After viewing the video of the interview with Said I could not help but begin to contemplate whether or not orientalism was real. I found out that it was a term that he began to use to label what he felt became the problem which is now referred to as orientalism. It is a touchy situation considering the fact that it argues how people attempt to put labels and biases on different cultures and people, but at the same time, isn't that what Said is in turn doing? It is difficult to decipher how I feel as of this point in our class because every video that we have watched so far is displaying the same message to not believe the media or information that we take in from the news, and videos attempting to persuade us of having a different outlook than what is the truth. But, being a 21 year old girl living in the United States, born and raised in the state of New York, is their really a way for me to know the truth?
I am hoping at the end of this class to really understand the problems and understand fully what the definition of orientalism is. I think right now I am almost confused about what to believe, and what not to believe. It seems to be an issue which is far from black and white. Their are so many examples, and obstacles that I feel need to be ironed out before I can actually decide truth from simply more media attempting to shape the way I think.
It is also difficult because no matter what media you take in; either reading a book or article or journal, or simply watching a news cast or video, you are being fed information that the creator wants to infiltrate into your brain and convince you that it is what is truth. It makes it difficult to understand problems and ideas that are located so far away from your own culture. It is very difficult for an American to view these materials as primary sources because of the countless filters that appear in media. The videos and articles, and books work as secondary sources for each individual to pull out what they believe to be true, never really knowing if what it consists of is whats correct, or truthful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A majority of the films that we have been watching have delivered a seemingly striking message; distrust any and all media. And although they are suggesting a blind rejection of the media through a medium, the hypocrisy is ignored. This message has been repeated through much of the last decade. Americans have been told repeatedly to mistrust the media, namely FOX by popular “documentary filmmakers,” namely Michael Moore. It’s a conflicting message that’s repeated often without any explanation. Who do we trust? How can I know what is happening to people on every corner of the earth without the media. I understand the reasoning behind the message, but I’ve yet to here a responsible alternative. So far a mistrust of the news media has just left me misinformed.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Ward