Prompt #4: That's Entertainment!

As mentioned by Professor Jack Shaheen in the second video clip, Hollywood has for years created images of the "other". As a result, the viewers also create an image of the "other" by watching these films. "We are all image makers," Shaheen pointed out. In many films, different cultures and people are ridiculed. The viewers, of course, enjoy these films and laugh. At the moment the viewers might think that the purpose of these films is to entertain; however, there is a second intention to why these films are made. Hollywood is creating stereotypes and racism through these films.

Furthermore, in the video clips both Africans and Arabs are being portrayed in a negative way. The first video, for example, is a comedy. The viewers, including myself, laugh at some point in the clip. When I watched it, I immediately noticed how the people of color are made fun of for their physical characteristics. They are portrayed as having big lips, an elongated neck, for being slaves, working on the fields while picking cotton, eating watermelons, being from the "south", etc. Also, the clip shows two pretty, clean dogs but after two bombs exploded, they are portrayed as being ugly and black. Although the clips are funny to the viewers, Africans are being portrayed in a negative way and it is because of the way that Hollywood creates images of the "other". Unfortunately, the sad reality is that comedy sells and Hollywood is forced to create these images to make money.

The second film explains how Arabs have been vilified by Hollywood. Throughout the past century, Arabs have been portrayed as being hateful and cruel and are continually shown handling bombs and guns. To make their image worse, they are depicted as being suicidal terrorists. Professor Shaheen also mentions how "Arab land" is a fictional setting where Hollywood always starts with the desert as a threatening place, an oasis is added, there is a palace with a torture chamber in the basement, and snakes are being programmed in and out of baskets. Men are also portrayed as being very possessive of their women. For example, in the movie Sahara, an Arab is forcing a woman to strip her clothes off. In several other movies, women are continuously shown belly dancing, seducing their men, as if they were not useful for something else. However, Arab women are very bright and intelligent. They do succeed in many professions, but instead they are viewed as sensual belly dancers. All of these images contribute to the negative image that we have of the Arabs and it is ethically wrong. Instead of allowing people of different cultures judge the "other" from personal experience, Hollywood is causing viewers to build a negative image of the "other" from what they view on the television screen.

We are all an "other" to everybody else; therefore, we should not judge or have preconceived notions of people who are different from us, have been raised in a different culture and in a different way than we have. Everyone has different beliefs. Individuality is the beautiful thing about the world. Be different and learn from one another; that is the idea! Furthermore, Edward Said's main points in Orientalism are also shown in these video clips. People have for centuries become accustomed to "othering" or creating an image of others. Just like people have preconceived notions of Arabs and Africans, it also occurs with Asians, Colombians, Mexicans, Cubans, Europeans, Americans, etc.