Orientalism is the structure of thought, idea, or generalization about the Eastern World. When people refers to the orientals, people are usually referring specifically to the middle eastern. When we hear middle eastern, we think of the stereotypes associated with them, such as how tyrannical and out-of-place they may be. Even in modern society, I think that it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is in fact, only a stereotype, and hence, these traits do not apply to every middle eastern citizens. One example of Orientalism mindset affecting the society is in airport securities.
Whenever I am traveling, one thing that I notice are the looks that many middle eastern people have when traveling. They look anxious. They sometimes look worried. And many times, they get stopped by the security. Although I understand that the point of this procedure is the ensure the safety of the people in the airport, there are always the part of me in the back of my head that asks why they were stopped. They have their suitcases just like every other passengers, and they do not act suspicious just like every other passengers, yet they are the ones to get stopped by the security for unknown reason. This is what the Orientalism mindset does to us. We have an Orientalism mindset where we have fear when we see people from Eastern world when we are out in a crowded public place because we compare them with terrorists. Such views are the reason why some races fear going out in public. America should be a safe place, but if we continue having such mindset, how can these people leave their house knowing that they will not be stared at or judged.
Orientalism point of view has been going on for a long time and therefore, it will take even longer for us to recognize the problem and try and solve it. The Western world needs to focus on being united with other countries, even if they do not look, act, nor talk like us. We need to make an effort to include every races into our culture, no matter who they are.
I've heard similar stories from my friends with middle eastern families, and it is sad to think that this is happening to them. Great connection Eunseo. This is super relevant in this day and age and a problem that is going to take a lot of time and work to solve.
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