Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia... Iranian and American Cultures Collide

So we've all seen it, we've all heard it, Ahmadinejad came to Columbia University.

We all watched in horror as Ahmadinejad responded with fancy-foot responses to our blatant questions about Israel. We laughed at his response to our inquiries about homosexuals... and now America knows for sure: this man is not someone we're ever going to see eye to eye with. We all felt like we needed that since we've NEVER seen eye to eye with Bush or his administration...

So.. how come Ahmadinejad's popularity has soared in Iran in the aftermath of this visit?

I think this can be answered in a number of ways, none of which I could ever speak to fully so I will leave those out - but one huge way that it helped Ahmadinejad is this:

We were rude to our guest, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

So... [you ask] ...if he is such a bad person - why does it matter?!?

In Iran; it matters!

An ultimate no-no in Iran is to be rude to your guest. It is not just a whisper whisper trash talk that fades over time. It is a serious mar to your personal character to be known as someone who was rude to their guest. Imagine if a well known family man in your town was all of a sudden rumored to be a wife-beater or a child molester... instant social outcast! People don't throw rumors like that around frivolously!

It was a huge faux pas... on our own turf.

Being kind to him and objective in manner is a courtesy that an Iranian would expect from someone who has invited him or her as a guest.

I am happy he came here because I think we all need to wake up and this was a big wake up call. Before long Americans will have to understand this is why he had a small ratings boost and then we can also so Iranians as people who think differently. I also believe that this being shown on Iranian TV is good. Before long Iranians might be able to learn that in America this is how bluntly we speak. We are not always courteous to our guests, although our moms taught us to be. We are comfortable with being candid. That is what open means here in America...

And it's often surprising when we invite someone to our house who we don't generally get along with and they actually show up!