Writing Assignment 3
First off, I want to say that this was a very interesting video. For people who think of Muslims as bad, hate filled people this would be an extremely good video to have them watch. I have friends who are Muslims so I have never seen them the way that Dave did or the way that some of the random people who were interviewed do. I had my mother watch it and she seemed to think afterwards that maybe they were ok people, whereas before, she used to complain about the Mosques in Iowa City and she blamed all Muslims for 9/11.
I see examples of ethnocentric reactions all throughout the entire segment. Most all of Dave’s reactions where that of ethnocentric reactions. He thought that the Muslims would look like a women with a sheet covering her entire face and a man as having an AK-47 and being at war with someone. Dave had an issue with Shamael after Shamael told Dave that his wife was uncomfortable being in their house alone with Dave due to their religious customs. When Dave was talking to Ameer about what Muslims do for fun, Dave couldn’t understand why Alcohol was bad, he could control himself so why not have the alcohol. It was the same at the ballgame, Dave made the comment that the one thing that would make the ballgame better would be to have a beer. I think when Dave took them to the county fair that it was his way of showing an ethnocentric reaction to the Muslims not eating pork because he intentionally took Shamael and his wife over to see the pigs. Dave’s reaction to being in the Mosque and the prayer, at first he just stood there because he felt that since it wasn’t about ‘Jesus Christ’ in his eyes he was turning his back on The Lord or the Holy Trinity. When they were all eating and the debate started over Muslims I think that everyone present had an ethnocentric reaction. The Muslims where trying to back up their way as being better and Dave was attacking their way looking at it as it was inferior to his