Iranian Family: Cultural Misconceptions

Iranian Family Life Iran’s people tend to be associated with many cultural misconceptions as to how they live and what they believe. These misconceptions include: Iranians are all Muslim extremists, women are suppressed, marriages are forced among people, and that children are taught from a small age to be terrorists. These are just a few of the many stigmas about Iranians. Yes, some of these are true in small parts of the country, but now many of them are rare in the modern era. Given these points, many Iranian families are judged or criticized for these false accusations. However, the lives of Iranian families are just as normal with a few cultural differences as any other American family would be. To begin with, most Iranian families

Iranian adults live similar to American adults. Many adults that live in take buses, trains, or walk to work, which starts early in the mornings (Simmons 13). American adults tend to use one of those three transportation methods to get to work in the cities. Also, grandparents are key to a household. They tend to the children and help with simple house chores. Families are to care for the elders as they were cared for. Additionally, homes are typically two bedroom and close to each other. This can be seen similar to an average American home in a small town neighborhood. The women of the families are to cook the meals for the household, yet men occasionally do help with the food now. In the end, Iranian adults love to spend time and take care of their families, just like any other person

Numerous people believe that children are taught from an early age to be terrorists. In reality children are taught to be obedient, go to school, and respect their elders. This isn’t any different than what the average American child, or any child for that matter is taught. School starts in Kindergarten where the children must be age 5 (Simmons 16). This is normally when school starts for most American children. Elementary school is the same as in America, starting in first grade through fifth grade. The children then go on to middle school from sixth through eighth grade. The students learn math, reading, science, Persian, and Islam, but English is introduced in the seventh grade. These courses are comparable to American courses; the only differences are Persian and Islam. Students in America are usually introduced to a foreign language around seventh grade, such as Spanish or French. Not only do children perform the tasks that were listed earlier, they also participate in many fun activities such as wrestling or native games. Children of Iran are just that, children, not weapons of mass destruction.

Therefore, the critical assumptions that are made against Iran and its people are inaccurate and small-minded. The main reason for this is that the media has portrayed this country as a gruesome, closed-minded society. The media only shows the small, substandard