{"id":6224,"date":"2016-04-23T11:14:38","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T11:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=6224"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:31:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:31:38","slug":"rick-steve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/rick-steve\/","title":{"rendered":"Video: Rick Steves After Travelling to Iran: &#8220;Why Death To America?!&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In this video which is part of the TEDxRainier talk, Rick Steves sharing lessons learned from Iran and tells why spending all that time and money away from home has broadened his perspective, enriched his life, and made it clear to him, as he says in his talk, <strong>&#8220;Fear is for people who don&#8217;t get out very much.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/rick-steve\/#rick-steves-why-am-i-going-to-iran%e2%80%9d\" >Rick Steves: Why am I going to Iran?&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/rick-steve\/#%e2%80%98death-to-america-doesnt-actually-mean-death-to-america\" >&#8216;Death to America&#8217; doesn&#8217;t actually mean death to America<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rick-steves-why-am-i-going-to-iran\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"rick-steves-why-am-i-going-to-iran%e2%80%9d\"><\/span>Rick Steves: Why am I going to Iran?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Stives-Why-Death-To-America.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"Rick Stives Why Death To America\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Stives-Why-Death-To-America.jpg\" alt=\"Rick Stives Why Death To America\" class=\"wp-image-6240\" style=\"width:750px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Stives-Why-Death-To-America.jpg 600w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Stives-Why-Death-To-America-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Stives-Why-Death-To-America-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rick Steves in Iran, Photo from Rick Steves\u2019 Travel Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>He added&nbsp;&#8220;In few years ago i had a great opportunity to go to <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/how-much-will-it-cost-to-travel-in-iran\/\" title=\"Budgeting for an Iranian Adventure: Cost Considerations\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"87536\">Iran<\/a>&#8230; People asked my &#8220;Why you are <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/what-to-pack-for-your-trip-to-iran\/\" title=\"Essential Packing List for Iran: Travel Smart\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"87537\">going to Iran<\/a>?&#8221; &nbsp;and I thought about it, \u201c<strong>Why am I going to Iran?<\/strong>\u2026and it occurred to me I\u2019m going there because I think it\u2019s good character to know people before you\u2026bomb them.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-death-to-america-doesn-t-actually-mean-death-to-america\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%e2%80%98death-to-america-doesnt-actually-mean-death-to-america\"><\/span>&#8216;Death to America&#8217; doesn&#8217;t actually mean death to America<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When he was in a cab in a traffic jam and suddenly the cab driver, who mainly only spoke Farsi yelled out, <strong>\u201cDeath to traffic!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rick was surprised and asked the driver, \u201cDeath to traffic? Is it not \u2018Death to Israelis\u2019 or <strong>\u2018Death to the Americas\u2019<\/strong>?\u201d And the driver responded, \u201cNo, right now, death to traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The driver goes on to explain that \u201cHere in Iran, when anything is frustrating or out of our control, we say \u2018death to that\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Steves-After-Travelling-to-Iran-Why-Iranian-Say-Death-America.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"Rick Steves After Travelling To Iran Why Iranian Say Death America\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Steves-After-Travelling-to-Iran-Why-Iranian-Say-Death-America.jpg\" alt=\"Rick Steves After Travelling To Iran Why Iranian Say Death America\" class=\"wp-image-6233\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5;width:816px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Steves-After-Travelling-to-Iran-Why-Iranian-Say-Death-America.jpg 600w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Steves-After-Travelling-to-Iran-Why-Iranian-Say-Death-America-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rick-Steves-After-Travelling-to-Iran-Why-Iranian-Say-Death-America-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A taxi driver in Tehran &#8211; Photo from Rick Steves&#8217; Travel Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>And Rick realized that this was equivalent to him saying \u201cDamn those teenagers!\u201d when he\u2019s back in the states, although he doesn\u2019t wish that the teenagers burn and rot in hell for eternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also added in his blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I try to make sense of the fearmongering and billboard hate, which mixes with huge smiles and welcomes. People greet me with a smile. Invariably, they ask where I\u2019m from. I often say, \u201cYou tell me.\u201d They guess and guess, running through 9\u201310 countries before giving up. Finally I say \u201cAmerica\u201d and they are momentarily shocked, thinking, \u201cI thought Americans hate us. Why would one be here like this?\u201d Their smile leaves their face. Then a bigger smile comes back as they say \u201cWelcome!\u201d or \u201cI love America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Rick Steves After Travelling to Iran: \u201cWhy Death To America&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T-CNuudRVLs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The value of travel | Rick Steves | TEDxRainier\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kYXiegTXsEs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; 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