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.

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 As far as Orientalism goes in America, it is like most outdated concepts such as racism and sexism.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.

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. 

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.

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.

Orientalism in Israel

It was a sweltering day in the peak hours of sunlight, glimmering off of the waters of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. I had arrived for the first time a few days ago, without any expectations of discovering some arbitrary connection to God, but undoubtedly with more than a few fears and preconceptions concerning my own safety. It was Israel in 2018, after all.

I was admiring the beauty of the ocean, soaking in the history from the ruins, and all the while wondering what it must have been like for those before me who lived and breathed right where I was standing. I wasn't thinking about what I already knew about Israel, or Judaism, or my own family's history. I was simply existing. For a fleeting moment, the news opinions on Israel and Jews and the presidentially-endorsed antisemitism in my own country dissipated. But it truly was for just one simple moment, and then reality came crashing down.

We walked away from the water, the trance broken but our spirits still high. As the guide led us away from the shoreline, we came upon a group of children who appeared to be on a school trip. They looked like they were in elementary school, and in the moment I thought they were probably Jewish due to where we were. The kids looked at us, the American tourists, with faces that quickly turned from confused to amused. I did not understand their amusement to be anything other than childhood wonder and excitement, but I was about to find out how wrong I was. Feeling their gaze, I smiled and said "Shalom," the Hebrew word for "Hello." They smiled back at me, but their smiles held weight. Patronizingly, these young children collectively began saying "Hello" in the best, mock-American accents they could manage, giggling amongst themselves. The kids on my trip thought they were just messing with us, but I took it very, very differently. 

In that moment, I witnessed first-hand the effects of Orientalism like I'd never known it before. I felt the guilt of being a Westerner as I noticed how these young Middle-Eastern kids felt the responsibility to know English for any given tourist from the West, or at least they had been taught to be ready for us from youth. I felt like I was invading their space simply by being there, and I felt confused and hurt that as a Jew in the Jewish part of Israel that I was rejected for my Westernness, when all I had been told about my trip was that Israel was supposed to be my homeland. 

Since my trip, I've learned that Israel is home to many, and to those who live there, it's quite possible that not every part of their identity and history is completely welcome. I didn't quite feel Jewish enough, and I didn't quite want to feel completely Western, so I was stuck in a limbo that I can only imagine is being felt across the entire country, too. The controversy of Western Jews' "allegiance" to Israel finally made sense in my mind, having felt the pull of both sides in a simple 30 second interaction with some of the country's youngest, most innocent natives. Putting a name to the phenomenon after reading Edward Said's work on Orientalism brings clarity to the situation, but it only makes me realize just how pervasive it is. I'm left with a hunger for more knowledge on the subject so that one day, I may travel back to Israel with a political fluency and a personal pride in all parts of my identity, without preconceptions or prejudices.

Has Orientalism Spoiled Future Depictions of Asian/American Culture?

Edward Said's theory of Orientalism inspired widespread discussion about the depiction of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures in art, literature, movies, and TV. Orientalism, the racist, exotic western depiction of eastern cultures, is all over in western culture. The definition of this pattern as Orientalism leads to people being way more aware of the racist undertones of stereotypical settings and people whenever white people stop by the Middle East in a movie. 

Part of Said's Orientalist theory is recognizing that after being exposed to the exotic, mystical nature of Orientalist depictions of Asia, many people from the west will only see that outlandish picture of a place in Asia or an Asian culture even when actually exposed to it. A white person making a movie about Egypt might go to Egypt to research the culture and places in an attempt at realism and still be previously conditioned to expect to see a beautiful exotic bazaar, which might make their trip to a random marketplace into a mysterious adventure. Their depiction of Egyptian culture, then, would be the way they saw Egypt through someone else's pre-planted expectations for that culture. 

If this self-sustaining circle really is the case with creators, however, then the question becomes: will we ever be able to see a realistic representation of other, specifically Asian, cultures? The answer, however, appears to be a simple one: don't try to tell a truthful story about a culture that you don't really know. That is not to say that a white person can never tell a story about a person who is not white. It is, however, to say, that creators and artists need to be aware of their biased interpretation of other cultures and allow that to inform their decision about writing about those cultures. 

Moving Past Orientalism

I think that we all have an Orientalist mindset, even if we don’t always realize it. We have perceptions of people from different countries even if we have never been there or have ever met anyone from that country. And, we use orientalism as a lens to create stereotypes about people from the middle east. Orientalism is portrayed throughout our society, in historical paintings, art, literature, films, and media. People wanted to explain others who look different than they do, so that they knew how to conquer them. But, people display these stereotypes that they create as though they are facts.

The same images of monsters, mystery, and women comes up when people research the Middle East, even though these images doesn’t accurately depict their culture or ideals. These images created stereotypes that all Middle Eastern people are mysterious or dangerous.

I think that we can’t avoid looking at media that perpetuates these harmful stereotypes. They are a part of our everyday society, whether we realize it or not.

Orientalism can be extremely harmful because It creates an fake image of what people are really like, without using history and facts. It makes more privileged people look down upon and mistreat people from the Middle East, even though they know nothing about them. It also forces Middle Eastern people to see themselves in a bad light, because they are constantly put down because of how they look to others.

I think that we can move past this by spreading more information about the Middle East, from Middle Eastern people. We have to spread historical information based on facts, rather than perpetuating stereotypes. I think that it’s important that it comes from a Middle Eastern person because they have actually lived through real Middle Eastern experiences. If the information comes from a privileged European person, they might view the Middle East with the prejudice they have gained from media, or their “oriental lens.”

Orientalism Today

The Orientalist mindset continues to be pervasive in nearly every aspect of Western culture. Orientalism is essentially an over generalization of Middle Eastern culture in order to establish it as regressive and "other" compared to the West. In today's media perhaps the most prominent and harmful application of Orientalism can be seen in the treatment of Islam.

Media in the modern United States often promotes untrue stereotypes of Muslims while erasing the realities of Middle Eastern, especially Islamic, culture. This reduction of culture is especially characteristic of Orientalism. Studies of media have found that most depictions of Muslims portray them in a negative light. Often they associate Islam with terrorism in order to portray Muslims as a threat to Western society. This idea does not take into account the reality that a very small minority of Muslims advocate violence, which itself is against the scripture of Islam. By focusing on issues such as mistreatment of women, for example, without any depiction of the views of a Muslim woman, the media exacerbates the divide between Western constructions of Middle Eastern life and the reality experienced by its inhabitants. This issue cannot be resolved until Muslim people are represented in media and depictions of Islam, both good and bad, are proportional to frequency at which they occur.

This modern Orientalism has real life consequences that should not go unmentioned. Islamophobic rhetoric in media translates into Islamophobic actions in reality. As of 2010, 48% of Americans reported feeling prejudiced towards Muslims while they make up one of the smallest minority groups in the country. Over the last few years physical and verbal violence against Muslims in the United States has increased markedly. The Orientalist ideology that we promote through our portrayals of Middle Eastern Islamic people has consequences that should not be forgotten.

The Paradox of Edward Said

To me, Edward Said is more than controversial. He is a repugnant figure who has been in the legislative wing of a terrorist entity that has killed members of my family. Not only is he vigorously anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic, but he is also a hypocrite.

Let me explain, throughout the literature of the Anti-Zionist perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the authors dive deep into orientalist mindset, only from the perspective of the Arab countries toward the Jews. To them, Jews are the other, the lesser people, the ones without agency. Their power is taken away in a system similar to the structures taking away the power of the East in the West.

Perhaps the best example of this is written by Edward Said himself, “Zionism from the Standpoint of its Victims.” This piece of academia, in addition to being filled with factual inaccuracies of and logical fallacies, displays Jews in a truly orientalist mindset.

To demonstrate this we must first define what an “orientalist mindset” is. First, it must be pervasive throughout an entire culture. This view is in no uncertain terms. In a majority of Arab countries, in which a majority of these authors either reside or are from, Jews are the devil of the world. They are the other to the Arab’s not other in just the same way that the East is the other to the West’s not other. Said plays into this fact with his description of Zionists throughout his piece.

Said also takes away the agency of the Jews in this literature in just the same way that most western literature describes the east as people to be subjugated by the west. He places them in one of two boxes, either servants of the Europeans with no agency at all or bloodthirsty savages lusting for the land and heads of Arabs. This portrait of the Jew is typical of this literature and fits perfectly into the orientalist mindset.

Finally, throughout this essay he bends the facts of the story in a way to tear down the accomplishments of the Jews in a way similar to western literature demeaning the east. He takes away any claim they have to the land of Israel painting them only as conquerors of the land. He goes back from before contemporary time to when the Arabs owned the land instead of the British or Jews, but conveniently stops before going to when the Jews own it. He also brushes over the violent and hateful acts the Arabs of this land perpetrated on the Jews when they were living in harmony.

Said when he is writing this essay ignores his own ideas and paints the story of the Zionist movement in an orientalist mindset simply one oriented to put the Arab world in power.

Obviously, this is a minuscule look at a 50 page essay that is truly disgusting and filled with factual inaccuracies and failures of logic at every turn. I encourage everyone to read the full essay here.

The Dominating West Mindset

In the eyes of the west, foreign countries of the east are seen as rigid lands filled with barbarous people. Of course this is not true, but it is common in our country since we never been to the east. This idea of orientalism is brainwashed into our brains through various outlets and some of it is our fault. Although the media, television, and other social networks or outlets makes us believe the east is uncivilized, it may be our fault for we do not question the credibility of our sources. Perhaps it's subtle in television but growing up in a country were the media and television dictates our lives it makes sense that this occurs. We can go to these countries where we make these accusations but how much are we actually going to see? Are we going to see what we want to see? How can we ever stop this view of the world? It is hard to find answers to these questions, if there's any. Its hard to stop this perspective since it started during an imperialistic age, that occur awhile ago.

The problem of finding a solution to the oriental mindset is that it has been occurring since imperialism. Meaning that since imperialism, those who conquered others saw how they lived and what their culture was. Instead of learning more about eastern people they compared themselves to them and drew conclusions that they were uncivilized. This mindset had not changed and that is the problem, it is static, and I wonder if it's to late to stop this mind set that has been hardwired into our brains growing up.

Aladdin and Orientalism

Throughout my lifetime there have been many occurrences of orientalism I have never noticed or even thought twice about. Said's theory of orientalism can be seen in our society in movies and songs that have been produced. Western society, especially here in America, portrays the middle east as something much different and even barbaric. This view can be clearly seen in movies directed towards children such as Aladdin.

In the movie Aladdin, there are many stereotypes in place from what is worn to how the characters act in this exotic land they live in. With this movie being so popular for children, there is a false depiction of Middle Eastern countries for many American children who have no other experience of Middle Eastern culture. All of the characters carry swords and are dressed in turbans throughout the movie. The stereotyping does not stop here though, even in the first song of the movie the lyrics have a terrible depiction of the Middle East.

Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
it's flat and immense
And the heat is intense
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home

These lyrics perfectly show how Aladdin falsely interprets the Middle East. These movies have terrible effects on our country due to the false images flowing into the minds of children watching a seemingly innocent movie. There needs to be more movies created to correct these problems we face, but nothing will ever truly be able to completely fix the mistakes Disney made by creating Aladdin.

Orientalism and Me!

I’m sure I have an Orientalist mindset, even though I try not to. These stereotypes and generalizations are pervasive in our society and media: I’ve likely picked up some deep, unconscious thought processes just from the portrayal of Asians in TV and movies. It’s a similar effect that stereotypical and racist portrayals of African American men in media has on the adolescents that watch it. Even if the makers of television/movies/etc are putting an enhanced focus on to these issues, the problem isn’t fixed. People my age still are doused in media, like Homeland, that uses Middle-Eastern looking alphabets to give an intimidating and exotic effect instead of give a realistic picture of Middle Eastern culture.

It will take a consciousness of these stereotyped portrayals in society, actual effort to destroy the Orientalist stereotypes, open minds, and time. Time needs to pass because people are afraid of change, which makes perfect sense because change can be dangerous. But it also means that people will take longer (much too long in my opinion) to accept actual nuanced opinions about the Middle East and Asia. Everyone who’s capable needs to actively try to extinguish ignorance when it comes to “Orientalism”. An infinite amount of time can pass and nothing will be changed if people don’t do anything about the Orientalist thought process; hence, people need to get off their butts and do something. I would be ignorant to say that this problem will be solved immediately; hence, the need for time to pass.

If society just lets this happen… is that really the society we want to live in? This perfect equal dream that America (supposedly) stands for doesn’t exist (and likely never will), but it isn’t exactly something you should give up on. We should not allow ignorance to live freely just because we have the prerogative to let it.

The Modern Orientalism

While in recent memory we have done a great deal to become more aware of the true cultural nature of the world in many ways the west has changed little in its views of Asia. While almost all western nations have moved passed the blatant racism of our immediate past many still hold on to incorrect assumptions about the region as a whole.

One such example is the nation of Oman. While many assume this Middle Eastern nation is in a state of perpetual crisis filled with terrorists, this could not be further from the truth. In fact Oman is a rare example of a double stereotype as those who might know of the country known it is an absolute monarchy. This gives many the impression of tyrannical and power obsessed ruler when again little could be further from the truth. Oman is a modern nation that is ever rising in all respect with a deeply loved and revered monarch who is a major patron of the arts, tolerance, and modernity.

While we most certainly have come a long way from derogatory names and cultural theft the fact of matter is that Edward Said's theory of Orientalism is still alive just in a different context.

Movies and Orientalism

Edward Said states that because Western world was in power and dominated the East the myth they created about East influenced their judgment of culture and people from those regions which Said calls an Orientalism.
Movies in our society are mostly dominated by western cultures therefore Orientalism can be seen almost in every movie produced. For example The Great Wall(2017), The Mummy(1999), Kung Fu Panda(2008), Doctor Strange(2016) to list few.
In The Great Wall movie Chinese people are perceived as mysterious and incredible fighters in warrior armor. As well as Kung Fu Panda and The Great Wall idealise Chinese women to be very elegant, beautiful, good fighters and violent as well.
The Mummy is stereotyping Egyptians as if all of them have a camel and machete.
In the Doctor Strange he visits the Kamar-Taj city which depicts Asian country specifically can be inferred to be India. It proves this stereotypical idea of what they wear and how they talk did not change in the past fifty years.
Orientalism is still in our everyday lives because we are so used to seeing it we do not realise how wrong it is until someone points it out.

Growing Up With Orientalism

It is pretty unanimously accepted that stereotyping is dangerous, and Orientalism is just one large example of this. Orientalism is a mindset widely conformed with, and was characterized by Edward Said. Children are exposed to this mindset in the media, and thus it becomes an idea that many continue to hold until it is challenged.

Children's movies such as "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more adult-oriented movies such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" instill and reinforce these orientalist values throughout stages of life.

Without the heavy influence of Orientalism and the need to define the unknown, people would overall be more understanding, respectful, and aware of what different cultures are actually like, which would be beneficial to everyone.

Executive Orientalism 13769

In Orientalism, Edward Said argues that Europeans defined themselves by defining Orientals. Said states that the ¨Orient was almost a European invention.¨ Said contends that many Western countries have traditions of coming to terms with Eastern countries in a way that reduces those countries to their role in the Western experience. An orientalist viewpoint has helped define Western identity by being an ¨other¨ that they can compare their culture to. Western culture defines its values as moral and just by defining the Eastern culture as malicious. Although Said wrote this study in 1978, the ideas present are still very relevant today. In my opinion, his theory can be aptly applied to the modern day political atmosphere.

Said´s main argument is that through a history of colonization and imperialism, Westerners have established stereotypes and myths about the people from Eastern countries. These stereotypes are usually negative, and oftentimes dehumanizing. Said focuses on how the stereotypes appear in art and literature throughout history, but these dangerous myths about Eastern politics can also be found shaping American politics. For example, the very nature of the president´s Executive Order 13769 can be partially attributed to an Orientalist mindset as Edward Said defines it. The president drew on myths about people of Middle-Eastern descent to order a travel ban to be enacted, barring people from six countries from entering the US. Specifically, the order used an Orientalist viewpoint to falsely and dangerously perpetuate stereotypes about Muslim people. The president stereotyped all people from these six countries as a danger to the American people to further the divide between ¨us¨ and ¨other.¨ By widening this gap, the president is able to easily misconstrue America as completely distinct and inherently superior to Eastern cultures.

But defining America through separations and bans does not elevate out culture, it does not ¨make America great again.¨ Instead, it transforms America into a place that is stuck in racist trends of the past, unable to move forward. I think that we as a country should do as Said would suggest and open this subject up for discussion and analysis, and through that, we can move forward.

An Empiricentric World View

In Edward Said's Orientalism, he says that one of the most important things to realize is that the Europeans defined themselves by defining the Orientals. In the same way, the Western culture defines its values as good by defining the Eastern culture as bad. An empiricentric lens captures the same ideas that Said defined.

An empiricentric world view recognizes only the directly empirical aspects of reality and misunderstands all other aspects of reality. It is a very subtle form of "common-sense realism" that assumes that because we experience the world, then it must be an absolute reality and it has been relied upon as the foundation for inquiries into the nature of reality. The empiricentric approach attempts to comprehend reality only through the lens of an empirical world view. When discussing issues within the empirical world, one can rely on Western assumptions about the world, but when discussing issues within the wider reality one must go further than Western minds are generally used to. Western culture has typically dominated the Eastern culture, and has the ability to continue its reign, even though the differences can be minuscule.

For example, in most Western cultures, maintaining eye contact while talking to someone is a sign of respect. In Eastern countries, however, eye contact can be seen as inappropriate. When we hear that eye contact is inappropriate and disrespectful in other cultures, our first reaction is to question it and immediately label it as wrong. Because the Western World has the ability to broadcast their beliefs, the Eastern culture can easily be devalued.

There are many differences between the Eastern and Western cultures of our world. Edward Said draws out these contrasting beliefs in his theory of Orientalism. Today, the consequences of having an Orientalist mindset can cause us to be closed off and not understanding of a different way of life. In order to move past this mindset, we must learn to be open and to not initially right of another's differing opinion as ¨wrong¨.

A Passage To Black Communities

As Said mentions in his book “Orientalism,” it is impossible to untangle from colonial influences, whether you are the colonizer or the colonized. He connected it briefly to American racism; when the history of a nation is saturated with racial prejudice, its people’s biases are inherently racist.

In the United States’ case, the Orientalist mindset extends beyond the colonized and colonizers. Those of European descent (whites) certainly perpetuate the exotic, spiritual, paganistic stereotype of Native Americans, but Black and Latino cultures are also painted with broad, generally harmful, and largely inaccurate strokes.

This American Orientalist mindset was clearly evident in President Trump’s campaign when he asserted that Black communities are in a worse shape than ever before, and that if you “take a look at the inner cities, you get no education, you get no jobs, you get shot walking down the street. They're worse -- I mean, honestly, places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities.” Said’s main problem with Orientalism - that it diminishes the diverse groups in the “Orient” by generalizing myriad cultures and presenting them as inferior to those in the West - has never been more applicable.

Most glaringly, President Trump failed to mention that the institution of slavery was integral in robbing Black Americans of their safety and liberty by sparking nationwide prejudice against Black Americans. This omission shifted the blame from the oppressors to the oppressed. It is not simply inaccurate to argue that no Black Americans have an education, a job, or basic security when taking a walk in their neighborhood; it illustrates all Black people as having inferior intelligence and financial stability to White people. It implies that all Black people are constantly engaged in senseless violence - not only the ones who get shot walking down the street, but those who shoot, who President Trump may not name, but certainly assumes are also Black. At the root of President Trump’s comment lies an argument that presents Black communities as inferior, uncivilized, and barbaric. Sound familiar?