Introduction
In the modern global world, an evident blur of cultural limits results in a diverse patchwork of human interests, concerns, likes and dislikes. Media represents cultural concerns, social issues or even historical facts in a different way. Thus, there can be many differences between factual representations of one nations in the context of others. As a rule, modern movie industry represents perverted images of ethnic minorities. Moviemakers intend to make money and gain huge profits. They do not think about cultural distortions or racial conflicts, which may occur in the result of their movies, which represent only one side of a coin. This essay focuses on representations of the Easterners in the Western movies, Jews, or Armenians in the Turkish movies.
Cultural distortions in movies
Actually, there is a wide range of ethnic minorities with their cultural peculiarities, which the audience see in the movies, but, there is one common principle, when the majority is shown in a positive light and minorities are represented as negative characters. There is no doubt that the modern world of the cinema intends to be as true-to-life as possible to impress the audience and evoke their interest in the products it produces. External factors, historic events, social and many other related issues create some conditions for moviemakers’ creative process.
For example, the latest terroristic attacks create negative and dangerous images of Muslims. The Westerners represent Easterners from the perspective of their belonging to terrorism. Unfortunately, these representations of Arabs differ from their national identities (Dell'Orto 452). For example, in the Western world, a Muslim woman in a veiled scarf equates to masqueraded terrorists. Bearded Muslims are considered to be barbaric individuals. Arabs are usually represented as uncivilized characters. Unfortunately, in terms of two abovementioned stereotypes, there are not many identities of Muslims. They are different for the Western culture.
One of the wide-spread ideas, which represents Muslims is that “They live in mythical kingdoms of endless desert dotted with oil wells, tents, run-down mosques, palaces, goats, and camels” (Dell'Orto 454). Thus, Westerners consider the Easterners as secretive or even dangerous and unknown characters.
For example, in such films as Point of No Return (1993), Puppet Master II (1990), American Samurai (1992) and others insult the identity of Arabs. The Libyans in such movies as Broadcast News (1987), and Patriot Games (1992) are represented as cruel murderers. This is also an unfair and one-sided representation of this ethnicity. On the one hand, it may seem that the Westerners criticize or underestimate the Arab world, but, on the other hand, this world is so complex with so many challenges that the Westerners cannot discover all its features.
Consequently, the Westerners consider the Arab world as “all Arabs”. There is a common generalization of Arab identity (Krishnamurthy). Basically, movies generalize the stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs developed by the Westerners. The perception of the Eastern world by the Easterners can differ from perceptions of the Westerners.
Moreover, representations of Armenian and Jewish minorities in Turkey “were presented under characters based on their former representations in traditional and authentic sources like ortaoyunu, meddah, and Karagöz” (Coban). There were fewer of Jewish characters in Turkish movies than Armenian and Greek ones (Çoban). Moviemakers depend on social perceptions of one group of minorities in the eyes of others. Nevertheless, an important function of movie industry in the world is evident, "Given the power of cinema with its informing and orienting functions, either traditional characters based on the stereotype of the Turkish Jew and their reproduced versions, or the Israeli Jew character, while having served as important sources for introducing the Jews to the Turkish society, also have contributed to the reproduction of the stereotype of the Jew" (Çoban).
Thus, movies refer to social reality, perceptions of nations and ethnicities in the world. Of course, stereotypes exist in the movie industry (Ventura). They do not reflect real representations of nations. Nevertheless, movies reflect social attitudes to ethnic minorities or cultural differences. In the film "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999), ethnic caricatures are evident. For example, Jar Binks speaks a Caribbean-style pidgin English. Hollywood exploits the stereotype of a lazy, bumbling and stupid black buffoon (Digging for Identity). As far as we can see, some negative representations of national images or cultural concepts may result in creation of degrading ethnic or national characters. Negative representations of blacks oppose to positive images of whites. We can see the same thing about negative representations of other ethnic minorities in the Western movies.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, in the aged of cultural diversity and globalization, social stereotypes are widespread. Moviemakers are conscious creators of negative ethnic images. As usual, the majority is represented from a positive perspective and minorities occupy the niche of negative characters. It is obvious, that our society is responsible for negative representations of ethnic minorities. Humans should discard stereotypes. Cultural distortions are pitfalls of the modern movie industry. It is on behalf of the modern society to work in the name of diverse patchwork expansion. Move industry is one of the most popular social and media background, which can set open and tolerant attitude of contemporaries to perceptions of others.
Works Cited
Dell'Orto, Giovanna. "We Europeans? Media, Representations, Identities." Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 87.2 (2010): 451+. Questia. Web. 9 July 2016.
https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-2137464551/we-europeans-media-representations-identities
"Digging for Identity." Afterimage 27.4 (2000). Questia. Web. 9 July 2016.
https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-59877381/digging-for-identity
Krishnamurthy, Madhu. "Eastern Message with a Western Approach." Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) 11 Nov. 2004. Questia. Web. 9 July 2016.
https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-125848737/eastern-message-with-a-western-approach
Çoban, Melih. "Various Representations of Jews in Turkish Cinema." Journal of Religion and Film 20.1 (2016): I+. Questia. Web. 9 July 2016.
https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3966432051/various-representations-of-jews-in-turkish-cinema
Ventura, Michael. "The New Social Mind: Immigration and Our National Identity Crisis."Psychotherapy Networker May/June 2008. Questia. Web. 9 July 2016.
https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1470772461/the-new-social-mind-immigration-and-our-national
