I think that western culture has had a prominent role in establishing orientalism, western culture has ingrained this idea of stereotypical depictions and imitation of Middle Eastern and Asian cultures into the minds of young kids. For example, a childhood classic, Aladdin a very successful movie and voted one of the best Disney channel films ever made. This film is a prime example of modern orientalism still present in western society today. In Aladdin the characters deemed as good and the protagonists are given American accents, where as the antagonists are given Arab accents.
This portrayal of the antagonists allows the audience to associate negative and evil behavior with middle eastern culture, and allows children to view the "good ones" as familiar and not mysterious. I think that having modern orientalism catering to children is a dangerous precedent to set. I believe that movies children watch from a young age for enjoyment have a bigger impact on their personal beliefs an understanding of a culture, rather than reading a textbook of accurate depictions of cultures. This being true the young minds of modern society are being negatively affected from the modern oreintalism that has infiltrated are movies, tv shows, and even art.
No comments:
Post a Comment