Stereotypes In The Film Industry

Race has a tremendous impact on society. This problem shows up in the schools, the job market, and in many other places. However, one must ask the question, where does this problem come from? Who is feeding the public the outdated stereotypes that seem to predominate people’s way of life in today’s world? The answer to that question would be the media, and in particular, the film industry. Even in today’s world, Hollywood still not only portrays, but also encourages the spread of racial inequality, both on and off the screen. Through its below average casting of minority actors and directors, its portrayal of these minority groups, and its lack of recognition towards minority actors and their films, the film industry makes it harder for today’s
This problem is rare in that it affects every minority group in different ways. An example of this would be the movie industry’s depiction of Arabs and Arab-Americans in movies. Discrimination against Arabs started as early as in 1921’s The Sheikh. According to John Connes in his 2012 book, the villain in this movie is described as “an oversexed desert royal who carries an English girl off to his tent” (Cones 14). This trend towards insulting and racist descriptions continues throughout the years. Often, Arabs in movies are described as “villainous caliphs,” “shifty Arabs,” “Egyptian fanatics” or even “crazed”, and “wicked” (Cones 14-15, 17-18). This trend continues in the 1990 movie Without My Daughter. Cones quotes Roger Ebert, a well known movie critic, as pointing out that the Muslim characters are depicted as “harsh, cruel, religious fanatics” and that if the film was about any other ethnic group, it would be “denounced as racist or prejudiced” (Cones 24). In addition, films featuring Arabs throughout the years often support extreme violence against this minority, often portraying them as the villains. Finally, these films often include stereotypical actions and events by their minority characters, such as sorcery or the locales of large deserts and tombs. In conclusion, Cones concludes that
The 1991 film 1,000 Pieces of Gold depicts a time in Asia where slavery was prevalent, even though it had already been abolished in most of the world. Cone again quotes Roger Ebert, saying “[the] only man portrayed positively in the film is … [a white man]” (Cones 28). Even though the majority of this movie’s cast is Asian, the only character audiences are given to root for is the white male. This movie follows Hollywood’s trend of displaying Asians or Asian-Americans as “enemies, cold, calculating, …, aggressive, …, and as conspiring businessmen” (Cones 29). Hispanics, on the other hand, are often given a different reputation. They can be seen as “jailhouse drug kingpins,” as in the movie American Me, or as people in distress, needing a white man or family to come and help them out, such as in McFarland, USA (Cones 31). In addition, you most likely already know that this trend of stereotyping applies to African-Americans and Native Americans as