[dTal]

I keep seeing comments that refer to Iranians as "brown people" - usually to emphasize their perceived "otherness" by the ignorant, as in this case. But Iranians aren't brown, or Arab apart from a small minority, and relatively speaking their culture isn't even that "other" - it would probably feel more familiar to the average American than some European countries even.

Do Americans really hear "Iran" and think of durka-durka from Team America?

[cogman10]

Iranians tend to have a little more pigment in their skin and it's not a minority.

I get why you'd say this, Iranians don't have particularly dark skin and some are as white as my English/swedish ancestors.

> Do Americans really hear "Iran" and think of durka-durka from Team America?

Some do. But usually the "killing brown people" is a shorthand for the fact that US policy has mostly focused on immiserating non-western-European nations for the benefit of of the US.

It implies racism at the core of US policy because only Western European nations are considered civilized and deserving of fair international treatment.

[cherrycherry98]

Western European nations have gotten a pass in recent history because they've been deferential to the US, are liberal democracies (ideologically aligned), and are not especially rich in strategic assets like oil. The same could be said of South Korea and Japan, highly civilized and in ideological alignment with the US.

In its history the US has engaged in military action against western and white majority nations: Great Britain (twice), the Confederate States, Spain, Germany (twice), Italy, and Yugoslavia. Not mention the perpetual rivalry against Russia/Soviets since the end of WW2 which has meant doing things like backing the "brown" mujahedeen against the predominantly "white" Soviets. Today it backs Ukraine against Russia, arguably making that war of "white" nations more deadly than it otherwise would be.

The US may have never fought against lilly white Scandinavian countries but neither has it done so against "brown" India or sub Saharan Africa.

[fingerlocks]

Correct, “Iran” literally translates to “Ayran”.

But America is a big place. Americans living in cities probably know a first or second gen Persian, there’s lots of them everywhere. They even have a reality TV show.

Outside the urban archipelago the average person couldn’t tell you the difference from India, Turkey. and everything in between.

[dTal]

*Aryan - Ayran is Turkish buttermilk :)

[type0]

> Do Americans really hear "Iran" and think

and think: oriental culture, as do other westerners. Some think "Not Without My Daughter"