Back in 1978, a Palestinian-American called Edward Said wrote an important book called Orientalism. It describes a way of seeing that exoticizes, emphasizes, exaggerates and distorts the differences of peoples and cultures compared to that of Europe and the U.S. It often involves seeing other cultures (in Said’s case Arab culture) as backward, uncivilized, and at times dangerous.
These patronizing representations of the ‘other’ are still prevalent in our media today; in the books we read, the news we consume and the movies that we watch. In the U.S. it is usually Mexico and Latin America which are the main targets of Orientalism; they are often portrayed as murderous places full of drugs, crime and violence. According to Said, this creation of a dangerous and mysterious ‘other’ helps to better secure the stability and supremacy of the Western self.
People have noticed that when Mexico (or a place that’s supposed to be Mexico) is shown on American movies, it is very often seen through a sepia-toned lens, giving it a hot, dusty, ‘foreign’ air that is actually far from the reality. Why do they do this? Do they do it on purpose, or has it become ingrained as a subconscious habit? Who knows. But it’s clearly a thing, as you can see from some of the memes that poke fun at it below.
What do you think? Is it important that we examine the ways we represent other places, peoples and cultures? Or are we simply reading far too much into it? Scroll down to check out the memes for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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from Bored Panda http://bit.ly/2x9Eikg
