Films: A key to the subconscious

Look at almost any major motion picture released in the past century, and you will undoubtedly come across numerous stereotypes and generalizations. These can be evident in the forms of characters, events, or settings written into the plot that, subtle or not, often represent a greater mentality. Hollywood films have long been an outlet for mass forms of expression, often going so far as to characterize a group or a generation. Another, more harmful thing that films have tended to characterize are a world of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Nowhere is this more evident than the role that Arab characters so often play. In nearly every film, an Arab character is portrayed as a savage, brutal, almost inhumane individual who lacks the necessary social grace to even communicate with sophisticated Western counterparts. This is both offensive and demeaning to Arabs everywhere and has actually increased in recent years, despite the fact that communication between the Arab and Western worlds is at an all-time high.

Where does this come from, however? In my opinion, it all stems from a lack of understanding. For centuries, the Arab world was extremely mysterious and even exotic to the average Westerner. Since geographical, political, and cultural factors prevented a true cultural exchange between the two worlds, an air of uncertainty existed. This uncertainty soon grew into animosity and outright rejection of Arab people, and they came to be viewed as lesser individuals. An instance such as this shows that while technology and communication mediums have made the world far smaller, certain prejudices die hard.
-Dylan Parker