Stereotypes In The Book 1984 By George Orwell

For years, America has been regarded as a welcoming country for all races, all ethnicities. Yet this reputation is untrue as long as Americans continue to impose the exact opposite within their country’s own walls. Arab Americans have been a racial discrimination target for years, increasingly following the attacks at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Ever since this horrendous event, performed by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, their fellow Muslims have been the victims of racial profiling. This type of discrimination can also be seen in the book 1984 by George Orwell. While America and George Orwell’s Oceania have many differences, they still share many similarities concerning terror
In the United States, surveillance increased after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Airports now check every traveler, sometimes even for domestic travel. Writer Ghada Quaisi Audi illustrates this point by stating “the incidents of Arabs being stopped, interrogated, and detained at airports and other border points has skyrocketed” in an article titled “Challenges Facing the Arab American Community from a Legal Perspective”. This demonstrates how biased surveillance can be, no matter how good the intent. George Orwell illustrates this in 1984 when he states instances where a “‘child hero’ ...had overheard some compromising remark and denounced its parents to the Thought Police.” (Orwell 13). Many people’s fears often outweigh their common sense, causing unnecessary actions and violence. Although much of this is created by the individuals themselves, the behavior can also be influenced by
This bias can be illustrated in a video recording of a citizens’ hearing in which Mr. Bilal Mahmoud “received an initial notification from T.S.A. on [his] insecurity stating that [he] posed a threat to national security.” Mr. Mahmoud was of African-American descent, had never been arrested, had served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, and had not had a traffic violation in 17 years. Yet he had been labeled on the same level, maybe even worse, than one who had committed extremist atrocities. George Orwell’s Oceania is not much different. “Foreigners, whether from Eurasia or from Eastasia, were a kind of strange animal. One literally never saw them except in the guise of prisoners” he states (Orwell 66). Therefore, it does not come to much surprise when one who has never interacted with foreigners, is easily turned against them. In the case of Muslims, Obeidallah states that “more than 60 percent of Americans don’t even personally know a Muslim.” This demonstrates how much people actually know about this entire race of