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stereotypes in society
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It is no surprise that the Middle East has been present in American cultural rhetoric. Topics featuring Arabs and Muslims have appeared in various media format from news coverage, to discussions, to the accessible Hollywood fraternity. The earliest of American movies have portrayed Arabs and Middle Easterners in exotic ethnic terms. This has served as the perfect framework for movie productions in which they have played the villain opposite American ‘good guys’ and so created stereotypical image of ‘otherness’. Before I discuss the consequences of such representations I refer to Sut Jhally’s documentary based on Jack G. Shaheen’s book of the same name, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People. The documentary looks at movies that have depicted the Arab as a caricature, a cartoon model, and a terrorist. The consumers have absolute control over the experience of viewing images for the very fact that the scenes in these films do not share or speak directly with the audience. My reaction to this has resonated with a sense of falseness and dissatisfaction. The intent here is to not debate whether these depictions are good or bad; it is to present the ways these images are imperfect. The documentary establishes how the maintenance of hegemony in a world of inequality is doing the world no favor in terms of image. Jack Shaheen’s narration in the documentary validates how Hollywood movies are particularly guilty of propagating these incorrect portrayals of Arabs yet Shaheen is also victim in his biased behavior towards the Arabs.
Jack Shaheen points out how Hollywood movies have perpetuated a condescending image of Arabs and created cultural misconceptions. The unsightly face of an Arab or Muslim being does “become symbolic of the...
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...edly objected to covering the religion of Islam. He brings up how the media and entertainment world represents aggression as the nature of Islam. According to Said the Orient is constructed in relation to the West, as it is a mirror image of what is inferior and aliens “other” to the West. He finds that Muslims and Arabs “are essentially covered, discussed, apprehended, either as oil suppliers or as potential terrorists” (Said, 9). Rather than provide “the human density” of their lives, “a limited series of crude, essentialized caricatures of the Islamic world are presented in such a way as to make that world vulnerable to military aggression” (Said, 26). Shaheen’s main concern is the scarcity of likeable Arab characters in Hollywood cinema. He remarks when was the last time the audience saw a movie depicting an Arab or an American of Arab heritage as a regular guy?
Has the New York Times negatively stereotyped Arab Muslims for the past forty years? The goal of this research project is to reveal the negative stereotypes directed towards Arab Muslims in the New York Times. The critical focus of the research is the consistency of the negative stereotypes. The underlying focus is what theoretical and historical effects result from the negative stereotypes.
Sabbagh, S. J., & American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, W. C. (1990). Sex, Lies, & Stereotypes: The Image of Arabs in American Popular Fiction. ADC Issue Paper No. 23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Today, American film is among the most internationally supported commodities. Financially, its contributions are enormous: the industry is responsible for the circulation of billions of dollars each year. Since its explosion into the new media markets during the mid-twentieth century, film has produced consistently growing numbers of viewers and critics alike. Sparking debate over the nature of its viewing, film is now being questioned in social, political, and moral arenas for its potential impact on an audience. Critics claim that watching films is a passive activity in which the viewer becomes subconsciously absorbed, and creates a reliance or "addiction" to the medium, and thus can be influenced by any perpetual concepts or images. Advocates, however, argue that viewing such programs is an active process in which audience members are able to choose to what they are exposed, and interpret messages based on their individual needs and background. Perhaps both views are too extreme. Film from the 1950s to present, as will be explored in this essay, is an extremely useful medium, often underestimated within the label of "entertainment"; unfortunately, it may be partially responsible for current socio-cultural problems, too. The critical question, then, is whether film has fostered the progress of a more open-minded America, or rather hindered its development through the perpetuation of antiquated concepts of stereotypes, densensitized violence and breeding of normalcy.
... another post 9/11. Furthermore, through both Amaney Jamal excerpt Civil Liberties and the Otherization of Arab and Muslim Americans (chapter four), and Nadine Naber excerpt Arab Americans and U.S. Racial Formations (Introduction), we see just how this clash came about pre and post 9/11. That while the aftermath of 9/11 saw the rise in the racialization of Muslim and Arab Americans, we must not forget that these groups of people were not so much invisible due to the fact that America (i.e. “dominant mainstream” (Jamal 119)) has always viewed those they deem as “other” (i.e. minority) as inferior. Due to this framework, they have racialized any group of people that are not considered American as “other.” However (as stated) following an event like 9/11, the racialization of Muslims and Arabs Americans became perpetuated more so; and at an even more dangerous level.
Movies, one can argue, are one of America’s greatest pastimes. Unfortunately, after 9/11, films have become increasingly prejudiced against American Muslims. In movies Muslims are frequently portrayed negatively. According to James Emery, a professor of Anthropology, Hollywood profits off of “casting individuals associated with specific negative stereotypes”. This is due to the fact that viewers automatically link characters with their clichéd images (Emery). For Muslims, the clichéd image is of the violent fundamentalist, who carried out the terroristic attacks on 9/11. As a result, the main stereotypes involved in movies display Muslims as extremists, villains, thieves, and desert nomads. An example of a movie that has such a negative character role for Muslims in film is Disney’s cartoon Aladdin, depict...
In the essay, the writer acknowledges the misunderstandings that come from media images by explaining the contrasts between these images and the teachings of the faith to support her claim that fear is the reason for this misconception. The conception that many people have of Muslims is that they are terrorists, anti-Semites, and fanatics. This conception exsists because television news and newspapers support that stereotype. The broadcast of such stereotypes encourages fear and accusations of the Islamic relegion's teachings. The writer explains that Islam teaches peace, tolerance, and equality. She further states that Muslims shown in the media have violated these teachings ...
The White Savior Complex is a damaging subconscious underlay of the Hollywood system, and more broadly all of western society. It is used to further separate the notions of “us” and “other” by creating a firm separation fueled by self-righteousness, and a sense of entitlement. Hollywood attempts to address race relations, but fails because of this trope. Kingsle, from the article “Does My Hero Look White In This?” described that both racism and colonialism are acknowledged, but not without reassuring that not only were white people against the system of racist power dynamics, but also were actively fighting against it in leadership roles (2013). In the remainder of my essay I will be commenting on many modern films and their use on this trope, and why subscribing to this filmmaking strategy is problematic.
Jack Shaheen’s essay “The Media’s Image of Arabs” explains how the media has birthed false images of Arabs. The media continues to maintain stereotypes of Arabs. The majority of Arab characters shown on the television are rarely shown as victims or ordinary people (Shaheen 85). If America were a melting pot, it would show diversity in a positive way. There would be more acceptance of Middle Eastern immigrants and their descendants. Likewise, Americans would be more accepting of all cultures that inhabit America. As a melting pot, the numerous cultures, races and individuals of America should blend together as a whole (Merriam-Webster). Though, America today is not blended. Americans as a group are not a whole, but they are made up of different groups sectioned off by invisible boundaries. In order for America to be the “melting pot” it is claimed to be, Ameri...
There have been many twists and turns in the ways in which the black experience was represented in mainstream America cinema. But the repetition of stereotypical figures, drawn from ‘slavery days’ has never entirely disappeared (Hall, 1997). A Stereotype can be described as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing (Oxford University Press, 2014) and can affect the target by getting hold of a few simple, vivid, memorable, easily grouped and widely recognised characteristic, about a person and reduce everything to the specific traits and exaggerate them (Hall, 1997). One of the most well-known stereotype has to be the ‘Black-stereotype’ which can be seen in all media productions ranging from news, film, music videos, reality television and other programming and forms of entertainment. Beginning around 1830, the history of African-Americans is a centuries old struggle against oppression and discrimination and because of these major issues, popular representations of racial ‘difference’ during slavery, has caused two main themes that are seen as blackface stereotypes today.
There are billions of movies around the world whether it involves comedy, horror, drama, action etc. There are also many movies that include different races and cultures such as Italians, Greeks, Britain’s, Africans Americans, Arabs and so many more. What I will be focusing on is how Arabs are portrayed in movies. Many movies that are encountered around the world which include Arabs are very informative, interesting and rich in history. What I will be writing in this paper is how Arabs are portrayed in “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan” and analyzing is as well. A famous actor named Adam Sandler was the main character in this movie in which he also produced this comedy genre movie. Even though this movie didn’t get the best ratings, reviews and it was stereotypical in a way, however, I liked it because of the fact that it involves Israel’s and Palestinians and since I am a Palestinian, I was interested in watching this movie, even if it upset me because it reminded of what is currently going in Palestine now and the fact that they tried to make Zohan look like an angel in this movie. However, Palestine and Israeli has been an issue for thousands of years and this movie touches some base on it. So I will be giving a description of this film, my opinion on it and some history that involves this film about the Palestinians and Israel’s.
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...
In Shohat and Stam’s article, Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the media (2013), they discuss the issue of racism within the media and entertainment industry, such as Hollywood films. More importantly, Shohat and Stam’s discuss the assertion of racial politics in casting within the Hollywood films industry. The interesting idea to their argument is that they suggest that for a film to become financially successful, the casting of the protagonist must consist of a white star as they are seen to be ethnically universal (Shohat & Stam, 190). They further suggest that the ethnic minority have been limited to designated roles which ultimately perpetuate their ethnic stereotype (Shohat & Stam, 190). They concern this issue by critically analysing and contrasting western Hollywood films against other ethnic films.
Orientalism as termed by Edward Said is meant to create awareness of a constellation of assumptions that are flawed and underlying Western attitudes towards the Muslim societies. Evidence from his 1978 book “Orientalism”, states that the culture has been of influence and marred with controversy in post colonial studies and other fields of study. Moreover, the scholarship is surrounded by somehow persistent and otherwise subtle prejudice of Eurocentric nature, which is against Islam religion and culture (Windschuttle, 1999). In his book, Said illustrates through arguments, that the long tradition in existence containing romanticized images of Islamic stronghold regions i.e. Middle East, and the Western culture have for a long time served as implicit justifications for the European and American Imperial ambitions. In light of this, Said denounced the practice of influential Arabs who contributed to the internalization of Arabic culture ideas by US and British orientalists. Thus, his hypothesis that Western scholarship on Muslim was historically flawed and essentially continues to misrepresent the reality of Muslim people. In lieu to this, Said quotes that, “So far as the United States seems to be concerned, it is only a slight overstatement to say that Muslims and Arabs are essentially seen as either oil suppliers or potential terrorists. Therefore, very few details such as human density, the passion of Arab-Muslim life has entered the awareness of even the people whose profession revolve around reporting of the Arab world. Due to this, we have instead a series of crude, essentialized caricatures of the Islamic world presented in such a way as to make that world vulnerable to military aggression” (Said, 1980).
We live in an age and time where media influence is at its highest. The media has an impact on us as an audience through every possible medium including both television and print media. As scientists find and cure diseases, as America finds a new country to invade, as the European markets fluctuate, there has been one constant subject prevalent in the Western media- Islam. 1.6 billion people in the world are of the Muslim religion (Desilver 2013), making it the world’s second largest religion, second to Christianity. Even prior to the events of 9/11, the religion of Islam has been under scrutiny by the media. Edward Said, infamous for his works on Orientalism has greatly contributed to our understanding of the Western misunderstanding of the Eastern based religion. Said has defined Orientalism as the Western’s style of domination, reconstruction, and authority over the Orient (Said 1978: 3). Orientalism has observable effects in the most forms of media. As a result, and irrational fear of Islam and those that practice the religion began-Islamophobia. As defined by the International Civil Liberties Alliance, Islamophobia is “a term which is widely used by NGOs and frequently appears in the media, tends to denote fear, hatred or prejudice against Islam and Muslim” (ICLA 2013). This project will attempt to understand what the audience perception is about Islamophobia in the media. It will aim to uncover the ways in which television channels amplify common misperceptions about Islam. As a Muslim myself, this is an area that has always been of interest to me, and like many audiences I have been able to witness the dimensions of Islamophobia s depicted by the western media. After the events of September 2001, the fears of Islam and ...
Movies are an unbelievably important escape for many people across the world. Films can take a viewer to another place or time and since the beginning of society, performances have been a staple of cultural. Films show a perception of reality, for better or for worse. Many see films and the cultural that it is in and think that it must be a accurate depiction, which sometimes unfairly puts a stigma on a group of people or a cultural. Hollywood has been able to expand all over the world, and many think The objective of promoting American culture through Hollywood movies is to dominate the other cultural communities around the world and become the universal culture of the world.