Arabians are dehumanized in the film industry. They are thought of stupid and foolish human beings. The film industry shows Arabs in a way that makes it okay for them to be killed. One point in particular is the little girl shown in “Rules of Engagement”. The actor Samuel L. Jackson sees a little girl that only has one leg and he follows her to a hospital where he sees people that were injured in the shooting that he had told his men to engage in. This little Arabian girl almost makes the audience think that the massacre that had been was not worth it. Then, it shows the little girl shooting at the soldiers; this again changed the minds of the viewers and shows that even young Arabian children are to be hated. This kind of imagery makes all Arabs seem to be villains and terrorists in the film industry. This kind of imagery makes the Arabians seem to be little more than animals that are only worried about themselves and the progression of their causes, beliefs and way of life. The human characteristics of Arabians are not shown on the silver screen; they are stripped of most emotions, characteristic and general lives. By doing this, the movie industry makes it alright for people to make fun Arabs. Arabians are thought of as “sub humans” and therefore can be made fun of on a regular basis throughout the history of movies. Hollywood keeps Arabians in the past and does not show their cultural growth. Complexity in the lives of Arabs is hardly ever shown in any films.
The same stereotypes used in movies in the early black and white days of movies are still used today. This is especially true for an Arabian woman. The more the average Arabian woman progresses in her society, the more Hollywood uses her in movies with restrictions from the past. This is true in the movie “Father of the Bride 2” where an Arabian man is trying to buy main character’s house. When the wife of the Arabic man tries to speak up, she is silenced by a slew of gibberish. Arab women in films are also often dressed in “see-through pantaloons” and other such outfits that are revealing. Belly dancer costumes are quite popular as well for women. Americans embrace the myth of the stereotypical Arab and does not want their view to change. These stereotypes are shown to children at a very young age, in cartoon films such as Disney’s “Aladdin”. This kind of thinking keeps racism present in modern societies. Americans are brainwashed into believing that all Arabs are terrorists, and foolish ones at that, by the film making companies. This kind of thinking causes racism to escalate into hate crimes and Americans attacking Arabs and Muslims.
Another reason Arabs are thought low of is their religion. Many Arabic people are Muslim. There is intolerance towards the Islamic religion in the United States. In a country that is so proud of its many freedoms, including the freedom of religion, it is far away from being accepting of Muslims. Muslims are often stereotyped as terrorists, because so many Arabs are Muslim and Arabs were the cause for much pandemonium in American. This includes the 9/11 crisis as well as the oil price increases in the 1970s and kidnapping of American diplomats by Arabic students. The few things that Arabs have done to American have in turn given America a reason to tarnish the Arabic culture and Islamic religion in the eyes of Hollywood. During the Oklahoma City bombing investigation, the American government was noted saying that the bombing did seem like something a Middle Easterner would do. This was an assumption that turned out to be incorrect. The bombing was organized by a white, Irish, Catholic male. White, Irish, Catholic males, however, are not stereotyped by the act of this one man. Although, with the stereotypes given to them, Arabs are all mostly Muslim terrorists because of the way they are shown in Hollywood films.
The Hollywood film industry makes light of the bad name it gives Arabs. Americans do not take Arabs seriously. The way Arabs have acted in the past, from conflicts to oil prices, is a way that Hollywood justifies the degradation of the Arabic people. Israel and Palestine fight over land in the Middle East. The American government sides with Israel. This makes Palestine America’s enemy since the American ally is Israel. America wants to help Israel defeat Palestine. With this conflict occurring, Palestine is made into an enemy and used as a terroristic fool in many movies. This is a way Hollywood justifies the dehumanization of the Palestinian people. These portrayals in films once again lead to hatred in the United States towards Arab and Muslim people. Arabs are attacked because of what people think they are because of movies from Hollywood.
Americans want to believe the myth. Americans want to believe the fantasy of the oriental. Arab women are dressed in either revealing belly dancer clothing or covered head to toe in dark clothing. Men are thought to be terrorists because some Arabic men are against America. Once one Arab does something that the American public does not agree with, and then all Arabs are grouped together and thought down upon. This is the view that Americans are shown in almost all movies that include Arabs. Arabs are always the villains. “Aladdin” to Indiana Jones and “Back to the Future” all include an Arab as a “bad guy” at some point in the movie. Also, Arabs are not only the villains, but shown as stupid as well. Their plans do not go as planned; the Arab is only in the scene for a quick, cheap joke.
As the documentary played, I was appalled at how often Arabs were used as the villain in so many movies. As a child I had watched “Aladdin” and had never quite caught the words to the opening song. This is what people show their children. After watching this documentary and seeing how often Arabs are used in the same role, it is not surprising that Americans are so intolerant to them. Movies, a greatly used medium of entertainment in America, show Arabs as stupid villains. After being shown these images throughout one’s life, how is someone supposed to think of Arabs? If all someone has ever known is what he or she has seen in movies, then he or she is bound to easily believe what Hollywood has to say about Arabs. Popular culture degrades the Arab and, consequently, the American public degrades Arabs.
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