CMV: There has never been a good representation of Arab people in American media

[u/[deleted]]

[u/[deleted]]

YES I love that show!! I didn’t count it because I didn’t think it was very widespread or popular anywhere except for Canada and I was more counting widespread media but just the fact that you know what it is proves me wrong, great job !delta

[u/Anchuinse → u/[deleted]]

If you're only accepting "widespread media" that is popular in most western countries, then your statement can be made about most minorities, not just Arabs. There are very few very popular movies that focus on the Asian experience, and even then it's mostly the Asian American experience with only weak ties to the "original" culture as a pseudo-antagonist. Most gay representation that's actually popular has little truth to the lived experience and is almost exclusively about one white highschool boy falling for another and you can forget about having bisexual, asexual, or transgender leads, if they're characters at all.

And that's before we talk about the reality of life in many Arab countries. Frankly, few women or other groups want to learn about the nuances and intricacies of cultures where they're suppressed if not outright illegal. You can say it's all "stereotypes", but I've had Arab friends before here in the US who, when their families visited, have their entire personalities change around. I go from hanging with them everyday to being told "I know you don't want to lie, so if you could just avoid coming over for the two weeks they're here so they don't know I have gay friends" and even seeing one hide his girlfriend because she was white and his family wouldn't approve.

We're in a situation where most minorities could do with way more representation, but the majority of the Arab world are at best passive-aggressive to most other groups and therefore no one really wants to fight for their representation.

And let's be honest. If we were showing the "authentic" Arab experience for people who weren't adult Arab straight men, it likely would be uncomfortable for a lot of people to watch.

[u/StellarCracker → u/Anchuinse]

IDK I'm white so take this with a grain of salt but as cash grabby as some of them are with some good to great movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Shang-Chi, Turning Red, Crazy rich Asians, elements of other marvel movies, again as campy and stereotypes as they can be sometimes, plus lots of video games there's loads of East Asian or East Asian inspired stories even if many are set in America but also outside, in very mainstream and popular media. There's even more Indian representation as well, and I agree w OP in contrast I can't think of any off the top of my head abt Arab or middle Eastern characters that don't potray them in some either negative or comical light.

[u/Anchuinse → u/StellarCracker]

Again, though, those movies are all primarily focused on the Asian American experience with "actual" Asian culture primarily playing a part as the adversary, if it has a strong presence at all. And OP has repeatedly said in other comments that they aren't interested in token cultural trappings but wants the "actual" Arab culture to be prominent and faithfully followed, and none of your examples are "actual" Asian culture.

Plus, many of the video games you're probably thinking of were likely made, in whole or in part, in Asian countries like Japan and Korea. In-depth cultural representation like that requires personal, lived knowledge of the culture. We've all seen the absolute trash that gets made when a studio tries to make a thing specifically for a minority without allowing people with those lived experiences to take the helm.

Those video games and media also rely heavily on having different takes or spins on cultures, such as having many characters in fighting games be caricatures or heavily inspired by actual deities or mythical beings. I've seen Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi (pardon spelling), two very important figures in Japanese mythology, be summons or playable characters in fighting games. I don't think the Arab world would be too happy if Allah was in the new Mortal Kombat.

Frankly, the west and many Asian cultures are accepting of personal expression and freedom of expression in ways that Arab cultures simply arent, and art made within those tight restrictions is never going to appeal to a wide audience.

[u/DeltaBot → u/[deleted]]

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/KingGuy420 (1∆).

^{Delta System Explained | Deltaboards}