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.