![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
In surfing around obsessing about 24, I have been reading lots of comments on the portrayal of Muslims in the show. Currently (five eps in) it looks as if the bad guys are not-so-stereotypical possibly Muslim terrorists who have an undefined agenda to 'change the world'.
I'm not going to get into the murky discussion of what sort of responsibilities fictional stories have in portraying people, rather, I'm going to address the underlying philosophies that need to be addressed before such a discussion is possible.
In all of the material I ran across that claimed that the Fox network was once again feeding the paranoia of inherently racist nation, I ran across this article by Mindelle Jacobs in the Edmonton Sun in which she states a fact that most people ignore when dealing with such fictional representations:
Racists, wallowing as they do in lies and distortions, rarely change their views. They will always find one group or another to hate.
But ordinary, good-hearted people don't see a terrorist under every hijab. And portraying a Muslim family as part of a sleeper cell on TV isn't going to change that.
Which brings me to the point of this post: Too many people -- especially people who focus on such fictional representations of groups of people -- do not believe that statement to be true.
In fact, I lay you odds that most of them don't believe that there is such a thing as "ordinary, good-hearted people".
You see, in order to say that 24 is promoting hatred of Islam or Muslims you have to believe that the average person is dumb, racist, and doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction. You also have to believe that the writers of the show, while still being all of the above, are, in addition, uncreative, lazy and intentionally disparaging.
Then it falls on those who are superior to the "ordinary" people. Those enlightened few -- whose superior genetics or education or empathy or divine grace enables them to rise above the average -- have to come to the rescue and save those "ordinary people" from themselves.
Well, that's a bunch of bullshit.
As one of those ordinary, average people out there, I don't need anyone to come in and be my savior.
I live in a small town in Northern Wisconsin. We aren’t all that diverse up here, I'll grant you. Hell, there was a time when we were so homogenous, we could've been milk. On the other hand, that is changing. Wausau, just 20 minutes south of us, has a long Hmong population and that diversity is slowly moving to the surrounding communities. It's not quick or easy -- but you know what? Moving into a small, tight-knit rural community never is. Not for anyone.
And that has nothing to do with being racist or unaccepting or unenlightened. It has everything to do with living a town where everyone knows everyone and has for generations. That's not wrong, it's evil and not something that people need to be "saved from". It's just a different way of life.
Don't get me wrong here. I don't believe my town is perfect (believe me, it's not). I also know that there are racists in my town. Just as there are in other towns. I also know evil exists. Whether it is the large evil of hating someone different than you or the small evil of turning a cold shoulder to someone in need. But again, that's true in every town.
But that's not the only thing that's true.
I live in a town with people who will stand out in -20 degree weather and help you fix a flat. I live in a town where middle school students will hold the library doors open for people who have arms full of books. I live in a town where boy scouts hang bags on doors for food drives. I live in a town where they hold fundraisers to help someone who can't pay their medical bills.
And so do you.
I guess, in the end, it all comes down to what you see when you look at the world. What you choose to believe about the very basic essence of people.
If all things were equal, given the chance, would an average person choose to do good or evil?
And if that whole "good/evil" thing bothers you, let me rephrase:
If all things were equal, give the chance, would an average person choose to do the selfless or selfish thing?
Before any discussion on stereotyping and changing perceptions can happen that basic assumption about human nature needs to be addressed.
You see, I have no common ground with those who believe that the "ordinary" person is a self-serving, fearful, mindless drone that would quickly chose to hate and hurt, and can easily be made to think and believe in a certain way.
Life is never as simple as "Well, it's got to be right, I saw it on TV".
I'm not going to get into the murky discussion of what sort of responsibilities fictional stories have in portraying people, rather, I'm going to address the underlying philosophies that need to be addressed before such a discussion is possible.
In all of the material I ran across that claimed that the Fox network was once again feeding the paranoia of inherently racist nation, I ran across this article by Mindelle Jacobs in the Edmonton Sun in which she states a fact that most people ignore when dealing with such fictional representations:
Racists, wallowing as they do in lies and distortions, rarely change their views. They will always find one group or another to hate.
But ordinary, good-hearted people don't see a terrorist under every hijab. And portraying a Muslim family as part of a sleeper cell on TV isn't going to change that.
Which brings me to the point of this post: Too many people -- especially people who focus on such fictional representations of groups of people -- do not believe that statement to be true.
In fact, I lay you odds that most of them don't believe that there is such a thing as "ordinary, good-hearted people".
You see, in order to say that 24 is promoting hatred of Islam or Muslims you have to believe that the average person is dumb, racist, and doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction. You also have to believe that the writers of the show, while still being all of the above, are, in addition, uncreative, lazy and intentionally disparaging.
Then it falls on those who are superior to the "ordinary" people. Those enlightened few -- whose superior genetics or education or empathy or divine grace enables them to rise above the average -- have to come to the rescue and save those "ordinary people" from themselves.
Well, that's a bunch of bullshit.
As one of those ordinary, average people out there, I don't need anyone to come in and be my savior.
I live in a small town in Northern Wisconsin. We aren’t all that diverse up here, I'll grant you. Hell, there was a time when we were so homogenous, we could've been milk. On the other hand, that is changing. Wausau, just 20 minutes south of us, has a long Hmong population and that diversity is slowly moving to the surrounding communities. It's not quick or easy -- but you know what? Moving into a small, tight-knit rural community never is. Not for anyone.
And that has nothing to do with being racist or unaccepting or unenlightened. It has everything to do with living a town where everyone knows everyone and has for generations. That's not wrong, it's evil and not something that people need to be "saved from". It's just a different way of life.
Don't get me wrong here. I don't believe my town is perfect (believe me, it's not). I also know that there are racists in my town. Just as there are in other towns. I also know evil exists. Whether it is the large evil of hating someone different than you or the small evil of turning a cold shoulder to someone in need. But again, that's true in every town.
But that's not the only thing that's true.
I live in a town with people who will stand out in -20 degree weather and help you fix a flat. I live in a town where middle school students will hold the library doors open for people who have arms full of books. I live in a town where boy scouts hang bags on doors for food drives. I live in a town where they hold fundraisers to help someone who can't pay their medical bills.
And so do you.
I guess, in the end, it all comes down to what you see when you look at the world. What you choose to believe about the very basic essence of people.
If all things were equal, given the chance, would an average person choose to do good or evil?
And if that whole "good/evil" thing bothers you, let me rephrase:
If all things were equal, give the chance, would an average person choose to do the selfless or selfish thing?
Before any discussion on stereotyping and changing perceptions can happen that basic assumption about human nature needs to be addressed.
You see, I have no common ground with those who believe that the "ordinary" person is a self-serving, fearful, mindless drone that would quickly chose to hate and hurt, and can easily be made to think and believe in a certain way.
Life is never as simple as "Well, it's got to be right, I saw it on TV".
