Edward Said addresses how many people take practice in "othering", which is creating an image of others. He also argues of the depiction or portrayal of others through the media. This depiction of a certain group of people, culture, or country by "othering" is extremely bad because it interferes with people truly getting to know each other. In other words, "it gives one a preconceived notion of a place, its inhabitants and its culture". For example, people sometimes have a preconceived notion of me since I am from Colombia. People assume that all Colombians smoke or sell marijuana or cocaine. This assumption really gets me angry! I dislike the way that Colombians are portrayed in the Media; viewers are forced to believe that all or most Colombians deal with drugs, narcotics, or the black market. Obviously, this is not true. Colombia did have huge problems with drugs several years ago when Pablo Escobar (the Colombian drug lord) was practically controlling Colombia; however, Colombia is a different country today. I am not justifying what occurred in Colombia nor am I saying that drugs are not used there today, but it is certainly a much cleaner and safer country. Also, people tend to accuse or think of Colombia as being a drug country, but drugs exist worldwide and they are used illegally a lot in the United States too. In addition, I am proud of saying that I am Colombian and that I have never and do not intend on having drugs in my life. I am against the use of drugs.
People of "color" are often judged before speaking with as well. Hollywood is, for many reasons, the blame for this. In many movies, people of "color" are portrayed as being violent, and committing many crimes such as rape, murder, and burglary. For example, one of my grandmothers who was very light-skinned was very prejudice against colored people because of how they were depicted through the media during her lifetime. However, from personal experience, I know that not all people of color are violent. Instead, I have many African-American friends who are very sweet. Again, just like with drugs, violence can not be related to just one specific race, culture, or country; it exists worldwide.
A preconceived notion that many people have of Mexicans in the United States is that they are short, ugly, perverted immigrants who live in a two-room apartment with thirteen other roommates. It sounds very harsh; however, the sad reality is that many people do say this about Mexicans. Mexicans are hardworking immigrants who migrate to the United States to better their lives, but unfortunately they are ridiculed by the majority of the remaining population. These preconceived notions of people are also given to people from Afghanistan and India. For example, people from Afghanistan are portrayed as terrorists while Indians are portrayed as having bad odor.
These preconceived notions all originate from the Media, whether it is art, televison, or film. This is not a good idea for one to carry with them throughout their lives. For instance, one might expect something out of a person just by judging them from their identity or culture. This creates false expectations. Not everyone is the same. Although people that come from the same country are similar in numerous ways or follow the same traditions, it does not mean that their characteristics or actions are the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment