A Romantic Scavenger Hunt Part II

Hello Everyone! So sorry for the long hiatus but I was too busy getting lost in the orchids of the Atlanta Botanic Gardens.

I also found my Romantic goal: This lone rider made completely out of plants. If only I could turn into a series of vines and flowers riding on a plant camel *sigh*.

Anyway, below is your next clue. Nature may have carried this letter to a different location since I put it there, so keep your eye out for it wherever you are. Remember to appreciate the natural world around the letter, and to put it back when you're done. Happy hunting!

A Romantic Scavenger Hunt

Inspired by Romanticism, I have written Romantic poems on sheets of paper, put the poems in envelopes, and left them around Oak Park. The letters appear as below.

I will be posting intermittently on the blog about new locations of the letters. Each location will given through a photo from the perspective of the letter. So, please, get out there and find Romanticism in the world. If you find a letter, read the poem, appreciate it and the world surrounding it, and put it back for others to find.

With all of that being said, here is the first image from the perspective of the letter.

Happy hunting. Don't forget to dance with the daffodils

Orientalism

I believe that the Western world views Orientalism in a negative light. It has made a bad impact on American views and society, especially since 9/11 and recent terrorist attacks. Due to the Eurocentric mindset, many people believe in similar versions of one ideology. I believe that all cultures and ways of life should be recognized and respected and no manipulated from Eurocentric mindset. I think that I have some part of an orientalist mindset but I also have some part not and more accepting. Society has, unfortunately, sculpted my point of view into a more Eurocentric, but I have learned from the new changing society to be more open and understanding. Living in a more liberal town has helped me gain a wider span of acceptance.

Musical Theater's Impact on Orientalism

As a child musical theater has always been a joy to me. Shows like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Newsies have always held a special place in my heart. I have learned valuable lessons from these shows and they have influenced the way I have thought since I was little. The show Aladdin, set in the fictional city of Agrabah, has extremely impacted my perception of the Middle East. I believe from this show alone I have developed an orientalist mindset. To get rid of this mindset I believe that one must not only visit the Middle East but talk to people from there as well. I believe that developing this orientalist mindset can be changed if one has an open mindset.

Orientalism in Modern Pop Culture

Orientalism is the representation of the Eastern World in a stereotyped way. Orientalism can be seen in film, music, art and literature especially from western civilization, like Europe and the United States. These predisposed ideas of people and the culture of the east, like the middle east, dates back to when the Europeans came in contact with the lower class of the east. This has carried on since than and stereotypes about Asia and the Middle East are very present in today's society.

Orientalism has been present in recent hip-hop music, video games like call of duty and many types of movies. I am going to focus in on one movie called The Dictator. The Dictator is a comedic-satirical film that plays on extreme exaggerations and general stereotypes to do with the Middle East. For Example, there were no modern type of buildings in the film and the orientalist idea that Middle East women are mistreated is acted upon, as the wife of "The Dictator" is smothered by the doctor after she gives birth. The Dictator is one of many pop-culture examples of Orientalism.

Orientalism

I think that Western world and culture views Orientalism in a negative way, when really it is just a different way of life. It is unfortunate in the way that we are predisposed to view Orientalism this way. A majority of the world has a Eurocentric views on life and they way it is to be lived, which affects peoples views, including my own, of other cultures. I think that there are many different cultures that are viewed as negative or different, and that people need to have an open mindset when it comes to learning about and accepting the way that different people live. Other cultures and ways of life should be recognized and respected in the way that people view Eurocentric cultures. Society has shaped specific cultures into being acceptable and "normal", while others are looked down on in society, which is a problem and has to be changed.

Taking on Orientalism as a Westerner

It is easy to fall into an orientalist mindset. The Oak Park/Chicago area has a lot of diversity, but our community does not have many people from the Middle East. Therefore, our main exposure to these people and cultures is through the stereotypes presented in the media. We see countless images of Middle Eastern people as terrorists or dangerous. The women from the region are depicted as submissive, and all the people are portrayed as not having the capability of the complex thought that we, as Westerners, supposedly come by naturally. 

These stereotypes could not be further to the truth, but the only way for us to fully understand the truth is to educate ourselves. Few people in our community maintain racist or sexist ideologies once they are exposed to the depths and diversity of people, cultures, races, etc that they had never met before. My sister is adopted from China and I have spent much of my life taking on stereotypes that people make about Chinese people, as I knew they were false first hand. Simply because we might not have direct access to people from this region or live there ourselves, that is no excuse for us to take a backseat in dismantling this outdated ideology of Orientalism. 

Orientalism In American Culture

Do we, as United States citizens have an Orientalist mindset toward the rest of the world? To have an Orientalist mindset means to a stereotyped view of certain Middle East and Asian countries. I believe that in hindsight and in the present day, we do have an Orientalist mindset, especially in our American culture.

Here is an example of a Time Magazine article cover from 2010 asking the simple question "What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan? The question seems simple enough, however, it is the picture of the cover of the magazine that really makes me question whether or not we have an Orientalist mindset. The woman in this picture, Aisha, went through a terrible tragedy in which her abusive husband cut off her ears and nose. However, the Time Magazine cover almost portrays the image as if American's leave, Afghan men will start abusing their woman. The magazine cover doesn't even pose a question. It states that this girl's traumatic injury is the direct result of "What happens if we leave Afghanistan." The idea that American troops have the sole power to be the physical and moral protectors these women because all Afghan men are barbaric, is insulting and a prime example of an Orientalist mindset in American media.

The next example is from a movie known as "The Dictator" which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as a Middle Eastern dictator. Throughout the movie, Cohen sends a message that Middle Eastern leaders are barbaric, uncontrollable, unable to control their people, stupid, and simply insane. Outside of the movie, Cohen performed press events and media appearances in character, bringing the character of an insane "oriental" leader to the front row of American media and entertainment. A number of times, jokes were made about terrorism such as when one character suggests Cohen visits the Empire States building before he or one of his cousins "brings it down." He also chants "Death over America" and "Death to the West" during the film.

Finally, for the last example, the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom represents examples of Orientalism. In the film, Indiana Jones finds himself accidentally arriving in India after fleeing from China. An Indian tribesman discovers the group and brings them back to his village. Upon arriving, the group learns of a Kali-worshiping cult that has taken the village children as slaves, ruling from a palace nearby. After the arrival at the palace, the food served to the right included monkey brains, a snake with beetles cooked inside, and many other foods that are represented as cultural food when in fact, most Indians do not eat anything remotely similar to monkey brains. In the film, the palace is secretly hiding a cult still practicing inhumane rituals involving the removal of a live person's heart for the Hindu goddess Kali. Not only are ritual victim's hearts removed by hand, but they are also then lowered into an underground pit of lava. To portray Indian's in this way unfairly and inaccurately represents the actual lives and beliefs of Indians.

Post-War Orientalism in the 1950's

Last year when my family and I were going through my grandfather's Korean war records we came across one document that took us all by surprise. It was a letter from the U.S. government to my grandmother and it was telling her what to expect when my grandfather came home. The letter warned that he may be a changed man with strange cravings for Korean food and they treated it almost as if he had contracted some sort of cultural disease in Korea.

This is the most direct experience that I have ever had and its so shocking that this letter was sent by the U.S. government. The letter really treats Korea and Korean culture as something unfathomable and completely ridiculous. It really shows how ingrained Orientalism was and still is in our society and how harmful it can be especially if the western public has no substantial knowledge about eastern culture and life

Orientalism Loves Company

It's no secret that the concept of Orientalism has made a large impact on American culture and society. It shows itself heavily in films, a well-known example being Aladdin. The movie, while highly praised and loved by audiences of all ages, is the earliest work I can think of that has influence my own view of Orientalism.

The term that comes to mind when thinking about Orientalism and its effects, is "exotic." We as Americans tend to be fascinated by cultures that are different than ours in the same way we are fascinated by the different exhibits at a zoo. Movies such as Aladdin "cartoonize" Middle Eastern culture into something whimsical and fun, but most importantly exotic.

A more modern example that comes to mind is the tendency for men to fetishize women from foreign countries. Women from Middle Eastern countries, among Latin American, African, and more countries, are labeled as sexier because their background makes them "exotic," and therefore more attractive. We see this on social media, as well as the main focus in the content of a lot of music. It is rare to listen to a mainstream rap song without hearing something related to women from different countries. As far as Orientalism goes in America, it is like most outdated concepts such as racism and sexism. While it may not seem to be at its peak, it is clear that this is not the case. It has simply adapted to the way we receive our information and is prevalent in new ways such as media.

Crazy Rich Asians

The recently extremely popular movie Crazy Rich Asians was a monumental movie release for the asian community in not only America, but for Asian communities all over the world. Hollywoods lack of asian roles and asian presence has been extremely noticeable within their films and has been a growing issue over the years. In 2018, with the release of Crazy Rich Asians, people felt that Hollywood was making a statement that with this movie's release they would change the issue of asian presence and support those communities more. Wrong.

I felt that the movie Crazy Rich Asians was a way to appease the general public on the lack of asian presence in Hollywood films. I personally did enjoy the movie and felt that it was a step in the right direction, however the level of orientalism present within the movie is astounding.

The movie revolves around a couple in love, Nick Young and Rachel Chu, who travel to Singapore to visit his family who are crazy rich asians, extremely family oriented, and very traditional. Throughout the movie there are exotic parties, a tropical wedding, and an array of colors throughout the movie. The movie really highlights the craziness of rich asians and portray it materialistically along with the personality and actions of a crazy rich asian. All in all, throughout the entire movie I felt that orientalism was at work because it made asian culture look bad.

When Nick Young and Rachel Chu break up do to his family's tradition and family oriented beliefs, it makes it seem as if being family oriented is bad and prevents having a full life. In the ending scene when Nick Young does eventually acquire his mother's blessing and there's the scene where he and Rachel are reunited, it's further degrading asian culture and supporting western individualistic beliefs. This is seen in many scenes, not only in the love scenes. Another scene where they're representing asians badly is when Rachel is at the bachelorette party and the girls gang up on her and put a dead fish in her bed and write in blood "Catch this you gold-digging bitch". This scene plays into the theme savagery and portrays the asian women as savages. The orientalism is subtle and well hidden, however it's presence is there.

Once again, I'd like to reiterate that I did enjoy watching the movie Crazy Rich Asians and did appreciate the fact that Hollywood released a movie consisting of mainly an asian cast. However, from my perspective, Hollywood still has a long way to go in portraying Asians correctly and respectfully and breaking away from orientalism.

Orientalism After 9/11

Americans are raised with an Orientalist mindset, which disasters have amplified. One such catastrophe that has lead to both an increased awareness yet belittlement of their culture is 9/11. This incident has caused many in the west to look down upon the entire middle eastern region in a way that devalues and diminishes their individual accomplishments and cultures. Americans especially developed a stigma against all humans from the Middle East, fueled by the orientalist mindset. Because citizens have been raised learning of other countries as the “other” identity, it is easy for many to not appreciate those people. There are only select groups that commit terrorism, however, because the west tends to simply group together foreigners, the west consistently writes off the entire area as dangerous and violent people.

This leads to disunity between whites and middle-eastern Americans within the country. It also creates tension between citizens of the west and those of the Middle East.

Orientalism

Orientalism has clearly made a dent in American society. You see it in movies, TV shows, but also in music. One thing that I can think of that shows itself within it is Katy Perry's music video Dark Horse. The video has everyone dressed in Egyptian or Asian like clothing to represent a certain glamour or exotic fashion. Americans are very fascinated and aroused by different cultures. However, by imitating these cultures' looks and styles, it's almost as if they're poking fun without even knowing it.

Orientalism with Today's Culture

Unfortunately, I believe the world has a Eurocentric mindset which causes the world to revolve around one ideology. The way we view the world is the from where Europe is located, the West, the East, Middle East, Orient. It's frustrating seeing how the Western world views Orientalism. If people want to understand what occurs in the middle East they look to what was written previously, and that view is always skewed. Then if people want to view it on their own, they'll visit it for themselves, except with preconceived views of what's happening. This mindset is hard to eradicate only because it's been shaped around our society so much. I feel that if the world continues to communicate different views throughout, and not solely from television episodes or movies, real life events or situations, the Orientalist view could be changed.

Exotification

THE WEST/other power structure is an essential portion of today's climate both politically and socially. This plays heavily into the exotification of Middle Eastern culture. Western culture displays bindis and henna as "new" and "bohemian" to pair with persons aesthetic. When the next trend comes along they will wash away the henna and put down the bindi soon forgetting all about them.

I have watched people tease students about intricate parts of their culture. Later the bully will find it trendy and begin wearing it themselves.

Westerners love Easterner's culture between their fingertips.

In Cardi B's Bodak Yello music video she wears a hijab in the desert while riding a camel. She did this for aesthetic not out of respect for culture. Similarly, Selena Gomez wore a bindi to perform her song Come and Get it. Pieces Middle Eastern culture is often displayed in popular music. However, there are no Middle Eastern popular singers in America.

Other side of Orientalism

Orientalism thrives on word of mouth. Without the generalizations of the Eastern area of the world, the normalized structured thought would have never been passed down through generations. These structured ideologies of being an “orient” are taught as facts, rather than opinions, which allows the western world to maintain their hierarchy which was created with orientalism. By establishing demeaning traits of these oriental people, the westernized culture has been able to create a prejudice view, of the eastern countries of the world. Modernized technology has created an even larger gap between the western world, and the supposedly inferior eastern countries.

American mass media shows the public the bad stories of the middle east. CNN will show the poor living conditions, and constant fighting of the middle east, which makes Americans believe that it is like that everywhere. These media outlets are doing exactly what Edward Said states about Orientalism, which is the power of turning myths to facts, which fuels the stereotypes of oriental people which should have never been established in the first place. After a trip to Lebanon I was able to understand the outside view of orientalism. When I was there, I noticed that none of my preconceived notions of these people that have always been pushed on me where true. I now understand that the myths of orientalism can be changed just from seeing the viewpoint of the other side. I would still have false understandings of their way of life, and other cultural actions they take, in which western media outlets falsely portray.

Orientalism and Media

Orientalism in media has greatly contributed to our society’s view of eastern cultures. Therefore, western media needs to be more careful with how they portray other cultures in order for harmful and racist views to cease. This cannot completely solve the issue of Orientalism, but can certainly help to do so.

Many towns are composed of entirely or almost entirely one race. The people in these towns would therefore have severely limited interactions with people outside of their racial groups. For these people, their interaction with different cultures would take place largely in the media. And when the media perpetuates harmful stereotypes, these stereotypes would be the sort of thing these people would come to understand as truth.

The profound effect media has on people needs to be treated with responsibility. The media should take care to accurately portray other cultures, something they quite often fail to do. In addition, different peoples need to be represented in a positive light. For example, Arabic characters should be able to be a hero instead of just a terrorist. Positive portrayals such as these will help white westerners to see people of color as people not just stereotypes.

Swallowing Orientalism at OPRF

Coming home after a long day of abrasive school hate crimes, I longed for something  non-Eurocentric. Something. Anything. Something that didn’t use a person of color as a tool for a white character’s personal development. Something where a person of color wasn’t in the background.  Something where people of color exist. Where I exist.

Coming home after a long day of being pushed aside in the hallway because I don’t exist, I longed to been seen. I flipped on the tv, searching for a comfort show. I realized then my comfort was not a soft  embrace, but a smother. A smother from all the whiteness around me. I was a stain on a feathery pillow. I do not exist in Pretty in Pink. I am the brunt of the joke in 16 Candles. Comfort tv was too comforting, it’s suffocating to the point where my only release has become another form of strangulation.

Coming home after a long day of reading King Lear, I felt hopeless. How many more days do I have to exist in this Eurocentric school that tells my story or eats my story or forgets my story with the rhetoric  of “Why do you care?” “We’ll read this story where you are in it, Naomi.” “We told your story through the way we see you, Naomi, because we see you.”

Stop saying you see me when you don’t.
I’ll take back my voice so I can speak.
For a person of color Orientalism is more than a theory, it is our life.
It’s why we don’t come to school.
It’s why we don’t speak in class.
It why we group together, strength in numbers. Maybe a collective whisper will make a sound to be heard.

We struggle to find our voice, to escape from the hands OPRF, riddled with the Anglophile flesh of  former students of color, the lost skin of Left Behind kids. Surviving off of forced Orientalism. Shoved down all of our throats.

Orientalism

Orientalism is the representation of Asia, especially the Middle East, in a stereotyped way that is regarded with a colonialist attitude. Our prejudice interpretation of the east came after European powers came into contact with the lesser developed people of the east. Though we would like to think otherwise, we've all been or are guilty of thinking in an orientalist mindset, which is embedded in our media and way of life. The common conception of Arab life and culture that's presented to us is seen as exotic, uncivilized, and dangerous. We are subjected to single stories about Eastern culture, when most, if not all of us have never fully experienced the culture first-hand. 

When we seen examples of misrepresented Eastern culture in movies, TV shows, magazines, etc., it's usually for entertainment, rather than instruction or actual realization. Unfortunately for our culture, entertainment versions of Eastern culture rather than accurate and informative versions make a deeper and fresher impression on us, which is one reason for thinking the way that we do. Aladdin, a widely known and loved movie, has been criticized for years for its offensive interpretation of Arab culture, through its barbaric lyrics, over exaggerated accents, and visuals. Arab societies are seen as mysterious worlds of barbarism and maybe as far as uninhabitable. Eastern culture is continuing to be inaccurately and offensively portrayed in our society, and some ways to put an end to it is just calling out daily Orientalism when you hear or see it or not supporting companies are manufacturers that present it.

Orientalism

Being from "the West" automatically gives someone an orientalist mindset because the way our society is built makes people from anywhere but here, who may look slightly different, the "other."  Orientalism comes from European power struggle to gain dominance and remain the powerful force. The West and white people mostly have Eurocentric outlooks on other people and the world at large, this absolutely impacts how we, myself included, view other cultures.  I think that we all could do better, me too, to recognize exactly where these views that we hold came from and work towards unraveling that.  We need to better recognize the true lives and cultures and praise them, not treat them like this completely other thing that should be recognized by two characteristics.  We are all more complex and dynamic than that, and every person and culture should be recognized for that.

South Pacific the Musical

A couple of months ago, my grandmother brought me, my sister and brother to the musical South Pacific. The musical centers around two relationships between US military and the native southern islanders or Orientals during World War II. Usually, when my grandmother takes us to musicals, I tend to really enjoy what I see. However, I didn't really enjoy South Pacific.

The reason wasn't because there was bad acting or bad music, but that the native islanders were portrayed in a very stereotypical "oriental" way. They were portrayed as mysterious, and seemingly always up to something, and didn't understand the "smarter" US officers. While the musical started in 1940, its success keeps it running to this day. To many including my younger brother and sister, this representation of the East, Asians, and islanders contributes to the Oriental view.

Media's Influence on Orientalism

The influence of media is powerful on the human brain. In 2010 there was less than one billion social media users, it is predicted that by the end of 2019 there will around 2.8 billion social media users, almost triple the amount in less than ten years. Not only are more people on social media, people are spending more time on social media than ever before. For example social media usage among teenagers has drastically increased between 2012 and 2018. A survey conducted in the U.S. earlier this year showed that 70 percent of teenagers check social media several times a day, up from just 34 percent in 2012. The problem with this is that, as findings indicate, media make a significant contribution to what people think, precisely by affecting what they think about. Thus, by looking at what is in the media regarding middle eastern culture, there can be a greater understanding for why Orientalism is so pervasive in the United States.

For example,since the release of Aladdin, it has become one of Disney's most successful films to date, being ranked as the fourth highest film based on popularity. However, Aladdin has contributed to the orientalist mindset most Americans have. Aladdin's opening theme song, "Arabian Nights", is criticized for its lyrics "Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face, it's barbaric, but hey, its home". The lyrics signal to the viewer that Aladdin's home is not just a faraway place, but a place of mystery much different from the audience's. When the song says "..where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face, it's barbaric, but hey, it's home" it demonizes Aladdin's home and allows the audience into recognizing it as uncivilized and barbaric perpetuating the orientalist mindset of the middle east being a mysterious and barbaric place unable to change its uncultured ways.

When looking at news coverage of the middle east many news outlets, regardless of political biases, make their viewers believe the middle east is in a state of constant violence, instability and terrorism. Everyone in the middle east is Arab and Muslim and the sects of the Muslim faiths are always warring. These are the stories that are run and headlined while the news outlets blatantly ignore the areas unique and complex culture and traditions and trying to understand them. The power of this media portrayal is seen when the United States invaded Iraq. All media outlets, again regardless of politics, praised the intervention. They knowingly spreading false information about Iraq’s stockpile of weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist and their supposed involvement with the terrorist involved with the 9/11 terror attacks.

The media portrayal of a barbaric and unchanging middle eastern culture has been around for a long time. The only way to solve the inaccurate portrayal would be to intentionally write articles on the history of the middle east and their traditions while discontinuing stories that stereotype the region as monolithic and barbaric.

Orientalism in Our Daily Lives

We as a “western” society continue to live with an Orientalist mindset. Just the fact that I used the term “western” perfectly showcases not only an orientalist mindset, but a completely Eurocentric one. Orientalism started as a way to rationalize colonizing the “middle east”, and build a power dynamic of Europe on top, one that we still face today. As much as we all don’t want to admit it, we have an Orientalist mindset. It has been ingrained in our minds since the moment we learned the differences between different cultures, and continually perpetuated in the media that we consume. However, it’s too easy to view the “media” or “society” or the way we were raised as some almighty higher power so we don’t have to hold ourselves accountable. As a white person, I need to do better. It’s not enough to acknowledge my Orientalist mindset and blame it on something so far removed from myself. We need to actively dismantle the system of Orientalism in our daily lives. Orientalism can be incredibly damaging, and does the exact thing it was created to do- put white people in a position of power. It allows us to view different cultures as a primitive “other”. Now how do we move beyond it? How do we take apart a system that has existed in our society for hundreds of years? It starts small. Whether it be calling out Orientalism when we see it in our daily interactions, or using the power of the pocket and not supporting companies that use Orientalism in their advertising, there are things we can do.

Media Influence and Orientalism

Orientalism tries to answer the question of the preconceived notion of the people of the Middle East, how do we come to understand people that are different and it began a discussion about the depiction of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures in art, literature, movies, and modern media and brings people to be more conscious of the racist undertones of stereotypical settings.

Orientalism is the idea that people in the West (white people) are very quick to make assumptions, judgments, accusations, therefore, build inaccurate stereotypes about Easterners when they are not able to fully understand and identify with their way of life. The privileged/dominant voice of the westerners make assumptions about Eastern living they felt justified in creating these stereotypes when in actuality a previous bias towards eastern civilization was at the forefront of these assumptions and judgments. More so, modern media in the United States often promotes untrue stereotypes of Muslims while erasing the realities of the Middle East, especially Islamic, culture. The media often associates Islam with terrorism in order to portray Muslims as a threat to Western society. This idea does not take into account the reality that most Muslins promote peace and a very small minority of Muslims advocate violence (against the scripture of Islam). What orientalism does is it creates an image outside of history that lasts forever and creates an ideal other.

Studies of media have found that most portrayals or descriptions of Muslims portray them negatively. Often media associates Islam with terrorism in order to portray Muslims as a threat to Western society. What I found interesting how the media sends very intense false promotions of Muslims, but Westerners still don’t get the same backlash for their terrorist attacks and crimes. Out of 136 terror attacks in the U.S. over a span of 10 years the authors studied, Muslims committed on average 12.5 % of the attacks, yet received more than half of the news coverage. According to research conducted at Georgia State University, “Terror attacks carried out by Muslims receive on average 357% more media coverage than those committed by other groups,”. The Islamophobic slash in media translates into Islamophobic actions in everyday life and cannot be resolved until Muslim people are represented in media and depictions of Islam, both good and bad, at the same rate other races and cultures are.

Orientalism is a way of seeing that imagines, emphasizes, exaggerates and distorts differences of Eastern people and cultures as compared to that of Europe and the U.S. It often involves seeing Eastern culture as exotic, backward, uncivilized, and at times dangerous, society, more specific Westerners needs to indulge in Orientalism, see through a truthful lens of reality and make opinions based on facts.

Orientalism or Cultural Appreciation?

Orientalism is used by people in the West to separate themselves from people in other regions of the world, specifically the East. It labels people in the East as “others”, by promoting stereotypes and generalizations about that part of the world and its culture. Many Western Pop Culture artists have incorporated Orientalism into their music and music vidoes by incorporating aspects of Asian culture in a way that makes them out to be exotic, glamorous, and over sexualized instead of representing them in the way they were created for. One specific artist, Nicki Minaj’s 2010 single "Your Love" and her more recent "Chun- Li" give almost undeniable examples and evidence for Said’s theory. Back in 2010, Minaj’s debut album featured lyrics and a costume design that showed just how unaware she was of Eastern cultures and the significance and history behind certain people and items that she was referencing. One of Nicki’s mistakes in her song come in the lyrics “I was a Geisha, he was a Samurai. Somehow I understood him when he spoke Thai”. She is saying that the Samurai mentioned, spoke Thai when In fact samurai’s are part of Japanese culture and would most likely not be speaking that language. This shows that Minaj did not take the time to separate, understand, and appreciate the cultures she was referencing. She took two distinct cultures and histories and categorized them as one. Secondly, Minaj’s costume choice in this music video is another problematic aspect of the way Westerns view Eastern cultures. Minaj dresess as an oversexualized geisha, diminishing the history and its real meaning in their culture. The mistakes shown in this one music video show her goal was not to take the time to use her work as a way to appreciate and acknowledge other cultures because she is referencing them in a way that shows her ignorance to their real customs, beliefs, and way of functioning. It was as if she was using their culture for a storyline because she thought it looked pretty. Our ability to repeatedly misrepresent and possibly offend those of different cultures shows our ignorance and disregard for them because too often we do not take the proper time to explore and honor other cultures and this comes at the expense of actual people.

Orientalism - Western Ignorance

Orientalism attempted to answer the question held by individuals in the Middle East - How do we come to understand people that are ethnically, culturally, and socially different than us? Orientalism's physical lens enables an individual from the West to look through and see people from the East indulge in their stereotypes. It also creates an image outside of history that last forever; It creates an ideal other. It's not a description of the context in which Easterners live, but an argument as to why they live in that specific way. Orientalism is the idea that Western people are very quick to make assumptions, judgments, and accusations. The privileged, dominant voice of Western culture reinforces the stereotypes associated with Eastern culture. Therefore, the perpetual use of stereotypes about Eastern culture is unjustified when Westerners are not able to fully comprehend and identify with their way of life.

By default, the lies, and stereotypes that we perpetuate embed themselves into the public mind. As a result, these lies reciprocate themselves into truths because of its embedment into the public mind. As Said described, Westerners get a "book" which they use to compare the different people and cultures they perceive to their own. When our views or beliefs don't align, we then choose to create harmful and hateful stereotypes. However, the solution is simple. If we live looking through the lens that Said described, one that enables a "dynamic perspective" and continues with a "multi-story mindset," then, perhaps, we can abate our own alienating speech.

The Jerusalem Envelope

For my first semester history credit, I chose to enroll in Modern Middle East History, a class that attempts to tackle many of the misconceptions of the Middle East, a region often included in the Orient. One of the very first articles we read was by Edward Said, an author notorious far beyond our AP English class for his writing on the Middle East and the concept of orientalism.

Before I introduce the Jerusalem Envelope, a topic I did substantial research on during the class, it is necessary to make a brief digression. In Said's works, he discusses how a word or concept becomes an "-ism." How could the label "Oriental" or the "Orient" develop into something so much greater than a derogatory term coined to classify an individual from a specific region? The answer lies in repeated oppression of non-western, non-European individuals over the course of hundreds of years. In the same way race has developed into racism, the orient has become orientalism because what started as a classification to describe a group divided by language, culture, and geographic region, developed into a vicious tool to accelerate western dominance. By the time a classification has become an "-ism," there is no longer a simple answer to "how can it be solved?"

The answer must be x, right? 

One clear example of the deep rooted nature of orientalism lies in the border wall on the divide between Jerusalem and Palestine, often referred to as the Jerusalem Envelope. This border wall is nothing like Trump's ideal long wall on the southern border of the United States, and it is nothing like the Great Wall of China. This particular wall is unique because the boundaries it is designed to divide are incredibly intricate; on any road, a family's street may be surrounded by the wall on three out of the four sides...

The history behind the wall's construction is complex and stems from the Arab-Israeli Conflict, starting originally in 1947. Arab nationalism and interest in protecting religious and national homeland has driven the conflict over the last 70 years (this is the extremely condensed version of the story).

On this wall, individuals from both sides have used the wall as a canvas for expressing their distaste for their confinement. The wall is famous for its graffiti that attempts to beautify and in some cases "uglify" the gray blocks. Local artists and often times civilians without any artistic background write messages on the wall that have a range of tone and meaning. On the most optimistic end, messages of love and unity appear in images and words; however the wall is also littered with messages of hopelessness and death. Within the last decade, Banksy, a famous European street artist has attracted tourists to the wall after creating a gallery walk of work depicting artificial cracks in the wall.

His artwork has inspired countless other European artists to come to the wall and use it for murals or other displays of all sizes and forms in attempt to add color and beauty to the otherwise gray and expansive emptiness. However, this begs the question: Isn't this European art on the wall the EXACT definition of orientalism?

In essence, the European street artists are inserting themselves in a "charity" of artwork that they have no place in. The Arab-Israeli Conflict is a struggle that excludes European interests and military intervention; therefore, in attempting to beautify the wall, European artists show that it isn't beautiful enough without outside intervention. They show that the other is incapable of making light of a decade old struggle. They show that western culture has the upper hand in handling conflicts. They subtly reinforce Orientalism in the same way a microaggression subtly reinforces racism.

In this image of one of Banksy's paintings on the wall, he depicts children looking for a more ideal reality, an escape to a warm beautiful island, maybe even a vacation.

Those kids won't be taking a vacation anytime soon. 

Indiana Jones: Perpetuation of Orientalism

Ever since the Indiana Jones movies came out, its been no secret that they are overtly racist. The Middle East is constantly portrayed as a mysterious land of bazaars, terrorists, and snake charmers. The films make it seem as if each and every citizen is a threat to Indiana Jones, and even his allies in the area either have some connection to Britain/the West either being raised, schooled or "saved" by someone from the West. Aside from the whole plot revolving around the exploitation of Arab peoples, that is not the issue that I want to put attention to.

When the movies came out, yes, they were still racist. However, in that time, nobody was there to call them out with any power behind it. Then, though, when the Lego video games came out more recently, they were still drenched in racism and Orientalism. This points to the bigger problem at hand: people are willing to continue to be prejudiced if they like what is creating it. People are more willing to take in the culture and jokes with racist tones if they are classically loved. However, the narrative needs to change. I hadn't thought about the issues of this narrative until very recently, just because every piece of media that I see is willing to continue that tone. So, until Lego Indiana Jones no longer has a snake charming level, the issue is still clearly at hand.

The Theory of Orientalism and Discussion

Orientalism as said by Said is the generalizations one makes about the East specifically, how the West views the East as the strange and unknown and promotes the West as being superior. The idea of the East is that they are the ones who the West can not trust. Just because of the origins of Orientalism, the West still has not changed their views of the East. As Westerners, the general views of the “East” is characterized as being more strict, less tolerable, and more conservative. The stereotypes and characterizations are often portrayed in the mainstream media, entertainment, literature, internet and other forms of creative expression in American society. For example, children's movies specifically Aladdin, comic books like TinTin, and works of art have been accused of supporting the ideas of Orientalism. These stereotypes have been largely and collectively internalized by Western society and have mostly negative associations for Americans. Westerners view themselves as being superior to the East because society has lead people for years to believe so horribly of the East even when the West itself is nowhere near perfect. The population is influence by media which in turn allows Westerners to internalize what they hear from the repetitiveness in the media, literature, and other forms of entertainment.

The idea of Orientalism just emphasizes the privilege Westerners exhibit and take advantage of. The fact that Westerners view themselves as the only ones who are civilized and safe is what promotes the idea of Orientalism; its a way to make sure the West will remain dominant over the East. In all honesty, I find myself permitting to Orientalism primarily because I grew up in the Westernized society and have not fully educated myself. I find that this is the problem for most people, being uneducated about Orientalism. I found that most people do not even know what Orientalism is and that being aware is the first step.

The Effect of Orientalism

I've always been aware of the portrayal of the Middle East as violent and chaotic, and I hate to admit that I've fallen into the trap of believing this false portrayal. Of course, I've never believed that all Middle Eastern people are terrorists, but I definitely had a picture in my mind of what it looked like there. I attribute my lack of understanding to Orientalism, the negative portrayal of the East in order to strengthen the image of the West. Growing up in today's America, it's hard not to view the Middle East as violent and corrupt. We see movies, play video games, and read articles all where they are depicted as violent and third world countries. I've never watched a movie taking place in the Middle East where violence isn't a prominent part of the movie, or the characters aren't part of violent groups. Many video games take place in the Middle East, but unfortunately, they are all shooting games. However, the hardest part to me is watching the news when a terrorist attack occurs, or war breaks out, but never seeing the news highlight a positive event that happened in the East. When all I see, hear, and read is negative, orientalist, views of the Middle East, it's hard for me to imagine and believe anything different. Now that I've become more aware of orientalism and the conscious, negative portrayal of the East, I feel obliged to do more research to become more educated on the topic.

Orientalism: Aladdin and bartering

When I was younger, my favorite Disney movie was Aladdin. I thought that Jasmine was the coolest princess because she had a red carpet and even a pet tiger! However, as I grew older, I soon realized that the movie was riddled with stereotypes about the east that were being fed unconsciously into young minds. For example, in the opening song, "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face, It's barbaric, but hey, it's home," depicts the east as an uncivilized place. Young children from all over the world are watching Aladdin and unconsciously develop opinions about the east that are inaccurate because of the stereotypes present in the movie. Furthermore, Jafar, the primary villain in the movie is aggressive and violent, therefore solidifying the mind set that men in the east are barbaric and malicious. However, this stereotype doesn't stop at Jafar, but extends to women. In Aladdin, women are either submissive or lustful and exotic like Jasmine. There does not seem to be any in between, leading people to believe that women in the are either servants or royalty. 

Beyond Disney's Aladdin, Orientalism is seen in every day life. When I was nine, my 5th grade class took a field trip to Devon Street, an Indian neighborhood in Chicago for a day of eating and shopping. While the neighborhood itself is authentic and not riddled with stereotypes, my fifth grade teacher clearly had preconceived notions about how things "worked" in the East. Before we left, she told us that in order to buy something we had to haggle with the person to negotiate a better price. I remember thinking that this was strange and asking my dad who is Indian about it. He took offense to the concept that in eastern countries the only way to buy something was to barter and that conception existed in the United States. Therefore, my teacher too, had been shaped by stereotypes that she believed about the East and attempted to pass them on to her fifth class. In order to view the world in a non-offensive and stereotypical way, it is important to remain open minded and not let our preconceived notions shape the opinions that we pass onto others. 

Orientalism

Saeed’s theory on Orientalism is a very grim but realistic view on the privilege and arrogance of the Western world and how we choose to treat and look at the rest of the world, in which we see as “uncivilized” or the “other”. In this theory he is saying that Orientalism is another way for the Western world to maintain and enforce their dominance over the Eastern world, by reinforcing myths or stories about other cultures that paints them as less than the Western world. This is how the Western world justifies its power. The Western world makes it seem as if we are so much more advanced and cultured and better than the rest of the world, which is why we are who we are. This dates back to the colonization from long ago, when the powers such as Britain and France began colonizing other countries and creating stereotypes to justify their wrongdoings, much like America has done in the past. Orientalism is essentially the furthering of imperialism, and maintaining power. In literature and entertainment false narratives are made about other parts of the world, that are not true, and Western culture looks at these places as “different” or “less than”, just from what they are seeing and reading. The problem is America allows itself to look at these people as the other, rather than accepting that they are people living in their own place, and this is why there is no change. Western culture needs to take its bias and arrogance out of play and truly learn about and understand these people all over the world, to create hegemony. Right now, Western culture just looks at people as the other in order for them to maintain power and stay on top.
In my life I admit that I tend to give in to the Orientalist ways of the media, whether it be subconsciously or not. However, it is my fault because I never really decided to learn, or even thought about learning about what other cultures are like or who they are, or even the fact that they are just normal people. I have noticed in my life that when I am watching movies such as “Indiana Jones”, they tend to portray other cultures, especially in the Middle East, they made them look like savages or crazy people, and I noticed that, but I never went any deeper. Just by that I am contributing to Orientalism, because of the fact that I don’t go deeper and learn, the stereotypes I am being shown, are the only looks I really have at these parts of the world. With that being said, I am contributing to this, by not taking it upon myself to learn about other cultures. Whenever I hear about them I just go to a preconceived notion in my head that tells me who they are, instead of looking for myself, and I need to change that.

Mulan: Orientalism

Growing up in a family that loved to watch Disney movies, Mulan was a popular movie throughout my childhood. The main issue throughout the movie is that Mulan is trying to hide the fact that she is actually a woman fighting in a war where only men are allowed. In the end, Mulan ends up becoming the hero of China, which she did against the odds, making the theme of the story that woman can work just as hard and perform just as well as men. Although the movie is portrayed as inspirational and uplifting, with the newly learned concept of Orientalism, I am able to notice some concerning moments in the movie.

In the beginning of the movie, Mulan is told that she will never bring honor to her family because she would not able to treat her husband "the right way". As well as she got in trouble to talking back to an imperial messenger. Mulan later took her fathers war order, cut her hair, and went in to train for war disguised as a man. By doing this, her ancestors showed themselves as ghostly figures who felt they needed to protect her. The concerning part about this is that it enhances the stereotype that the Chinese are very spiritual when in reality, although there may be people that speak and pray to their ancestors, most of China is not like that.

After going into the Chinese army disguised as a man, Mulan then gets into her first battle later in the movie with the antagonist, where she ends up saving the captains life. In doing so, she gets injured resulting in people finding out that she is a woman when they treat her for her injuries. When this happens, Mulan is worried that she has ruined her families honor by trying to help. That is another issue, the stereotype that one must uphold the family honor. Yes, every family has expectations for their children, but holding up your families honor is another stereotype that revolves around an Orientalist mindset.

Finally, Although the movie Mulan is able to portray an amazing message of strength, determination, and resilience, ultimately it is held back due to the orientalism behind it all.

Learning about orientalism has helped me in being able to acknowledge it when I see it or hear it. I have heard the term "orient" before but was never certain as to what it was. after learning about what it means to call someone an orient as well as what it means to have an Orientalist mindset, it has helped me become more aware to the sensitivity behind it and how wrong it actually is.

Homescapes is Prejudiced??

With the introduction of Orientalism in the past three weeks during English class, this concept has been appearing all around me. One thing that really stood out to me was in a very silly (in my opinion) way. I have a game on my phone that I have been playing for only a little bit of time called "Homescapes". I am afraid to admit I am pretty addicted to it, and my very serious case of senioritis has not been helping with my game use. But, as I was completing the tasks in the game, a mail woman delivered a box to me. With the delivery the woman stated that the "box from an unfamiliar and mysterious land", aka India. This truly struck me because it completely fit the main idea of Orientalism. 

We have learned that Orientalism is a way of seeing an emphasis or exaggerated distortion of the differences of Arab people and cultures as compared to Europe and the U.S. We also learned in English that Orientalism often involves seeing Arab cultures as exotic, backward, uncivilized, or even at times, dangerous. I was fascinated to finally see a clear example of Orientalism, and the most fascinating part about it was that it was so blatant, not at all hid well or disguised. I took a second to imagine how someone who is from India would feel to read this example in nothing less than a video game on their phone, and the utter disrespect and ignorance of Orientalism became very clear to me. Europeans and Americans have such a clear concept of what it means to be the "Other", but this view is so incorrect and only fits what they want to see. With this example in the game, I realized that this view is extremely harmful and hurtful to those who are being viewed as the "Other". It has never been clearer to me how Orientalism is manifested in the twenty first century, and none-the-less, in an iPhone game! 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - "Your hometown is now a battlefield!!1!"

Comedians poke fun at every aspect of life and culture, so it logically follows that those affected by Orientalism write jokes about it. One example is comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who acts in and produces movies and TV shows in addition to being a stand up comedian. Nanjiani grew up in Pakistan, and frequently makes jokes that challenge the media’s assumptions about immigrants and Muslims in general, sometimes to the discomfort of his audiences.

On his comedy album, Nanjiani discusses the version of Call of Duty which has a multiplayer level set in Karachi, Pakistan, where he lived as a child. Aside from the obvious issue of video games consistently portraying Islamic countries as breeding grounds for terrorism and warfare (which Nanjiani does touch on), he was hesitantly excited about playing the game. He hammers in the fact that this game took years and years to produce, and you can see the individual hairs on people’s heads, and you can see their shoelaces bounce when they run, and how he recognizes the specific streets from his home city. But the street signs are in Arabic. Arabic is not the language spoken in Pakistan, their two official languages are Urdu and English. As Nanjiani puts it, “All you had to do was Google ‘Pakistan language’. They were literally like, ‘What language do they speak in Pakistan? I don’t care.’”

While this lack of interest in the accuracy of portrayals of (especially lesser known) Asian countries goes unnoticed by many of us, and many people who played that level in Modern Warfare 2 without noticing the difference between Urdu and Arabic, it obviously does not go unnoticed by those whose cultures are misrepresented. In this particular example, the language mistake is fairly innocuous, but it hurts Pakistanis and only Pakistanis (those misrepresented). By assuming that all Middle Eastern people are the same, Westerners/white people send the message that they don’t care about the the Middle East, its culture, or the individuality of its people. They enjoy the culture, people, and locations as a prop villain or a backdrop for a story, and by using them as such, devalue the people and make them believe that they are valued less by society because a prop villain or backdrop is all that their culture and upbringing is good for.

It’s difficult to correct the images set in place by early Orientalist work that is so ingrained in our society, but creators can do more to check the accuracy of their work, especially when it’s as easy of a fix as a Google search. While it will take a collective effort to reach a solution to the problem of Orientalism, it only takes individual effort to not contribute.

Aladdin: Letting Orientalism out of the bottle

You would be hard pressed to find a person living in america who hadn't heard of Disney's 1992 Aladdin. It has saturated American pop culture and is even due for a live action reboot this coming may. People will probably be beside themselves when they see what has become of their childhood memories of Aladdin's rise from street rat to future sultan. What you may not know is that Aladdin is a story first "appearing" in 1717 under the name Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. This of course requires a little explaining.
It all starts with the French Orientalist and Archaeologist Antoine Galland. He came across a Syrian manuscript for The tale of Sinbad the Sailor, another story that reached critical acclaim. He would go on to translate and publish the whole of one thousand and one nights. He added the stories of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and Ali Baba after receiving them from a monk from Aleppo. However the legitimacy of these stories is questioned by some scholars.
You may be asking yourself, "Max, what does this have to with Orientalism?". As much as I would to believe that Antoine Galland correctly translated every word of One Thousand and One Nights to french it simply isn't true. He romanticized the hell out of the stories, ironically by taking out the romance and poetry. This is where his and the Disney version are similar. They each removed aspects of the stories to make it appeal to the audience they were bring the stories to. Galland tailored the stories make them appeal to the masses by molding them into fairy tale like stories that were sweeping the continent. The success of his work, and most likely birthing Orientalism spread throughout Europe and in fifty years was translated into six languages. Undoubtedly Galland was a major actor in birth of Orientalism, if not the cause. Yet the all important question remains, did Galland make up Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp? I'm not sure, but Aladdin and the Wonderful lamp certainly do count as a fairy tale, certainly closer to those written by the Brothers Grimm. I highly recommend reading One thousand and One nights and enjoying the journey from one story to another story in a story that's in another story that is actually just a frame story for another story that resolves the conflict in another story.

Orientalism, It Is Real

In his article "The Postcolonial Mind – God of Small Things," Amardeep Singh uses ideas proposed by Edward Said about the pattern and roots of Orientalism to make the argument that although actual colonialism is a thing of the past, colonialism is still with us as a society. He suggests that this is true because both the ruler and the ruled to some extent share an experience that is not easy to separate. Although Singh is initially talking about Orientalism, what he describes is similar in many ways to the issues that surround the topic of race in the United States. Like Orientalism, the practice of slavery in the United States used a system of power and dominance to create an “us” versus “them” system between slave owners and slaves. When talking about Orientalism, Singh concludes that there is no simple way to achieve true decolonization and this also seems to apply to slavery. Like colonization, although slavery is a thing of the past in the United States, the history of slavery, including the imagery and vocabulary surrounding it, still continues to exist in the post-slavery world. Racial issues are more recognizable today and have even been publicly addressed there is still and embedded undertone that can be felt in our everyday world.

The West's Big Orientalist Stick: How Kermit Roosevelt Toppled the Iranian Democracy

“Walk softly and carry a big stick” - The foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt established the imperialist ideology of America throughout his time in office, interfering in international affairs both from afar and incredibly close. Years later, Kermit Roosevelt, his grandson, would continue his legacy of foreign policy as a high-ranking officer of the CIA.

In 2013, 60 years after its taking place, the CIA revealed their involvement in the coup of Mohammed Mossadegh, Prime minister of Iran. Mossadegh was highly popular in Iran largely due to his nationalization of Iran’s oil in an attempt to reclaim their negotiating power with the British. However, the West’s discomfort with Socialism and a growing power in the Middle East led the U.S. to get involve and put the last Shah of Iran in power to replace Mossadegh, and thus their new power. Roosevelt, as head of the operation, sowed discourse throughout the country by bribing newspapers in Iran to run false stories about Mossadegh. Eventually, the apatite for these types of stories grew so large in Iran that the CIA began writing their own stories to run in Iranian newspapers. Not only did this create more confusion in Iran, but in the CIA as well as analysis departments began reading CIA written stories, believing they were Iranian, as signs that the Iranians were supporting the U.S. in their opposition to Mossadegh. All of this action eventually led to an attempted coup of Mossadegh by assassination which ultimately failed. This left Roosevelt to continue on with his plan B: mass chaos.

On August 19, 1953, gangs of Iranians filled the streets, beating up civilians and shouting, “We love Mossadegh”. These gangs were met with anti-protest group who engaged them, resulting in a bloody and tragic ending. What these groups didn’t know: They were both being paid to be there and act in that way by Kermit Roosevelt and the CIA. Eventually both groups, along with police and military officers, some of whom were in tanks, to the house of Mossadegh where they opened fire with a barrage of insults, rocks, and ammunition. Mossadegh miraculously survived the night but lost control of his country -- The U.S. had overthrown the Iranian Democracy in 4 days. These events would ultimately plant the seeds of chaos, establishing the Shah as the leader of Iran, and setting up the events that would become the Iranian revolution.

This story is not only a heartbreaking story for the Iranian people and one of shame for the American government, but an example of Orientalism in action. The chaotic nature perceived by the American and Iranian people, the whole Western world, and the CIA was directly caused by a calculated creation of what life was like in Iran by the West. Roosevelt, though never leaving the States, was able to change the entire perception and outcome of a nation. These perceptions still live on today with media coverage cynical of the possibility of Democracy in the Middle East, or believing the situations and politics there to be too chaotic. However, this chaos may have its roots more in the West than than the Middle East. Theodore Roosevelt walked softly and carried his big stick, Kermit softly snuck into a country, swung, and toppled a Democracy into chaos.

"Barbaric, But Hey, It's Home"

When I was little I would try to wake up at 6:00am almost every Saturday morning just so I could beat my brother to the TV for his Saturday morning cartoons. Yes, I did love Tom and Jerry, The Jetsons, and The Flintstones but if I ever got to the TV first, I would instead insert a Disney princess movie. My favorites were Mulan, The Little Mermaid, but especially Aladdin. In my five year old mind Jasmine was the best princess. I mean, she lived in a gorgeous castle, rode on a magic carpet, and had a pet tiger!!

However, Aladdin is a clear embodiment of Orientalism. The movie opens with the famous song "Arabian nights" immediately planting heavy stereotypes into the viewers minds. The lyrics state: "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face, It's barbaric, but hey, it's home." This depicts the east as "barbaric", completely "uncivilized" compared to the west. The "dangers" of the east are implanted into our minds consciously and unconsciously.

Jafar, the primary villain, maliciously inflicts harm on others throughout the movie, embodying the stereotype of cruel Arab villains. This extends beyond Jafar into the eastern stereotype that masculinity is defined by violence. The scarce representation of women is shown through a orientalist image of the Arab woman. Either submissive like the servants in the palace or exotic and lustful like Jasmine. To prevent this dangerous mindset, we need to look at eastern countries through an open mindset and not let our preconceived notions cloud our judgment.

Orientalism: Mulan

Mulan has been one of my favorite Disney movies for years due to its depiction of the princess as heroic and tough, which women are not often portrayed as. She proves she can do what any of the men can do by fighting in the army and in the end saves all of China, pretty great right? With the newly learned concept of Orientalism, I can now notice troubling details that completely went over my head before. 

The first troubling thing I noticed was the portrayal of Mulan's ancestors. They were depicted as mysterious, ghost like spirits which is not accurate to the reality of Asian cultures and the respect they have for passed loved ones. Many people associate the concept of spirituality and mystery with the Orient, making it a common stereotype. Furthermore, Asian stereotypes like eating everything with chopsticks, cherry blossom trees, drinking tea after all meals are constant throughout the story. 

Many of the images and scenes in the film don't make sense given the setting at all. Mulan's hair and makeup in the first few scenes is actually a much more Japanese style outfit despite the film taking place in China. This also ties back to the common appearance of cherry blossoms in the film, that flower is the native flower of Japan. It seems as though the filmmakers didn't properly research the material they were putting in their movie and didn't care if multiple cultures were being combined as one. 

The value of collectivism in Asia is misconstrued as upholding one's honor and bringing honor to the family even if it means giving up personal values. This is not necessarily true in China, family is important but it isn't common to give up everything you believe and want for the sake of honor. It is in fact a common Western misconception that all of Asia is obsessed with upholding honor. An example in the film is when Mulan is forced to dress and act a certain way by her family to attract male suitors and bring honor to her family despite the fact that she doesn't want to.

The Other Side of Orientalism

In our class discussions on Orientalism and its manifestations in our Western, but more specifically, American society, I found myself increasingly drawn to the representation of the other side of the spectrum in The God of Small Things. The characterization of "Non-Western" culture on American stages, screens, and pages is a consequence of an expression of our dominance over the peoples we perceive as different from us, and historically, lesser than us. In analyzing foreign civilizations as nuanced and sophisticated as our own, we only manage to see the things that scare or confuse us, and manipulate these observations until they can serve as proof that we remain comfortably estranged from the "other."

But in Roy's novel, not only are we able to see past the veil and into the lives of people who remind us so much of ourselves, we are also privy to the effects of the specter of Orientalism on the objectified; they are prone to a different type of cultural appropriation. After the colonizers utilize their historical upper hand to suppress foreign populations and reinforce their sense of superiority by robbing them of their material and psychological wealth, the colonized are left with the scattered remains of their national identity, and are hard pressed to rediscover their culture in all its former glory. Desperate, the survivors of English colonial rule incorporate the Western world into their cultural identity to disastrous results. Kathakali dancers get high and lose control of their lives, and the skeletons of blue Plymouths are driven around the block once every couple months to keep their batteries from dying. Baby Kochamma detests Father Mulligan for converting to Hinduism, and spends her afternoons entering TV raffles, pretending to be an Ornamental Gardener from Rochester. Even Chacko, the world-wise, Oxford-educated Rhodes Scholar who laments India's loss of a collective past because of the period of British occupation, forever locked out of the History House, cannot resist referring to Margaret as HIS wife whenever possible, trying to solidify his threadbare connection to the Western world, because being Indian is not something to be proud of anymore.

This erosion of a non-Western people's communal identity is by no means unique to India. This tragedy has been repeated throughout the historical record: vibrant cultures stripped apart by prejudice and ignorance, and always by a fear of accidentally discovering commonality where difference would have been much more palatable. If we can accept and rejoice in the fact that members of the same species will ultimately find that they are more similar than not, we can then ensure that the small variances we do encounter between communities, cultures, and continents are respected and appreciated by all.

The cultural misrepresentations which are propagated by Orientalism criminally undermine the strength and accomplishments of millions, and further prevents the establishment of a global community. Unity, on every scale, is a valuable thing, but our historical biases are actively preventing any further progress on that front. People like Chacko should never have any cause to be ashamed of their own heritage, and once we can recognize that basic human right, we will have reached a point where we can realistically think about resolving the issues which confront all of us.

Orientalist Mindset

After learning more about Edward Said’s idea of Orientalism, I realized how often Orientalism appears in my everyday life. I feel that every culture is highly unique in their regards to art, colloquialisms, and lifestyles. Especially in America each part of the country have separate colloquialisms and ways they view the world based on their own upbringings. Living in a big city like Chicago, I have my own unconscious Orientalist mindset. The majority of people develop this mindset due to the media and how undeveloped countries are showcased. I have had the privilege of traveling to many countries with my family every year, because of this I have an advantage of knowing what the rest of the world is like. I’ve been to other developed cities such as Paris and Barcelona, but I’ve also gotten to see less developed places like Riobamba Ecuador. While in Ecuador, I was on a service trip where I got to tutor kids in English at a school that had little resources. Going into the first day of tutoring, of course, I had preconceived notions about what the school and students would be like. I was proved wrong. Coming from the states and being told that this schooling experience was going to be much different from my own, I thought different meant lesser. I realized that when something is different and in a different location than one is used to it doesn't mean it's any less of an education. My Orientalist mindset caused me to be nervous and closed off at first, but these kids are just like me and my friends. They love to play soccer, sing, play games and just talk about random stuff. This trip was a great experience which allowed me to spread knowledge to my peers and get a better understanding of how different communities function. In order to move past this idea of Orientalism, people need to educate themselves on other cultures and regions of the world in order to gain a mutual respect for one another whether that be through travel, reading, or communicating with others.

Video Games: Adding to the Problem of Orientalism

Orientalism has stretched its roots into many parts of society, most notably the media, books, art, and film. But one way that it's influences continue to force their way into peoples minds is through video games.

The audience for video games is going to be a very different one than that of the art and literary scene. However, its effects are as potent as ever. In one example, a widely popular first person shooter, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, depicts some western views other cultures. The most popular map to play counter strike on is Dust 2(below), set in Morocco. In the game you play as either terrorists, using the media depicted infamous terrorist weapon, the AK-47, sporting head-warps and otherwise western clothes. This map shows small buildings, many facing wear and tear on the outsides. You see "traditional" rugs and vases, in a very dusty and dull tan environment.

The consequences that I think this brings with it is effect the mind of the young people who very likely have heard of Orientalism. Without knowing about this problem, the ideas that are put into the minds of the young people will be just what they digest in video games and media. This is often a false idea region and gives no depth to what is actual part of the culture. 

One way that we can overcome Orientalism in video games is to dive into the culture that is depicted and give the place for game developers from other these cultures. In doing this, people can receive a more multidimensional view of an area, instead of what just comes off the top in their western portrayal in a game.

Counter Strike "Terrorists"

Dust II, Counter Strike: Global Offensive's most popular map 

The Problem with the Way We View the East

A little less than a month ago, it was revealed that a man named Seungri, member of the Korean pop group 'Big Bang', was the head of a prostitute ring taking place in a club he owned in Seoul, South Korea. It was discovered the women were being drugged and filmed without consent, and that some of the women involved were underaged. Under many articles about this scandal, many American fans gave their opinion about the situation such as, "What do we expect? Countries like Korea are 20 years behind countries like America" despite the fact that the Korean general public was disgusted with his actions, and Seungri was physically assaulted on his way to the airport. So even though Koreans and other Asian fans have completely turned their backs on him, why is it that we as westerners are so convinced that Asian people would knowingly let this happen? And why do we pretend like the exact same things haven't happened in western media if not worse?

We as westerners are under the impression that "The East" is more inhumane, they are less tolerable, more conservative. They oppress their women, hate gay people, and look down on anyone who goes against the status-quo. We think of ourselves as being so much more morally sound than "The East". Though we don't think of them as "animals" or "savages" as we do Africans or Native Americans, we still view them as people in need of our saving graces. We think they need a lesson in our morality like we're so much better. Because America and Europe, who have colonized 90% of the world whose militaries are arguably the largest terrorist organizations as we know it today, need to teach eastern countries, which are arguably the most developed countries in the world, about humanity. We look at the suicide rates of eastern countries and think "Wow, I'm so glad we're not like that" as if our suicide rate hasn't increased 24% since the turn of the century. We look at countries like China and North Korea and sigh in relief because "We don't have a president like that" when Donald Trump wants to waste $25,000,000,000 on a wall that will ultimately be ineffective. We think that "The East" is so stuck in the past when Neo-Nazi parties and the KKK have more supporters now than they've had in years. So why are we, a country with a myriad of national problems, so focused on how eastern countries need to improve? It's simple really, western countries have a long history of colonialism. And while we may not be landing on the banks of Saudi Arabia or Laos and converting everyone to Christianity and forcing them to learn English like we used to, we maintain a colonizer mindset. Because "The East" doesn't live the same way we do, that they need our help, regardless of how well their citizens are doing or the advancements they're making. Because who wouldn't want to be like a western country?

Call of Duty: Modern Orientalism

Orientalism, simply put, is a state of thinking about people of non-western nations, specifically the eastern nations, as less than those people of western nations. This way of thinking was used in a manipulative way for western countries to gain land, power, and most importantly justification. Orientalisms main goal is to create a power dynamic with the west being far superior in all aspects of life compared to those of eastern nations. The use of eastern stereotypes was no accident or created because of pure innocence of explorers, they were put in place to create a contrast between the East and West while portraying the people of eastern countries as inferior or savage.

These stereotypes can still be seen in modern culture. One prime example of this is present in the videogames like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, that kids all across the modern world specifically in America and some parts of Europe play. Originally starting off as a World War II game it eventually turned into a contemporary war video game. You follow a British and American soldier fighting the Russians, but mainly a terrorist group from the Middle East. The terrorists are mostly wearing turbans and carrying around AK-47s, some of the more prominent stereotypes of Middle Eastern people. Also, most of the terrorists do not have beards which compares them to local Afgan militia. On top of this most maps that are in the game are based on what the West thinks of as Middle Eastern towns. The game depicts them as armageddon type scenes with the use of very rundown buildings and helps provide imagery that tries to connect these towns with poverty and desolation. The game takes place mainly in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and the contrast between the game's image and real life is shocking.


“Bog”- Map in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Based on developers ideas about Makkah, Saudi Arabia)


A real picture of Makkah, Saudi Arabia

These stereotypic portrayals of Middle Eastern nature are not due to pure innocence and lapse of judgement. The ideas of Eastern nations and culture are actually quite scientific as it is a way that people of Western ideology can maintain the power dynamic in a way that seems normal to most people. It keeps the history and storytelling in favour of the Western power dynamic. The only way to combat this is to actually gain knowledge about these places and to understand that just because people live differently to others, it does not make anyone less of a human.

Shoes Off Hands Up

The Transportation Security Administration. If you’ve traveled by plane to, from, or within America, you’ve likely dealt with heavy airport security. For many, the airport security process goes something like this: remove your shoes, take everything out of your pocket, place electronics in a separate bin, walk through the metal detector, get patted down, then frantically try to recollect your belongings. Some people are subjected to random screening, a more intense (invasive?) pat-down that adds to the already rigorous security process.  

Many have argued that such “random” screenings are not in fact random, and disproportionately affect people of color, middle eastern and Muslim travelers in particular. TSA themselves have stated they use “behavioral detection,” a method in which TSA officers, some in regular clothes, observe travelers for “behavioral clues,” which sometimes include race and ethnicity, in order to determine who should receive extra screening. These extra screenings are designed both to protect travelers and to contribute to the feeling of safety in the airport.

However, when behavioral and “random” screenings disproportionately affect Muslims and people of color, they contribute equally to the fear of those affected as they do to perceived safety. When people see that a specific type of person is commonly detained for safety reasons, they may subconsciously associate those people with danger and crime. Even security agents are susceptible to this kind of bias. Nonrandom screening creates a cycle of fear and wariness of Arab peoples that resembles traditional Orientalism: the stereotype of the Muslim terrorist motivates security to perform extra screenings, which in turn contributes to the stereotype of Muslims as dangerous and criminal. While TSA screenings are not as explicit in their portrayal of a people as art, the fundamental cyclic nature of Orientalism is still present: the fear of people of color leads to them being searched, which in turn creates more fear.

The Forgotten (Model) Minority: Orientalism and the Asian Experience

A couple of years ago, I watched a TEDx talk by Canwen Xu discussing her experiences with the Asian stereotype and being a part of the model minority. She opens her speech with the following:

"My name is Canwen, and I play both the piano and the violin. I aspire to someday be a doctor, and my favorite subject is Calculus. My mom and dad are tiger parents who don't let me go to sleepovers, but they make up for it by serving my favorite meal every single day. Rice. AND, I'm a really bad driver. So my question for you now is, how long did it take for you to figure out I was joking?"

Canwen's talk rings true to my own experiences. I used to play piano, I play violin, I want to go into medicine, I wasn't allowed to go to sleepovers, and there's always delicious food around the house. Growing up in America, and especially being biracial, has made me internalize each of these stereotypes unconsciously, making me question my identity and values.

Over the course of my life, I've visited family in China many times. Recently, I've caught myself applying the stereotypes I've learned growing up in the States to not only my relatives, but to the culture as a whole. As in many Asian countries, education is highly valued. I've seen my cousin wake up at 6am, stay at school until 8 or 9pm, and then come home and do homework until 11-12 at night.

Although I think there's a danger in this intense pressure to succeed academically with no focus on personal development, this lifestyle doesn't offer a glimpse of the welcoming community in China. China is a collectivist society after all.

Westerners, since the founding of America, have painted anybody besides themselves as the other. At the time, it had catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, the repercussions are still visible in our everyday life. The concept of the other persists in our mindsets, often clouding our view of anything beyond what it means to be white. In regards to the Asian community, or the Far West's Oriental, my cousin's lifestyle is the definitive experience of every Asian. Not just Chinese, but all Asians. Japanese are not Koreans, Israelis are not Syrians, Colombians are not Mexicans, and Nigerians are not Kenyans.

My cousin's rigorous schedule also doesn't mean that he's just another cog in the machine of academia. He's a human being, not a human calculator. The East and West foster different values in their populations. So what makes the Western version "right"? Nothing, only centuries of willful ignorance against other cultures, forcing them into categories, and perpetuating (sometimes unknowingly) these stereotypes in future generations.

For example, Harvard was recently sued for having skewed personality ratings in the college admissions process by a group of Asian-Americans. Asians, although having high remarks in other grading categories, were consistently labeled as having flatter personalities.

In lieu of the more recent college scandals, my friend was interviewed by the New York Times for fighting Asian-American stereotypes when applying to college. She mentions, "I had to factor in all the stereotypes about Asians, like they’re really good at math and have no social skills." One of the most devastating consequences of the portrayal of the Orient is that the "other" internalizes the stereotypes that Westerners believe. Also, an emphasis on education and intellectual growth doesn't mean that someone doesn't have a personality. With the exception of extreme cases, kids growing up with these values aren't deprived of social interaction nor are incapable of forming meaningful relationships.

Exposure through the media and lack of conversation leads to ignorance of all "other" cultures. As we saw in movies like Aladdin or Mulan, children internalize skewed messages. The education of our youth and becoming aware of our own misconceptions are the first steps to create accurate glimpses of other cultures.

Fresh Off the Boat

Fresh Off the Boat is one of the few American sitcoms featuring an Asian-American family. The show centers around the Huang family who have recently moved from Chinatown in Washington, DC to Orlando, Florida. It is mainly told from the point of view of the oldest son, Eddie. Eddie’s parents, though immigrants from Taiwan, exhibit few of the usual stereotypes one sees in the typical Western portrayal of Asian-Americans. Louis, Eddie’s father, owns and runs a western steakhouse while his wife Jessica simultaneously flips houses and takes care of their family. The portrayal of the Huang’s day to day life shows a different side of Asian people: grandmothers who play mahjong and begin to date again, sons who hate school and love hip hop, men who respect women and women who refuse to be submissive. The characters are initially culture shocked by the stark whiteness of Orlando compared to DC’s Chinatown. The kids experience the struggle of being the only Asian person in their class and the parents have a hard time finding similarities between them and their white neighbors. Because of the struggle, the entire family is able to form a Taiwanese-American identity that embraces both cultures.

The show combats the European image of the other described in Edward Said’s Orientalism by showcasing the Asian perspective. Fresh off the Boat is based on the memoir by Eddie Huang, a Taiwanese-American chef, and was created by Nahnatchka Khan, a Iranian-American producer. Rather than whitening the story by exclusively using white people in the production, Khan and Huang's visible role in the show gives a voice to Asian and Middle Eastern points of view. Taiwanese culture is treated with respect in the story lines without being exploited because Asian-Americans have control over their own story.