I think that a lot of American's think that all Arab's are terrorist or are affiliated in some way with that type of activity. Also, it is very stereotypical in American beliefs to think that all Arab men are rude and have no respect for women, but I have learned from experience this is not the case with all Arab men but there is some truth to it. One thing we as American's have to remember is that we are coming from societies that are extremely different in the aspect of male and female relationships.
I believe there are a few ways to break stereo types:education, culture immersion and personal experience.
I think the two previous posts have very good points! A stereotype I had before being partially immersed in the culture through Arabic 101-202 is that they are not accepting of American culture and prejudice more than Americans are prejudice towards them. However, I learned that the prejudice that Americans and Arabs share is a human aspect, it has nothing to do with their culture. All humans are prejudice in some way and their prejudice is no more intense than our prejudice towards them. A great way to reduce this prejudice is not only education but also being immersed in their culture as well, getting to know them and having them get to know Americans. For instance, I have met several arabs, most men, and have made friends with a few of them. In those several arabs, only one was innapropriate towards me and I think it was only a cultural misunderstanding while he was trying to be polite and grateful towards me.
General stereotypes that Americans have about Arabs could be that they are all Muslim extremists to some capacity. Whether they be terrorists or affilated groups like the Muslim Brotherhood (which Americans often associate with terrorist actions, we have an idea that they are violent. American stereotypes, ever coming from non-Arabs is this notion that Americans are cowboys who eat hamburgers and pizza all the time, and take their guns everywhere. The best way to break stereotypes is education; that's part of the reason why people study abroad. Other than language, having a basic understanding of another culture and the people there.
One stereotype that Americans have about Arabs is that all Arab women are oppressed and forced to wear a burka, when in fact many Arab women that are Muslim choose to wear the burka because they say it forces people to listen to what they have to say as opposed to being distracted by what they look like. Some Arabs assume that all Americans are wealthy and drive nice cars and live in lavish homes. I think anyone with this stereotype would be disappointed if they visited certain areas of the country. The best way to break stereotypes, aside from education, is interaction. By interacting with the Arab community, or the Arab community interacting with the American community, it would be easy to see that all stereotypes are not true about a particular race or culture.
When speaking of Arab countries, it is not uncommon for Americans to think of camels, dessert and tents. We associate Arab women with the head scarf and/or belly-dancing. Arab men are usually associated with the Mosque, religious activities and we perceive them as oppressors of women.
However, the Arab Spring has done a lot to change these perceptions. Images of women taking to the streets of Cairo and demanding civil liberties have helped to break these stereotypes. The image of the Arab woman has especially changed as a result of the Arab Spring. Yet, there is still a long way to go.
What do Arabs think of Americans? We often hear on TV how some religious leaders in certain Arab countries preach that America is evil. So, we think that Arabs in general do not like America; that they want to convert us all as they see us as 'infidels', etc. These stereotypes, however, are dissipating as more information about their culture and religious becomes available to us.
Breaking these stereotypes will require that we stop seeing Arabs/Americans as 'the other'. It will also require us to forget about the preconceptions that we have about Arabs/Americans.
Well there are certainly a lot of stereotypes on both sides to choose from but perhaps the most obvious include: Arabs are terrorists, rich, have many wives, etc., and Americans are uncultured and lazy and loud, etc. Being neither American or Arabic and having encountered both cultures I can say for certain that these stereotypes are pretty silly. If they have any grain of truth to them, it's pretty tenuous and based of a xenophobic warping of the facts.
There are so many stereotypes associated with Arabs and with Americans. Some of the common ones I believe are that all Arabs are Islamist extremists and that all Arabs are terrorists. Many Americans also seem to believe that all Arab women are devoid of any rights. Some things that Arabs may believe about Americans are that we are all Christian in faith or have no faith and that all of America is similar to what is seen in movies. Beyond education, these stereotypes can be combated by opening up to different cultures and people. Ignorance breeds hate and I think that is something we have seen in this country for too long.
Class! Interesting thoughts, Interesting comments. Stereotypes do exist and can be seen on a daily basis. It is very important for us NOT TO BELIEVE everything we hear, we read, or watch. I think thinking critically and analyzing the information we receive is crucial. Having a fixed, standardized idea about a certain social or ethnic group will just make us biased. Breaking these stereotypes can be done through trying not to make what we HAVE AN OPINION ON a STANDARD FIXED idea just because we " thought and said so". Socialization, and open mindedness to difference of perception can be a step through breaking stereotypes. Respect of the others as individuals I believe is a better approach than comparing oneself to the "other".
I hope you like the idea of blogging so far. We will still use this blog for future assignment.
Each student who submitted their blog entry receives full credit!
Thank you for being open minded about sharing your thoughts and expressing your opinions. "Stereotypes do exist, but we have to walk through them".Forest Whitaker
I think that a lot of American's think that all Arab's are terrorist or are affiliated in some way with that type of activity. Also, it is very stereotypical in American beliefs to think that all Arab men are rude and have no respect for women, but I have learned from experience this is not the case with all Arab men but there is some truth to it. One thing we as American's have to remember is that we are coming from societies that are extremely different in the aspect of male and female relationships.
ReplyDeleteI believe there are a few ways to break stereo types:education, culture immersion and personal experience.
I think the two previous posts have very good points! A stereotype I had before being partially immersed in the culture through Arabic 101-202 is that they are not accepting of American culture and prejudice more than Americans are prejudice towards them. However, I learned that the prejudice that Americans and Arabs share is a human aspect, it has nothing to do with their culture. All humans are prejudice in some way and their prejudice is no more intense than our prejudice towards them. A great way to reduce this prejudice is not only education but also being immersed in their culture as well, getting to know them and having them get to know Americans. For instance, I have met several arabs, most men, and have made friends with a few of them. In those several arabs, only one was innapropriate towards me and I think it was only a cultural misunderstanding while he was trying to be polite and grateful towards me.
ReplyDeleteGeneral stereotypes that Americans have about Arabs could be that they are all Muslim extremists to some capacity. Whether they be terrorists or affilated groups like the Muslim Brotherhood (which Americans often associate with terrorist actions, we have an idea that they are violent. American stereotypes, ever coming from non-Arabs is this notion that Americans are cowboys who eat hamburgers and pizza all the time, and take their guns everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to break stereotypes is education; that's part of the reason why people study abroad. Other than language, having a basic understanding of another culture and the people there.
One stereotype that Americans have about Arabs is that all Arab women are oppressed and forced to wear a burka, when in fact many Arab women that are Muslim choose to wear the burka because they say it forces people to listen to what they have to say as opposed to being distracted by what they look like.
ReplyDeleteSome Arabs assume that all Americans are wealthy and drive nice cars and live in lavish homes. I think anyone with this stereotype would be disappointed if they visited certain areas of the country.
The best way to break stereotypes, aside from education, is interaction. By interacting with the Arab community, or the Arab community interacting with the American community, it would be easy to see that all stereotypes are not true about a particular race or culture.
Good points, Morgan!
ReplyDeleteWhen speaking of Arab countries, it is not uncommon for Americans to think of camels, dessert and tents. We associate Arab women with the head scarf and/or belly-dancing. Arab men are usually associated with the Mosque, religious activities and we perceive them as oppressors of women.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the Arab Spring has done a lot to change these perceptions. Images of women taking to the streets of Cairo and demanding civil liberties have helped to break these stereotypes. The image of the Arab woman has especially changed as a result of the Arab Spring. Yet, there is still a long way to go.
What do Arabs think of Americans?
We often hear on TV how some religious leaders in certain Arab countries preach that America is evil. So, we think that Arabs in general do not like America; that they want to convert us all as they see us as 'infidels', etc. These stereotypes, however, are dissipating as more information about their culture and religious becomes available to us.
Breaking these stereotypes will require that we stop seeing Arabs/Americans as 'the other'. It will also require us to forget about the preconceptions that we have about Arabs/Americans.
Well there are certainly a lot of stereotypes on both sides to choose from but perhaps the most obvious include: Arabs are terrorists, rich, have many wives, etc., and Americans are uncultured and lazy and loud, etc. Being neither American or Arabic and having encountered both cultures I can say for certain that these stereotypes are pretty silly. If they have any grain of truth to them, it's pretty tenuous and based of a xenophobic warping of the facts.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many stereotypes associated with Arabs and with Americans. Some of the common ones I believe are that all Arabs are Islamist extremists and that all Arabs are terrorists. Many Americans also seem to believe that all Arab women are devoid of any rights. Some things that Arabs may believe about Americans are that we are all Christian in faith or have no faith and that all of America is similar to what is seen in movies.
ReplyDeleteBeyond education, these stereotypes can be combated by opening up to different cultures and people. Ignorance breeds hate and I think that is something we have seen in this country for too long.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteClass! Interesting thoughts, Interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteStereotypes do exist and can be seen on a daily basis. It is very important for us NOT TO BELIEVE everything we hear, we read, or watch. I think thinking critically and analyzing the information we receive is crucial. Having a fixed, standardized idea about a certain social or ethnic group will just make us biased. Breaking these stereotypes can be done through trying not to make what we HAVE AN OPINION ON a STANDARD FIXED idea just because we " thought and said so".
Socialization, and open mindedness to difference of perception can be a step through breaking stereotypes.
Respect of the others as individuals I believe is a better approach than comparing oneself to the "other".
I hope you like the idea of blogging so far. We will still use this blog for future assignment.
ReplyDeleteEach student who submitted their blog entry receives full credit!
Thank you for being open minded about sharing your thoughts and expressing your opinions.
"Stereotypes do exist, but we have to walk through them".Forest Whitaker
Good job class!
End of the assignment