Arab Stereotypes

The issue of how Arab’s are described in the media is an issue that I have previously dealt with and discussed before. In one of my philosophy classes at Foothill College my professor showed us a debate on the issue that included politicians, authors, and individuals who have been persecuted for what the stereotype of Arab’s is in the media right now. What I got from that discussion and from the readings we did in class is that to say that the media describes Arab’s correctly and fairly is very difficult to argue for, but to add to that the media doesn’t describe any group fairly and justly as the bias of culture, recent events, and tradition are very present in the description of any group in the media. Since the United States has had very bad encounters of what we consider Arab nations, it is impossible to think that public media will depict a proper image of that group. In this country, especially post 9/11, Arab people are the scapegoat and the enemy of all things that are bad in this world and the depiction in the media of them is going to reflect the negative view that people have regardless of it being fair or not. It is also bad when a group is looked up to too much as in the United States being “white” or European gives a sense of undeserved priority and privilege. The media makes being white skinned, a genetic trait, something that gives you some societal privilege and that just like the Arab negative view in the media is also unfair. The media never depict the proper view of groups as they always show them being good or bad and in doing so the media is just a public opinion that speaks to mostly an uneducated group who share the same ideas.