The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: DixieBelle on May 01, 2008, 12:01:26 PM
-
BEIRUT (Reuters) - American films and TV dramas shot since the September 11 attacks have reinforced screen images of Arabs and Muslims as fanatics and villains, ingraining harmful stereotypes, argues an author on the subject.
In his book "Guilty -- Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11", Jack Shaheen praises some post-September 11 films for offering a more sympathetic image of Arabs and Muslims, who he argues have been castigated for decades by Hollywood.
But he says that too many have portrayed them in ever darker shades, criticizing films including "The Kingdom" (2007) and "The Four Feathers" (2002) and condemning the creation of a new "Arab-American bogeyman" in TV dramas such as "24".
"In the United States, you can say anything you want about Islam and Arabs and get away with it. In other words, as someone said, 'You can hit an Arab free'," said Shaheen -- also author of "Reel Bad Arabs -- How Hollywood Vilifies a People".
Shaheen, an American of Lebanese descent, has examined the treatment of Arabs and Muslims in some 1,000 films, including more than 100 shot since September 11.
From action movies such as "True Lies" (1994) to comedies including "Father of the Bride Part II" (1995) and Disney's animated "Aladdin" (1992), Shaheen identifies films that have perpetuated damaging stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.
"The images have remained primarily fixed and have only been changed in the sense that they have become more vindictive and damaging," he told Reuters in an interview in Beirut.
"What enables these images to persist and prevail? One of the primary reasons is silence," said Shaheen, a retired professor of mass communications who worked as a consultant on "Syriana" (2005) and "Three Kings" (1999).
"There's nobody in authority, no political leader, no Hollywood personality who has taken a stand and said that demonizing Arabs and Muslims is the same as demonizing Jews or blacks or Asians or any other racial or ethnic group."
"SELECTIVE FRAMING OF RADICALS"
In "Guilty", Shaheen credits films including "Babel" (2006) and "Rendition" (2007) for "more complex, even-handed Arab portraits". But "very few people are listening", he said.
"It's been very difficult, it's like being a salmon trying to swim upstream.
"What is done is selective framing of radicals: people saying 'death to America'. You cannot deny the reality -- there are people who really want to kill Americans. But those are basically the only images we see."
He describes last year's "The Kingdom" -- an action movie about FBI agents hunting terrorists in Saudi Arabia -- as one of the most damaging depictions of Arabs of recent times in which "even Arab children cannot be trusted".
Shaheen also charts a new trend of turning American Arabs and Muslims into "the new bogey person" and criticizes the TV drama "24" for its "vicious images of loathsome Muslim Americans as well as Americans with Arab roots".
Hollywood's depiction of Arabs has eased the path for U.S. administration policy, he argues. Decades of portraying Arabs and Muslims as the enemy "made it that much easier for us to go into Iraq", he said. "There were very few people protesting.
"The images help enforce policy," he said. "As the policy becomes more even-handed, perhaps films will reflect that.
"Plato said: 'Those who tell the stories rule society'. Nothing has changed, and the story tellers of today have a tremendous impact on the world as we perceive it."
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSL0132230620080501?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true
-
It is exactly the opposite. Hollywood is bending over backwards to NOT make arabs bad guys. True Lies could never be made post-9/11.
A very tiny number movies and shows do show arabs acting as terrorists because, well, 99% of all terrorists in the world are -- wait for it -- ARABS! Not just that, but they are muslim arabs!
-
It is exactly the opposite. Hollywood is bending over backwards to NOT make arabs bad guys. True Lies could never be made post-9/11.
A very tiny number movies and shows do show arabs acting as terrorists because, well, 99% of all terrorists in the world are -- wait for it -- ARABS! Not just that, but they are muslim arabs!
Oh, now you're just "profiling". :uhsure:
-
I finally saw The Kingdom and I thought it was decent movie. The action sequences were spectacular if you're into that kind of stuff. There was a lot of realism too in the way the Saudi's behaved. But, the supporting character who helped Jamie Foxx's character was a good guy. I can't believe they trashed that movie and called "vilifying". Especially since the events of the movie mirror history.
-
Just perhaps....as Rev. Wright has commented....the "chickens have come home to roost", so far as this group of medieval savages is concerned.....
Simple solution: Stop wrapping your children in C-4, and perhaps sensible people will begin to look at them differently.....
Actually, audiences have largely shunned Hollywood's efforts to portray Arabs/Muslims in a "fair" manner for a reason......after over 3000 funerals, most of us simply don't give a damn what they think.......
doc
-
It is exactly the opposite. Hollywood is bending over backwards to NOT make arabs bad guys. True Lies could never be made post-9/11.
A very tiny number movies and shows do show arabs acting as terrorists because, well, 99% of all terrorists in the world are -- wait for it -- ARABS! Not just that, but they are muslim arabs!
The Sum of All Fears, a book written by Tom Clancy, was about Muslim terrorists. What did Hollywood do? Made the few Muslims in the movie out to be people just trying to get by and made the terrorists white guys.
-
It is exactly the opposite. Hollywood is bending over backwards to NOT make arabs bad guys. True Lies could never be made post-9/11.
A very tiny number movies and shows do show arabs acting as terrorists because, well, 99% of all terrorists in the world are -- wait for it -- ARABS! Not just that, but they are muslim arabs!
The Sum of All Fears, a book written by Tom Clancy, was about Muslim terrorists. What did Hollywood do? Made the few Muslims in the movie out to be people just trying to get by and made the terrorists white guys.
Is that the one with Ben Affleck as Ryan? That was horrible casting!!!
-
The Sally Fields movie "Not Without My Daughter" seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. I wonder why?
-
The Sally Fields movie "Not Without My Daughter" seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. I wonder why?
That is the docudrama about the American married to a Saudi that wanted to divorce him and take her kids back to the US right?
Happened in RL......
doc
-
The Sally Fields movie "Not Without My Daughter" seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. I wonder why?
That is the docudrama about the American married to a Saudi that wanted to divorce him and take her kids back to the US right?
Happened in RL......
doc
That's the one, but I was thinking it was in Iran.
-
Bunch of crybabies if you ask me. To imply that Arab and Islam are synonmous is ignorance on their part. Yeah, I know Islam came from the Arabs. Not all Arabs are Muslims. There are lot of Arabs in Hollywood. Granted, they are mostly Christian or Jewish.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jamie Farr
Wentworth Miller
William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Kristy McNichols
Tiffany
-
How is Jerry Seinfeld an Arab?
Oh, and no. Not all Arabs are Muslim. Just as not all Muslims are Arab. I.e., the Iranians are Persian. Hell, the largest population of Muslims in the world are in Indonesia.
-
How is Jerry Seinfeld an Arab?
Oh, and no. Not all Arabs are Muslim. Just as not all Muslims are Arab. I.e., the Iranians are Persian. Hell, the largest population of Muslims in the world are in Indonesia.
Mother side from Syria. There used to be a large Arab Jewish population once.
-
Mother side from Syria. There used to be a large Arab Jewish population once.
Did not know that. You learn something new every day.