Preview

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
414 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People
I watched the film called “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People”. This film is based on how Hollywood portrays Arabs as “sub-humans” in movies which creates myths and stereotypes of Arabic men, woman, teenagers, and children. Most of this myths and stereotypes were inherited from Europeans people and some myths and stereotypes came about immediately after WWI due to the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, The Arabic Oil Embargo, and The Iranian Revolution. Some myths about Arabic people are that they ride on a magic carpet, they charm snakes out of a basket, and the Arabic women are belly-dancers. Some of the movies that involved stereotyping were “The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington(1977),“ “Rides Of Lost Art(1988),“ and “True Lies(1994)“ these movies portrayed Arabic’s as stockvillians and comic reliefs and the only purpose is a “cheap …show more content…

The films goes on to speak about how politics and Hollywood movies are interchangeable with each other that is the reason why there are so much stereotyping in Hollywood movies. I found this topic to be so true and dear to me. I was one of these people that was getting entrainment from many of the movies that was discussed and listed in this “Reel Bad Arabs” movie for many years, even one came on cable TV last week I watched and was entertain by it. And yes, I can say that I developed many of these sterotypes about Arabic people, I became a great injustice to the Arbic people as well. I truly believe that this was a crucial learning process for myself and I will be very cautious of any future stereotyping of the Arabic people. I just can’t help to think that Hollywood movies have more of influence than we are aware of and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Ca Twiste a Popenguine

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Absa's use of untrained actors/actresses works well in this film by giving it a flavor of reality. I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in seeing things from a non-western point of view or anyone wanting to see how different cultures interact and intertwine. If you do not like subtitled/foreign films, I would not recommend this movie unless you have a grasp of the French language. There is some fun poked at the differences involving Islam and Christianity, so if you are not tolerant or can't find humor in religion, you may be slightly offended.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dear White People Movie is about the very important point of view of the modern era. Justin Simian illustrated the main point of view that it is very difficult for the black students to study into the white campus. They face many problems such as if they are involved in the political party then they are considered the main cause of discriminatory particularly on the basis of religion or race. The main purpose of creating a movie is to finish the discriminant between the white and black and creating a sense between them. So in this way the neutralism can be created.…

    • 1195 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethnic Notions properly documents racial stereotypes though out this film using cultural evidence and supporting opinions of members with in this field of study. In addition Ethnic Notions uproots many popular depictions and presents them clearly using firm supporting evidence. Evidence such as American films, poems, books, songs, forms of dance, and depictive objects are used to show and present these descriptions to the viewer. Ethnic notions Touches upon the beliefs that these ethnic stereotypes and caricatures subliminally taint American popular…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Movie Crash Essay

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The movie tells stories about racism between whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops and criminals. The different levels of the rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless are also shown in the movie. The lives of the characters crash against each other. The most people feel prejudice and resentment against people of other groups.…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    HUM3321 Capstone Essay

    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cited: Andre, Judith. "Stereotypes: Conceptual and Normative Considerations." Multicultural Film: An Anthology. By Kathryn Cashin and Lauren Martilli. Spring/Summer 2013 ed. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 79-83. Print.…

    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the opening scenes of the movie you can see a darker man riding a camel in traditional Arab clothing. The man is traveling through a desert with the sun beaming down on him. This scene is very typical when the Middle East is thought of. Sure part of the Middle East is covered in desert but that is only a small part of it. Some parts of the Middle East are covered in lush forest and mountains with wide rivers running through, and camels are not the only form of transportation in the Arab world. These images are only a small part of what the Middle East contains. This stereotype is a big one and is abused in the Disney movie.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This article discusses how Arab 's migrated to the United States and the labeling of various groups of Arabs as well as confusion with other Middle Easterners. Moreover, it talks about how racism and discrimination of the Arab Americans ever since September 11, 2001. Additionally, it points out that many Arab Americans that are not too fluent in English and are not citizens of the United States are seldom social and more private with their life.…

    • 2296 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Does Hollywood dehumanize Muslims and Arabs? Many writers and organizations think so. They assert that racial and ethnic stereotyping that has been otherwise abandoned by the cinema continues to apply to these groups. Columnist Jay Stone, for instance, observes that it "appears we're down to one group, the Arabs. When was the last time you saw an Arab character in a movie who was anything but one of the three Bs (billionaire, bomber, belly dancer)?"1 Hala Maksoud, president of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, in a complaint to NBC regarding an episode of the television series, The West Wing, asserts that "Arabs remain fair game for the entertainment industry in this…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social Dichotomy Of Race

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages

    There is a long history of showing negative stereotypes in both film and television. The particular negative images used in television and films...come from a long legacy of social inequality and oppression, and their retelling strengthens these beliefs in white supremacy. By showing the negative stereotypes of minorities, the majority is able to justify the subordination of racial minority groups. When stereotypes are shown to us so regularly, negative images of racial minorities become a part of the collective consciousness.…

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethnic Notions Analysis

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The film Ethnic Notions is a documentary about the developments and effects of Black stereotypes throughout U.S. history. It touches on imagery which kept African Americans oppressed in the eyes of popular culture. Ethnic Notions trace caricatures in stories, children books, animations, theatre, and other forms of popular media. Caricatures serve as a catalyst to sustaining an America that sees African Americans in an unfavorable light. The theme throughout this documentary is dehumanization of African Americans. Finally, the documentary concerns itself with the dehumanization of Americans through stereotypes and racially charged objects because these elements have contributed to a misrepresentation of African Americans.…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arabs are weakened, threatened and put into risk for every stereotypical connotation made about them by the Western Media. In Jack Shaheen’s “The Media’s Image of Arab,” the author sheds light on how Arabs are portrayed adversely in American culture. The author’s goal is to challenge the common stereotype given to Arabs by the media. To reach his aim, Shaheen provides in a variety of useful methods, such that inductive and deductive reasoning, emotional and intellectual appeal, as well as deeper connections to his experience as an Arab under the Western media microscope. Furthermore, the ethos he creates allows him to deliver his goal easily.…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This movie made me very thankful for everything I have in my life, including my shoes. I found it sad that Ali could not just speak up for himself. If Ali would have asked the man working the grocery store about the shoes, then he might not go to all the trouble in the first place. I found it sad that the children had to work, and never got to play. The quality of life for this family bothered me deeply, and it made me blessed for the childhood that I had. The kids in this movie worked almost as servants to the adults, maintained pristine manors, and showed great perseverance. I noticed most of the adults in the movie were very strict, stern, and seemed like they were not afraid to beat a child. Ali made some of the highest grades in his class despite his hardships, he was a responsible kid. I just don’t understand why he did not speak up about the shoes to his teacher, principle, or coach. It was sad to see kids having to stick together, and share a pair of shoes to prevent one of them from getting a beating. Ali’s sister should have asked the other girl wearing her shoes, where she got them. The girl may have just given them to her in exchange for the pen, or when she received her new shoes. This movie was one hardship after another, heartbreaking for me to watch. It makes me want to donate shoes for children who may not have any at all. It was sad to see people in the movie live in lavish mansion, and then compare it to Ali’s home. Ali’s dad was paid very good for his gardening work, this money would be a precious asset to his family. When the man at the mosque gave Ali’s dad the tools, this showed how the Islamic community supported the others in need. Overall it seemed like a rough situation to…

    • 344 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the movie Said defines the term Orientalism and describing the origins of this confusion between Eastern from Western writers and the colonizers from the 18th Century to the present day. As Edward Said’s explains, an American Palestinian cultural theorist has written upon a diverse range of Western literature and culture. In another words he defines somebody who comes from the West, in the role of the other. By looking at the history of the term "Orientalism" as defined by western philosophers, Said argues that the West continue to define Arab cultures as a kind of eroticized other. Said goes on to discuss how such treatment of the Arab world by Western scholars is deeply imbedded in power structures and continues to degrade the Arab world; which also reduces Arab…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is noticed that the revolution and the Arab Spring creates the contemporary Arab film. The war and revolution and tragedies are the new realities in the contemporary Arab filmmaking and it shows through the characters or the plots. Simple techniques are used; in Tunis for instance they can shoot with their devices just to highlight some issues that were restrained earlier by the government. The filmmakers became braver speaking out loud of what they are foreseeing in their societies. It was a big challenge for the directors not to be biased in their opinion while transmitting their messages through their films. In Yemen, some families over passed conservative traditions like “The Mulberry House” the film by Sara IshaQ where the director was able to shoot with a camera live in the family’s house broadcasting their private life to the outside. The revolution reflects as well on the education of the people, people starts to want to know more about the international politics to understand further their situation and to be able to foresee their future. The contemporary Arab film speaks more in the language and western techniques because directors were able to convince people from the society that it is better for the Arabs to benefit of what we have rather than the…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Farewell Arabia

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Actually this is my first time that I had watched this film, but I heard about it from some student while I was in secondary school. I thought from the beginning that the film will be nice and interesting, because it will talk about something important such as Arabia worlds and Sheikh Zayed from the past. I didn’t think that some foreign person will make a video about Arabia world, which told me that our world is interesting to talk about.…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays