I Invoke the Fifth

It has been more than a year since I immigrated to the United States. As an Iranian immigrant, I have experienced a wide spectrum of conflicting emotions — from joy and warmth to fear and anxiety. I have often found myself affected by tense news about my nationality, even though I genuinely care for this country.

The accumulation of these contradictory feelings has created an intentional distance in the way I look at America. I find myself observing this society in complete silence, choosing not to intervene but to witness.

In this deliberate quietness, and by keeping a certain distance from my subjects, I look at everything with the same gaze — from the most mundane subjects to the most elevated ones. It is a state similar to invoking the Fifth Amendment when confronted with a predicament: remaining silent, not out of refusal, but out of a desire to understand.