Reel Racism: Stereotypes on Screen
Article By: Nishanthi Jaikumar / Graphic By: Naya Moukabary
The media has long been one of the most powerful influences on how people perceive the world. Whether it’s films, sitcoms, or even advertisements, visual storytelling shapes how viewers understand cultures different from their own. American media, specifically, has been known for the diversity it promotes while incorporating multiple different cultures and ethnicities. However, it often relies on convenient stereotypes that reduce entire ethnic groups to a few exaggerated traits. This creates a negative impact on these communities as it influences how they are seen and how they see themselves.
For as long as American media has existed, characters of color have been trapped in narrow stereotypes and one-dimensional portrayals. To start with, Arabs have long been one of the most misrepresented groups in American cinema, often portrayed as violent, mysterious, or uncivilized individuals. For example, adventure movies like The Sheik romanticized the “desert barbarian,” while later films such as True Lies and Rules of Engagement cast Arabs as terrorists and enemies that oppose Western civilization. Even popular animated films like Disney’s Aladdin, made to cater to the younger audience, included lyrics describing Arabia as a land “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric but hey it’s home”, in the song “Arabian Nights”. This demonstrates a casual acceptance of ideas that depict Arab culture as cruel and exotic. For young audiences who are just beginning to learn about the world, these depictions can be particularly damaging. Children often take what they see and hear at face value. If their first exposure to a culture is negative and exaggerated, think of the image that these children may form of the Arab culture and how that idea may persist even as they grow. These harmful depictions cause a culture’s foreignness to be linked to danger rather than appreciation.
Furthermore, the stereotyping of Arabs goes beyond character depictions. Most often, Arabs are shown to live amidst deserts, palm trees, and camels with a generic ethnic music playing in the background, and let’s not forget the random montages of women in niqabs staring into the camera. This formula is consistent with almost every movie featuring Arab characters and a close-minded view of the Middle East. Despite the Arab world consisting of twenty-two countries, each with numerous states, developed cities, and bustling towns within them, Hollywood confines it into one single setting: the desert. This invalidates the rich geographical diversity of the Arab world.
Indians have also been reduced to stereotypes that overlook the complexity of their culture. Hollywood has often depicted Indian characters as tech nerds or comic relief. In the 1980s film Short Circuit, an Indian scientist was played by a white actor in brownface makeup with an exaggerated accent and mannerisms. More recently, The Big Bang Theory also demonstrated this with Raj Koothrappali: the socially awkward Indian guy who struggles to talk to women, with most of his character based on his accent and cultural quirks. These depictions, though intended for humor, subtly reinforce the idea that Indians don’t fully belong in Western society.
East Asian characters, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other groups, have also been consistently simplified. They are often portrayed as either highly disciplined and intelligent or socially awkward and unemotional, rarely shown with the same range of personality as other characters. Older Western films, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sixteen Candles, used exaggerated accents and mannerisms for comedy, presenting these characters as outsiders or comic relief. More modern productions have begun to challenge these ideas, like Shang-Chi and Everything Everywhere All at Once, yet subtle stereotypes persist. Even in everyday media, East Asian characters are often defined by their ethnicity rather than their individuality, and this reinforces the idea that they are “different” from the majority culture.
Filmmakers use these stereotypes because they are easy and familiar. Easy in the sense that it is simpler to tell a story without developing fully-realized characters. Using stereotypes saves time, creates an immediate reaction, and can fit neatly into any plot, whether it is action, comedy, or animated films. However, this reduces real people and cultures to flat images, solely characterized by their ethnicity. Though this issue has gotten better in recent times with increasingly accurate representation, it still requires more progress to ensure that all cultures are portrayed with the respect and authenticity they deserve.
References:
Reels Bad Arabs Reel (2006)
The Sheik (1921)
Short Circuit (1986)
True Lies (1994)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Aladdin (1992)
The Big Bang Theory
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
https://ew.com/movies/short-circuit-fisher-stevens-regrets-playing-indian-role/
