Does the Clash Resonate

Rebecca Beaudry
HIS 3105
Does the Clash Resonate?
April 30, 2009

There is a clash of civilizations between the East and the West. This is influenced heavily by history and perceived impressions of people. To understand this clash of civilizations, one must first understand the history behind it.
The Greeks often referred to anybody who was different, who did not speak Greek, as barbarians. As people who were less than them by virtue of belonging to a different culture. The Greeks formed preconceived notions of these people which influenced their writings on the subject and the writings of later people. All of these preconceived notions and clichés built upon one another as time passed. This was certainly not helped by the Moors in Spain nor by the Crusades in Palestine which helped form even more notions of what the East and the West was like. (Lockman 8-10, Said 56-7)
These ideas still exist today and are obvious in popular culture. From Disney films to big Hollywood blockbusters orientalism is incredibly apparent. Take films such as True Lies. The terrorists are incompetent Muslim men from Palestine willing to set off nuclear bombs to make their point while their female accomplice is abused by the terrorists one minute and attempted to seduce the main male character and hero of the movie the next. The terrorist theme is very prominent throughout Western films. Other themes include the seductive Arab woman, the lecherous Arab man obsessed with Western women, and of course portraying Arabs as less intelligent.
One film which took on these stereotypes was American East, about a group of Palestinians living in Los Angeles. However through taking on and diffusing these stereotypes, it also showed a multitude of stereotypes about Americans and Jews. One stereotype about Jews was that the Jewish man’s family was essentially run like a corporation rather than as a family. In the film, most white Americans are portrayed as so single mindedly suspicious of Arabs that throughout the film, many of the Palestinian main characters are accosted by at least one American in one way or the other be it through suspicion of being a terrorist or something else.
The film Aladdin is by far one of the most insidious in its portrayal of Arabs. The film attempts to take the old story and turn it into musical animated film. Yet throughout it, women are portrayed in clothing taken more from clichés and stereotypes of what women wear in the Middle East than anything else. The main protagonist of the film possesses features so stylized that he looks more like a camel than a man. The guards, who are bumbling, somewhat incompetent and sadistic, if their actions toward Aladdin are taken into account, also posses the most ethnically Arab features. Meanwhile Aladdin and Princess Jasmine posses the most western features.
This clash of civilizations is also apparent in the way the United States media speaks about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Everything is covered from the side of the Israelis. Even though the Israelis are so obviously favored by the U.S., the true situation should be presented. However, generally the Media presents the conflict from the side of the Israelis and goes so far as to dehumanize the Palestinians by use of a very selective vocabulary. Nor is the term occupation generally mentioned in these news reports, given people an even shakier version of what is truly occurring.
Even in Israel, this is obvious. In the documentary about the mothers of two girls who died in a terrorist bombing perpetrated by one of the girls it is surprisingly apparent. The girls were Ayat, the Palestinian suicide bomber and Rachel her unwitting victim. Ayat’s mother is willing to compromise and answer questions, however Rachel’s is not. Rachel’s mother become so obsessed with trying to understand how Ayat could have killed Rachel that she is unwilling to listen to any opinion other than her own. She refuses to acknowledge that what Israel has doen to the Palestinians might have brought Ayat to the point where she felt she had no choice but to do something like that. She also refuses to acknowledge that anybody but herself might have a legitimate opinion.
These worrying views are no doubt influenced by the Imperialism of the past several centuries. Most of the places colonized are generally no long subsidiaries of European power or of the U.S., however the prejudices produced by imperialism still remain. This shows in many ways such as books and films still heavily influenced by this.
The clash dies resonate. It is influenced by historical bias and clichés propagated by people whom it has influenced. It has become apparent throughout this course that there is a clash of civilizations. Sometimes this clash is violent, however many times it is not. Rather the clash can be seen in how the West is portrayed by the East and how the East is portrayed by the West. It is apparent in news reports and in the words people use.


Works Cited

Lockman, Zachary. Contending Visions of the Middle East. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2004.

Said, Edward W. Orientalism. United States: Random House, 1979.