Foreigner Stereotypes

Recently, I read a memoir called Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas. Many parts of the story reminded me of my own experiences and the reason for that is because I, like the author, had moved to the United States from an other country. Dumas uses a lighthearted tone to depict her memories; she isn't afraid to retell her somewhat mortifying experiences and to introduce her family members in hilarious ways. One of the most memorable chapter from the book is the one about the stereotypes that the author encountered back in the 1970s. Automatically, her classmates pictured all Iranians as terrorists, that the inhabitants owned numerous camels, and the fact that they were just very, very foreign. Back when I first moved to the states couple years ago, my classmates had asked me if Chinese people really eat dogs, never take shower, and that everyone in the country was a math genius. Of course, I was like "NO. NO. YES." Just kidding. :) Not everyone is good at math, and we certainly won't consume dogs in meals. What a ridicule that is! As much as I despise the ridiculous stereotypes, I actually had those stereotypes too before coming to America. Like every other child who had never gone abroad, I wondered all aspects of the country. Five years ago, I pictured America with loads of obese people, streets and streets of fast food restaurants, and handful of rich people. I had the impression that all Americans have blond hair and blue eyes with the cities filled with massive edifices and crowds of people. Okay, maybe my impression of America was merely scenes from a typical Hollywood movie, but it was all I knew; all that I could imagine at the time. So who am I to judge when I am problematic also? The ultimate solution that I came up with two minutes ago is to really educate ourselves before making any assumptions. Assumptions are never wise to make.