Intro: Hollywood Global Dominance
Hollywood is one of the largest producers of Islamophobia. As a widespread international business, the total revenue Hollywood made in 2012 is more than 10 billion. According to Motion Picture Association of America, the total attendance to movie across the globe 2012 is 1,358 million [1]. This number is more than four times of total US population. The influence of Hollywood in modern world community is clearly enormous. Hollywood not only affects American, but also people in other country.
Muslim As villain
Movies released by Hollywood, often influenced by American political messages, have assist in hurting image of Muslim to the worldwide public. Hollywood has written many scripts explicitly depict Muslims as villain or terrorist. Especially wartime or action movies are notorious for amplifying characteristics of Muslim as villain. Audiences are all too familiar with that Muslim look of dirty, foreign language, noisy, shouting, machine gun, and suicide bomber image. These negative images also added a layer of "incubators of terrorists no matter their age" to Muslim people [3]. An individual who would holds no prejudice against Muslim is brainwashed into Islamophobia.
Recent movies
Oscar best picture nominates in 2013 along has two films that meet the Hollywood standards of Muslim as villain stereotype. A heroically bearded CIA detective saving hostages and American reputation in Iran is the film Argo; a heroically struggling agent tracking down Bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty. The former one won the Oscar best picture award. Both movie have racked up movie awards and attracted huge amount of enthusiastic audience; they also have been exported around the world.
Alongside with the raising awareness of Islamophobia and self-criticism, Hollywood still produces this type of film with consistency. Producers and movie studios in Hollywood are so reassuringly insistent that America value is the only right value. What American does is always right, and even when an act seems morally disputable, it is done to fight greater evil and help those evil learn to act like western people. Muslim and Iranian in both films are being portrayed as angry, violent, and malevolent people. When challenged by journalists, the director of Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow stated that "It is just a movie."[4] while Ben Affleck has express a little concern that Argo might be politicized[5].
Alongside with the raising awareness of Islamophobia and self-criticism, Hollywood still produces this type of film with consistency. Producers and movie studios in Hollywood are so reassuringly insistent that America value is the only right value. What American does is always right, and even when an act seems morally disputable, it is done to fight greater evil and help those evil learn to act like western people. Muslim and Iranian in both films are being portrayed as angry, violent, and malevolent people. When challenged by journalists, the director of Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow stated that "It is just a movie."[4] while Ben Affleck has express a little concern that Argo might be politicized[5].
What we Can Do
Islamophobia is greatly fueled by Hollywood production. What we people aware of the Islamophobia can do is to spread the words. We should refuse to watch movies that infuse the already severe prejudice. A movie without audience will not take place in box office. Hollywood as a business orientated private institution will seize produce anything that don’t generate revenue.
FURTHER Discussion
Real Bad Arabs, 2006 Documentary analyze how Hollywood corrupts and manipulates the image of Arabs.
Infamous anti-Islamic movie trailer, a clear example of media spread Islamophobia
Footnotes
[1]"Theatrical Marketing Statistic." Motion Picture Association of America. Motion Picture Association of America, n.d. Web.
[2]Bazian, Hatem. "Islamophobia." ASAMST 132AC Lecture. Cory Hall, University of California, Berkeley. 27 Mar. 2013. Lecture.
[3]Davidson, Amy. "Argo vs. Zero Dark Thirty: Two Takes on Torture." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
[4]D'Addario, Daniel. "SALON." Saloncom RSS. SALON, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
[5]Nada, Garrett. "The Iran Primer." Iran TV Interviews Ben Affleck about Argo. The Iran Primer, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
photos are linked to original sources; photo courtesy of original sources
[1]"Theatrical Marketing Statistic." Motion Picture Association of America. Motion Picture Association of America, n.d. Web.
[2]Bazian, Hatem. "Islamophobia." ASAMST 132AC Lecture. Cory Hall, University of California, Berkeley. 27 Mar. 2013. Lecture.
[3]Davidson, Amy. "Argo vs. Zero Dark Thirty: Two Takes on Torture." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
[4]D'Addario, Daniel. "SALON." Saloncom RSS. SALON, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
[5]Nada, Garrett. "The Iran Primer." Iran TV Interviews Ben Affleck about Argo. The Iran Primer, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
photos are linked to original sources; photo courtesy of original sources