We started out the class by reading "Reel Bad Arabs" the article discussed how Hollywood has stereotyped Arabs as evil oil barons, terrorists or even people who ride on flying magic carpets (thanks, Aladdin). But as I kept reading, I realized that all of the stereotypes the article was talking about were things that I had come to believe because of Hollywood and other popular media. I've never been to an Arab country, so the only way I've learned about Arab cultures is through movies and news stories on TV.
To be honest, when I picture an Arab I think of a man wearing a turban with a beard or a woman dressed in a burqa. After reading "Reel Bad Arabs" I researched online and found out that since Iraq's liberation many young women quit wearing burqas and started dressing like Western women. The New York Times article "What Not to Wear, Baghdad-Style: Fashion Rules Begin to Change" by Timothy Williams and Abeer Mohammed says
"After the United States-led invasion in 2003, women [in Iraq] found their fashion choices largely dictated by clerics during Friday Prayer and enforced by armed militia members who would threaten, kidnap or even kill those who were provocatively dressed. That was defined for quite some time as any woman who was not wearing an abaya, the cloaklike covering meant to conceal the shape of a woman’s body completely... But now that security has improved in Baghdad, the capital, some young women have begun shaking off their abayas and started dressing more like the women they see on satellite television channels beamed to the city from around the world."
I was shocked but also glad to find out that women are now free to dress however they want in Iraq. The right to express yourself through your clothes is something that I think most Americans (including myself) take advantage of everyday.
Reading “Reel Bad Arabs” opened my eyes to the Arab culture. It helped me separate fact from fiction. We wrapped up the week on Thursday by watching part of Crash.
Crash is one of my all time favorite movies, so needless to say I was really excited to hear that we were going to watch it in class. There really isn't a better movie that we could have watched in class that accurately portrays many racial and gender stereotypes in our society. I first saw Crash in theaters, I was drawn to see it because of the star-studded cast but the movie won Oscars for Best Motion Picture and best Original Screenplay because of the excellent, gripping story. No matter what race or gender you are, I think anyone can identify in some way with the characters in the film. If you haven’t been a victim of racial profiling or a target of racism, I’m sure you’ve seen someone who has been. If not, you could probably identify with Matt Dillon’s character. He’s a cop trying to take care of his elderly father; Dillon’s performance was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
It’s easy to pick up on the racial aspect of Crash, but it’s a little more tricky to notice the gender discrimination in the movie. I wouldn’t have noticed some of the small hints if we hadn’t read “Audience Interpretations of Crash” the night before. The DA (Brendan Fraser) yells at his wife (Sandra Bullock) and treats her with disrespect in front of his staff after they are robbed. Detective Walters (Don Cheadle) tells his mother that he’s having sex with a white woman, who is actually his Latina partner (Jennifer Esposito). Crash is a movie that one can watch several times and notice something different each time. It helps to read an article like “Audience Interpretations of Crash” to fully appreciate all of the aspects of the movie.
Overall, I think it was a good week and I’m looking forward to the rest of the class.
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