Through the use of sign and symbols, film creates racial/ethnic stereotypes that builds its strength from a shared cultural reservoir of thought to be truths of particular groups of people. This is based off of cultural and social representations of one-dimensional and disoriented presentations of qualities, or rather lack thereof, that serve in the interests of those who are in power and who wish to retain their status and resources. In Hollywood, a predominately white society, the representations of the “other” is put on a lower pedestal in which what is visible in film is what is reality. This being, it is hard to acknowledge those who are not present in the actual visual representation, which often happens in film. Through a representation
…show more content…
In terms of the Muslim immigrant, Hollywood has turned them in a group of people which is empowered through of the use of hate, violence, and carelessness. According to Guy Standing, the international migrants, which different groups have some rights but not others is known as the denizens (Standing 93). There is a hierarchy in the group of denizens, from asylum seekers and refugees to work immigrants. In analysing the films, Crash, Yasmin, and The Visitor we see the working immigrant as well as the illegal immigrant. The light in which Muslim immigrants are placed in these three films do not represent all films in Hollywood that are centered around Muslim immigrants, but rather how little representation is needed in order to influence the masses. In Crash, the film examines the racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California and the lives of multiple different people and how they all affect each other. The film not only shows the characters as victims and offenders, but how the victims are also prejudiced about others as well. The characters in the film that are being analysed is the Muslim family represented by Farhad, a convenience store owner and …show more content…
The film follows the character of Walter Vale as he visits his New York apartment only to find a young unmarried couple named Tarek, an immigrant from Syria, and Zainab, a Senegalese immigrant. He later finds out that they are both illegal to the country. Over a couple of days Walter develops a friendship with the two but this is destroyed when Tarek is mistakenly arrested or subway turnstile jumping and is discovered to be an illegal immigrant. Walter fights for Tarek to not be deported from the United States but is not successful in his endeavor. Along the way, as he is fighting for Tarek he meets Tarek’s mother Mouna who is also an illegal immigrant. She later leaves the country to go back to Syria with Tarek (The Visitor 2007). This film depicts the illegal immigrant but it is the only the film on this list to show illegal Muslim immigrants as people who have fears and struggles in their life. This, sadly, is one of the few films in Hollywood that does not depict immigrant Muslims as hate filled, violence ensuing individuals. But rather people who just want to live in peace within our society. Though it does show them as such, the film also shows them as useless to society as they do not work and benefit the economy. Tarek plays the drums on the subway platform and makes money from tips, while Zainab sells homemade jewelry in the streets. Not benefiting society, the film
In terms of the Muslim immigrant, Hollywood has turned them in a group of people which is empowered through of the use of hate, violence, and carelessness. According to Guy Standing, the international migrants, which different groups have some rights but not others is known as the denizens (Standing 93). There is a hierarchy in the group of denizens, from asylum seekers and refugees to work immigrants. In analysing the films, Crash, Yasmin, and The Visitor we see the working immigrant as well as the illegal immigrant. The light in which Muslim immigrants are placed in these three films do not represent all films in Hollywood that are centered around Muslim immigrants, but rather how little representation is needed in order to influence the masses. In Crash, the film examines the racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California and the lives of multiple different people and how they all affect each other. The film not only shows the characters as victims and offenders, but how the victims are also prejudiced about others as well. The characters in the film that are being analysed is the Muslim family represented by Farhad, a convenience store owner and …show more content…
The film follows the character of Walter Vale as he visits his New York apartment only to find a young unmarried couple named Tarek, an immigrant from Syria, and Zainab, a Senegalese immigrant. He later finds out that they are both illegal to the country. Over a couple of days Walter develops a friendship with the two but this is destroyed when Tarek is mistakenly arrested or subway turnstile jumping and is discovered to be an illegal immigrant. Walter fights for Tarek to not be deported from the United States but is not successful in his endeavor. Along the way, as he is fighting for Tarek he meets Tarek’s mother Mouna who is also an illegal immigrant. She later leaves the country to go back to Syria with Tarek (The Visitor 2007). This film depicts the illegal immigrant but it is the only the film on this list to show illegal Muslim immigrants as people who have fears and struggles in their life. This, sadly, is one of the few films in Hollywood that does not depict immigrant Muslims as hate filled, violence ensuing individuals. But rather people who just want to live in peace within our society. Though it does show them as such, the film also shows them as useless to society as they do not work and benefit the economy. Tarek plays the drums on the subway platform and makes money from tips, while Zainab sells homemade jewelry in the streets. Not benefiting society, the film