"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." ~Ghandi
Monday, September 10, 2012
Stereotypes and Aladdin: A Misrepresented Middle East?
What are your thoughts on Middle Eastern stereotypes that have seemingly infiltrated our media? Does it surprise you? Has it shaped your own definition of the region?
I think that most middle eastern stereotypyes are the same. i man with a dark complection and a heavy accent. this doesnt suprise me because the few dealings we have had, have all been with men like that. it has shaped the way i look at the ME. when i went to the UAE i was surprised because it was so much like the US. the terrorist groups have shaped the way we think about the ME. I believe that if they did not exist, the stereotypes might not all be the same.
It doesn't surprise me too much because a lot of our media is stereotypical of everything: african americans, asians, gays, lesbians, geeks, jocks, cheerleaders. The list goes on. I'd say the difference is that the ones I listed above, I know my own truth about the them besides what is put in the media. For Middle Easterns though, I've heard so much less truth about them then what is in the media. Obviously I know they are not all terrorists or Muslims but that is all I've heard about them.
I think it's horrible that stereotypes are put into out media. Children see these things and think it is the truth because thet have nothing to compare it to. It is not fair to the countries that are getting degraded. It does suprise me, I didnt think that are media is that full of stereotypes. It has definitely shaped my defintion beacasue we are surrounded by all of the media.
I blieve that stereotypes about the Middle East are very dominant in our society. The media and the news all describe Middle Easterners all the same. If there is a bad guy in a story, it's usually a Middle Eastern man. This doesn't really suprise me because in the United States, many people listen to what they are told and believe everything their told. Many people do not think for themselves and do whatever they want to. After 9/11, people have looked at Middle Easterners differently. I'll admit it, my own definition of the Middle East has a lot of stereotypes. Hopefully that will change after Africa and the Middle East.
i personally think that it has infiltrated our media. Everyone seems to view the arabic people as a negative. at the airports they get chcked more for security, and i feel as though you would see them be looked down upon more for thier skin tone. the biggest stereotype is i think is that everyone is a terrorist, or that everyone works for al queda. ummm as far as effecting me, no i like to get to know people before i make judgements.
It is really interseting the think about the stereotypes that are being shown in the media in general. The media always turn things into stereotypes the scary part though is that there are people out there who believe everything the media is telling them. Which only furthers the sterotypes and creates new ones everyday. For the middle east we never really hear about much other then sterotypes so I think that is has shaped my definitions because what we are told are mostly sterotypes.
I think that these stereotypes that have infiltrated our media are a bit depressing because that is what people will grow up with. To me, it is the same as the 1901 geography text book. When people grow up with these types of surroundings they begin to perceive it as normal. It doesn't really surprise me that this is portrayed in children's films which were created in the U.S. It seems almost normal, in a sad and unfortunate way, that we, Americans, accept the fact that they are used in everyday media. It's quite depressing; however, that it's come to this. These sterotypes that have been infused into the media have definitely affected my perception of the region, which, once again, is unfortunate. I wish that they hadn't but they did and still do. I find myself very uneducated when it comes to the events, people, customs, etc. of the region because my views have been so greatly shaped by sterotypes.
It does not surprise me that stereotypes have infiltrated our media. There is so much misinformation about the Middle East that it is bound to appear in our media. Lacking education and knowledge can also contribute to these stereotypes. Media has definitely influenced my views of the Middle East. When you are learning things from fictional media you are going to get some fake information.
I'm surpised in different ways. In modern media it isn't suprising that there is a stigma against middle eastern people due to current circumstances(Not that it's ok), but it is eye-openign to see it in disney films that we all watched as kids. It really shows that Americans should't be so prentious and that we are just as judgemental as others
It doesn't surprise me that the media is so critical and stereotypical of the Middle East in general, but that the Middle East is portrayed in such a violent, brutal way in Aladdin did surprise me a bit. It was not something I noticed when I watched the movie when I was younger,or even last year, and that in ifself may reflect the ignorance and bias of our culture. I think that the media has played a huge role in creating a stereotype and bias of the Middle East and the people who live there and that has influenced the way Americans view the Middle East.
I hadn't ever really listened to the song in the intro before. i was a touch shocked by it. why on earth would they want to expose children to such bias? but i will admit that the bias is there and the steroypes ,no matter how hard we ight them , are still around. that doesn't mean you have to follow them.thankfully i was an oblivious child and never noticed the stereotypes till they were brought up in school. by that time i had formed my own opinions.
The stereotypical media always surprises me because I never realize that it has been influencing me for what may be my entire life until someone reveals it to me. As a kid I did not connect movies with regions at all, but now it is obvious that I have not lived without bias being thrust upon me. But in a way I think that the creators of Aladdin are innocent in wanting to create an exciting story that is exotic to what little kids may experience with other movies. I think that most of us will not credit Disney with our opinion of the world.
I think Middle Eastern stereotypes in our media have made us perceive Middle Easterns as how we see them in the media. It surprised me that the stereotypes separate Middle Easterns from being viewed as individual people. In ways it has shaped my definition, stereotypes have been shown to us since we were young, in movie like Aladdin.
I think that stereotypes are not necessarily a bad thing to have in the media if they aren't completly stereotypical. For example, every Middle Eastern is not a terrorist, they can be portrayed as good people too. I don't think disney purposefully put the stereotypes in their movie to create bias because they just wanted to make an enjoyable, exotic movie that little kids will have fun watching. It does not suprise me that there are stereotypes embedded in media. This movie hasn't really shaped my definition of the Middle East, it was just a movie I enjoyed watching as a kid.
It doesn't surprise me that there are stereotypes of Muslims in the media. We are at war with a certain group of people that adhere to a certain belief of a religion. Therefore, since we are at war, the news media depicts our enemies as evil, ugly, hateful, repressive, anything that will get the public opinion against our enemy. This can be seen in cartoons from World War Two. Even Disney cartoons depicted the Japanese and Germans in racist ways to create the war fervor they felt the country needed to carry itself through the war. It's awfully hard to fight an enemy depicted as flower loving fairies that give lollipops to everyone. While it is not good that the news media doesn't really differentiate fact from stereotype, it is simply the role they play during war times. Lastly, these stereotypes don't affect my view on the region because I go out and do my own research on the things that I want to know. That way I form my own opinions without being told what to think by the talking heads in the major news networks. Furthermore, I don't think that kids notice a lot of the things in Disney movies (like the guy selling a hookah in Aladdin) until they're older and less naive.
Our media can be very stereotype of Muslims and make them seem really negative. Not all the people in the Middle East are terrorists. It doesn't surprise me also either because our media is also stereotype against other races. I guess because of stereotypes it shapes my definition on other races until I started to learn more about the other countries and now I just believe that everyone has their own religion and so on.
What are your thoughts on Middle Eastern stereotypes that have seemingly infiltrated our media? Does it surprise you? Has it shaped your own definition of the region?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that most middle eastern stereotypyes are the same. i man with a dark complection and a heavy accent. this doesnt suprise me because the few dealings we have had, have all been with men like that. it has shaped the way i look at the ME. when i went to the UAE i was surprised because it was so much like the US. the terrorist groups have shaped the way we think about the ME. I believe that if they did not exist, the stereotypes might not all be the same.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me too much because a lot of our media is stereotypical of everything: african americans, asians, gays, lesbians, geeks, jocks, cheerleaders. The list goes on. I'd say the difference is that the ones I listed above, I know my own truth about the them besides what is put in the media. For Middle Easterns though, I've heard so much less truth about them then what is in the media. Obviously I know they are not all terrorists or Muslims but that is all I've heard about them.
ReplyDeleteI think it's horrible that stereotypes are put into out media. Children see these things and think it is the truth because thet have nothing to compare it to. It is not fair to the countries that are getting degraded. It does suprise me, I didnt think that are media is that full of stereotypes. It has definitely shaped my defintion beacasue we are surrounded by all of the media.
ReplyDeleteI blieve that stereotypes about the Middle East are very dominant in our society. The media and the news all describe Middle Easterners all the same. If there is a bad guy in a story, it's usually a Middle Eastern man. This doesn't really suprise me because in the United States, many people listen to what they are told and believe everything their told. Many people do not think for themselves and do whatever they want to. After 9/11, people have looked at Middle Easterners differently. I'll admit it, my own definition of the Middle East has a lot of stereotypes. Hopefully that will change after Africa and the Middle East.
ReplyDeletei personally think that it has infiltrated our media. Everyone seems to view the arabic people as a negative. at the airports they get chcked more for security, and i feel as though you would see them be looked down upon more for thier skin tone. the biggest stereotype is i think is that everyone is a terrorist, or that everyone works for al queda. ummm as far as effecting me, no i like to get to know people before i make judgements.
ReplyDeleteIt is really interseting the think about the stereotypes that are being shown in the media in general. The media always turn things into stereotypes the scary part though is that there are people out there who believe everything the media is telling them. Which only furthers the sterotypes and creates new ones everyday. For the middle east we never really hear about much other then sterotypes so I think that is has shaped my definitions because what we are told are mostly sterotypes.
ReplyDeleteI think that these stereotypes that have infiltrated our media are a bit depressing because that is what people will grow up with. To me, it is the same as the 1901 geography text book. When people grow up with these types of surroundings they begin to perceive it as normal. It doesn't really surprise me that this is portrayed in children's films which were created in the U.S. It seems almost normal, in a sad and unfortunate way, that we, Americans, accept the fact that they are used in everyday media. It's quite depressing; however, that it's come to this. These sterotypes that have been infused into the media have definitely affected my perception of the region, which, once again, is unfortunate. I wish that they hadn't but they did and still do. I find myself very uneducated when it comes to the events, people, customs, etc. of the region because my views have been so greatly shaped by sterotypes.
ReplyDeleteIt does not surprise me that stereotypes have infiltrated our media. There is so much misinformation about the Middle East that it is bound to appear in our media. Lacking education and knowledge can also contribute to these stereotypes. Media has definitely influenced my views of the Middle East. When you are learning things from fictional media you are going to get some fake information.
ReplyDeleteI'm surpised in different ways. In modern media it isn't suprising that there is a stigma against middle eastern people due to current circumstances(Not that it's ok), but it is eye-openign to see it in disney films that we all watched as kids. It really shows that Americans should't be so prentious and that we are just as judgemental as others
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me that the media is so critical and stereotypical of the Middle East in general, but that the Middle East is portrayed in such a violent, brutal way in Aladdin did surprise me a bit. It was not something I noticed when I watched the movie when I was younger,or even last year, and that in ifself may reflect the ignorance and bias of our culture. I think that the media has played a huge role in creating a stereotype and bias of the Middle East and the people who live there and that has influenced the way Americans view the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't ever really listened to the song in the intro before. i was a touch shocked by it. why on earth would they want to expose children to such bias? but i will admit that the bias is there and the steroypes ,no matter how hard we ight them , are still around. that doesn't mean you have to follow them.thankfully i was an oblivious child and never noticed the stereotypes till they were brought up in school. by that time i had formed my own opinions.
ReplyDeleteThe stereotypical media always surprises me because I never realize that it has been influencing me for what may be my entire life until someone reveals it to me. As a kid I did not connect movies with regions at all, but now it is obvious that I have not lived without bias being thrust upon me. But in a way I think that the creators of Aladdin are innocent in wanting to create an exciting story that is exotic to what little kids may experience with other movies. I think that most of us will not credit Disney with our opinion of the world.
ReplyDeleteI think Middle Eastern stereotypes in our media have made us perceive Middle Easterns as how we see them in the media. It surprised me that the stereotypes separate Middle Easterns from being viewed as individual people. In ways it has shaped my definition, stereotypes have been shown to us since we were young, in movie like Aladdin.
ReplyDeleteI think that stereotypes are not necessarily a bad thing to have in the media if they aren't completly stereotypical. For example, every Middle Eastern is not a terrorist, they can be portrayed as good people too. I don't think disney purposefully put the stereotypes in their movie to create bias because they just wanted to make an enjoyable, exotic movie that little kids will have fun watching. It does not suprise me that there are stereotypes embedded in media. This movie hasn't really shaped my definition of the Middle East, it was just a movie I enjoyed watching as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me that there are stereotypes of Muslims in the media. We are at war with a certain group of people that adhere to a certain belief of a religion. Therefore, since we are at war, the news media depicts our enemies as evil, ugly, hateful, repressive, anything that will get the public opinion against our enemy. This can be seen in cartoons from World War Two. Even Disney cartoons depicted the Japanese and Germans in racist ways to create the war fervor they felt the country needed to carry itself through the war. It's awfully hard to fight an enemy depicted as flower loving fairies that give lollipops to everyone. While it is not good that the news media doesn't really differentiate fact from stereotype, it is simply the role they play during war times. Lastly, these stereotypes don't affect my view on the region because I go out and do my own research on the things that I want to know. That way I form my own opinions without being told what to think by the talking heads in the major news networks. Furthermore, I don't think that kids notice a lot of the things in Disney movies (like the guy selling a hookah in Aladdin) until they're older and less naive.
ReplyDeleteOur media can be very stereotype of Muslims and make them seem really negative. Not all the people in the Middle East are terrorists. It doesn't surprise me also either because our media is also stereotype against other races. I guess because of stereotypes it shapes my definition on other races until I started to learn more about the other countries and now I just believe that everyone has their own religion and so on.
ReplyDelete