I wanted to write about this question because for some reason this was my favorite question out of the ones in the Reel Bad Arab section. It’s interesting how Hollywood can be so manipulative on how it depicts certain races. It can combine so many stereotypes, even if contradictory, and make the audience believe it’s true. How is it possible that Hollywood can simultaneously depict Arabs as incompetent and as a dangerous threat? Usually, one would think of a dangerous threat as someone who is intelligent and has a plan. The way Arabs are depicted in Hollywood is that they don’t need to be competent to be dangerous, which makes our view of them worse. In most movies Arabs seem like they’re crazy, don’t think before they act, and just set bombs off wherever. When myself or any one of my friends pictures an Arab, the 1st thing that comes to mind is a terrorist setting off bombs. This seems to be the most common picture we see. Hollywood is framing them in such a way that they do not need to be smart to be dangerous, and they indeed aren’t smart- they’re just barbaric, violent people.
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