
feminism and of Iranian modernity which made her a scandalous but influential
figure of her time. This reputation is
probably one of the main reasons Said didn’t know about her until recently. Although she was not Iran’s first woman poet,
she was the first to rise to fame without the support of a prominent male
figure (Milani 1992 as cited by Darznik).
The last poems Farrokhzad wrote before her death talked about Iran as “a
land consumed by a hunger for Western commodities, its women arrested in
postures of submission, the men indifferent and inaccessible”. It is in this description that I can
understand the desire in people like Said to leave and never return to their
native country.
The Iran news media was completely controlled by the government. As an adult Said can now understand the
extent of the propaganda that was fed to Iranians on a regular basis in almost
every show, through every media outlet, and at every hour. As a kid, people had painted an unrealistic
picture of the United States to him in that America was some place magical,
like Disneyland. At the same time, the
government propaganda made him think that the U.S. government was evil and
responsible for many crimes. With the help of maturity and logical, critical
thinking, he had the opportunity to research and sift through the information
and find the truth in those matters.
Although the only image of Iran that was portrayed in U.S. news was negative
and horribly skewed to imply that Iran was a country of fanatic and backwards
people, he knew the truth that more than 80% the Iranian people adored the U.S.
which was completely opposite of what the U.S. media portrayed to Americans
about the people of the Middle East.
Although the United States that Said has come to know doesn’t quite meet
the expectations of “the happiest place on earth”, he is certainly more pleased
with his experiences here than in Iran.
Part of Said’s success of acculturation has much to do with his
personality and age at which he immigrated to the United States. As Jandt points out in Chapter 12,
Immigration and Acculturation, younger immigrants adapt more easily than older
ones. It also helps that Said was well
educated in general subjects in Iran, but, he was already learning English in
his coursework also. One thing that Said
feels is special in Iran is the country’s emphasis on education. Education is extremely important to Iranians
and the educational system was something everyone was proud of in Iran. Regardless of any anti-American sentiment
that may have been prevalent in Iran, they understood the importance of
teaching their citizens the English language.
Because of this exposure, not only did he have familiarity with our
country’s principal language but it provided him the confidence needed when
migrating to a new country. However, “a
person’s personality can determine how readily she or he will desire to blend
in with a new culture” and Said’s experiences clearly showed that he possesses
the curiosity and outgoing personality to help him manage the risk involved in
taking on such a life changing move and adapting and assimilating to a new
country.
The U.S. media has been instrumental in how Said sees other races and
cultures in that it has helped him to understand and accept people from other
minority races and cultures. He has
gained a greater understanding of himself by learning about other cultures and
being exposed to options among different societies in what they believe and how
they choose to live their lives without the harsh judgment of a religious group
or tyrannical government. He is no
longer deterred by the judgment of certain people who he recognizes as not willing
to know what it is like to walk a mile in his shoes. He has had the advantage of gaining a new
perspective from where he has stood and from where he stands now. And from where he stands now, he truly
understands how fortunate he is to be the type of person and character to find
his own personal success as a citizen of one of the greatest countries in the
world.
References
Chen, K., (2012). University faces heat for Khomeini event;
Student-run. National Post, A.9.
Retrieved July 7, 2012, from Banking
Information Source. (Document ID: 2699627291).
Darznik, J.,
(2010). Forough goes West: The legacy of
Forough Farrokhzad in Iranian
diasporic art and literature. Journal
of Middle East Women’s Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1, Winter 2010, pp. 103-116.
Griffin, L.,
McFarland, K., (2007). In my heart, I’m an American. Regional attitudes and
American
identity. Southern Cultures; Winter 2007; 13, 4;
Research Library, pg. 119.
Jandt,
F., (2013). An introduction to intercultural communication. Identities in a global
community.
Sage Publications, Inc.
Marian, S. (2011).
Reconciling faith and freedom;
Irshad Manji, as impassioned as ever, keeps
encouraging her fellow Muslims to ask tough
questions. The Gazette, First page E.24. CanWest Digital Media
Nauert PhD, R. (2007). Culture
influences perception. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 24,
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