The media's image of Arabs (Essay Sample)

THE MEDIA’S IMAGE OF ARABS
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The Media’s Image of Arabs
Jack G. Shaheen’s article, “The Media’s Image of Arabs”, highlights how the media depicts Islam and Arabs. As a child, the media negatively influenced Shaheen who was cautioned by his mother against mocking the bad people when “she explained that stereotypes blur our vision and corrupt the imagination” (Shaheen, 2011, p.2). Does the media influence negatively on the views of Arabs? The American media has affected thinking that Arabs are people who like to inflict pain through stereotyping that is dangerously threatening.
Shaheen describes how the media views Islam and Arabs as “either billionaires or bombers- rarely victims”, (Shaheen, 2011, p.4). From the article, the author describes how his son and daughter believed that the Arabs were bad as portrayed on the television shows and the media caricatures. The author mentions the film, “Wanted Dead or Alive” that emphasizes on how American media portray Arabs as terrorists. The article highlights how Arabs are at war with America despite the fact that America is at peace with 19 other Arab nations.
The author is determined to end the barrage of media stereotyping Arabs as “America’s bogyman” (Shaheen, 2011, p.5). The message in the article is of great importance with the onset of the terrorist attacks. Effort to cease the images of Arabs hating and fighting America is important in bringing people together. Developing compassion for everyone brings out the “joy of accepting people as they are and not as they appear in films” (Shaheen, 2011, p.5). The media is perpetuating hurtful caricatures of Arabs as terrorist denigrates people, blurs reality, and narrows the vision. The stereotype is damaging and has expedited American-Arabs conflicts. The repeated use of such images has created a prejudicial attitude towards Arabs from one generation to another.
The repetition of negative media images of Islam in television shows and films suggesting that Arabs are at war with Americans entrenches negative stereotypes. The prevalence of internet and information sharing in the digital age where people spend most of their life going through media content is raising concern on how Arabs are portrayed. The author’s daughter and son opened Shaheen’s eyes on how negatively Arabs were portrayed on television. Ending this trend is facing significant resistance from Americans who may view it as an Arab propaganda.
The article further addresses how print broadcasts have started challenging this stereotype by “revealing more humane images of Palestinian equals terrorist” (Shaheen, 2011, p.6). This can be argued as a positive trend of change in the American media because images now are more balanced than before. The trend is increasing the interest on the Islam region. However, many people are not willing to cooperate in the vilification of Islam, as the media made them believe terrorist are to blame for attacks in America.
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