Veiled Women, Murderous Men: Stereotypes in Hollywood Analytical Essay by scribbler
Veiled Women, Murderous Men: Stereotypes in Hollywood
A discussion on the stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims in American film.
# 153436
| 2,083 words
| 8 sources
| APA
| 2013
| 
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Description:
The paper discusses how in Hollywood movies, directors fall back on stereotypes of different groups of people when they wish to indicate quickly to their audiences that a character is likely to be a hero or a villain. The paper explores how Arabs and Muslims are depicted in American popular culture and especially in films, and discusses how the Arab serves simply as an "other" upon which Western (non-Arab) audiences can paint their own desires. Furthermore, the paper explains that the Arab is portrayed to reflect the things that Westerners fear, so they become the vessel for violence, hate, intolerance, blind obedience and stupidity. The paper specifically examines images of Arabs and Muslims since 9/11 and relates that most of the depictions of Arabs have been of terrorists. The paper concludes that no reasonable person is suggesting that American films deny the carnage caused by Islamist terrorists, but Arabs and Muslims in American films should be depicted as a group of people as good and bad as any other.
Outline:
A Century of Palm Trees, Scimitars, and Street Rats
Arabs as the "Other"
Images of Arabs and Muslims Since 9/11
Outline:
A Century of Palm Trees, Scimitars, and Street Rats
Arabs as the "Other"
Images of Arabs and Muslims Since 9/11
From the Paper:
"Hollywood loves stereotypes. It always has. Part of the reason for this is the restrictions that the medium of film places on its creators: In a two-hour time frame, a lot of narrative short cuts have to be made. Movies talk in shorthand as a result of time constraints, and a substantial part of the shorthand that directors fall back on are the myths of the larger culture. This means, in the case of Hollywood movies, that directors fall back on stereotypes of different groups of people when they wish to indicate quickly to their audiences that a character is likely to be a hero or a villain. Stereotypes are an extremely efficient form of short-hand."There would be nothing wrong with such a strategy if it had only a literary basis. If the bad guys in films were always designated as such to the viewers because they literally wore blue hats, for example, while the heroes were purple, the effect would be unintentionally comic at times, but without any truly unfortunate effects in the world off the big screen. However, this is of course not the case. The bad guys in films are often chosen to reflect some of the most pernicious stereotypes of the larger culture. This phenomenon can be clearly seen in the ways in which Arabs and Muslims are depicted in American popular culture and especially in films."
Sample of Sources Used:
- Heller, K. (1998). Muslims Feel Under Siege From Hollywood Arab Groups Decry A Sinister Depiction In The Siege.
- Michalak, L. (1988). Cruel and Unusual: Negative Images of Arabs in Popular Culture. Washington, DC: ADC Research Institute.
- Shaheen, J. (2007). Reel bad Arabs. Retrieved from http://www.democracynow.org/2007/10/19/reel_bad_arabs_how_hollywood_vilifies
- Simon, S. (1996). Arabs in Hollywood. Retrieved from http://pages.emerson.edu/organizations/fas/latent_image/issues/1996-04/arabs.htm.
- Sirota, D. (2011). Anti-Muslim bigotry rooted in pop culture. Retrieved from http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-03-11/opinion/28678574_1_anti-muslim-radicalization-american-muslim.
Cite this Analytical Essay:
APA Format
Veiled Women, Murderous Men: Stereotypes in Hollywood (2013, June 02)
Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/veiled-women-murderous-men-stereotypes-in-hollywood-153436/
MLA Format
"Veiled Women, Murderous Men: Stereotypes in Hollywood" 02 June 2013.
Web. 31 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/veiled-women-murderous-men-stereotypes-in-hollywood-153436/>