Do The Movies Fuel Racism?

by Ailish Logue

One cannot not deny the important role which media plays in relation to racism. Media plays a huge role in the representation of different cultures in societies;which can portray different cultures in either a positive or a negative way. I have learned from an early age throughout my education in Ireland that racism is wrong and we are all equal regardless of the colour of our skin, or our religion or whatever biological differences we hold. Ireland is becoming more and more of a multicultural society and teaching Irish citizens we are all equal is key to ensuring peaceful co-existence between people of all cultures and most importantly ensuring equality for all. But a question which has been on my mind is how is this possible when we are allowing films which hold a deep racist content to be shown? This question has been in my mind after seeing the recent blockbuster American Sniper. Ireland is a multicultural country, but how can this be if we allow films like this to be shown which totally disregard the Arabic culture? Should we as Irish people stand up to this?

 

For many typical successful blockbuster films, there's a role of a protagonist and an enemy. For many years these enemies in Hollywood films were portrayed as Russian spies; take for an example the famous James Bond film 'From Russia with Love'. During the period of the Cold War it was socially acceptable to allow a Russian character to be portrayed as the typical villain in films, as they were seen as an enemy of the United States of America. Due to the end of the Cold War, the typical enemy is no longer the predictable Russian villain; since 9/11 a new villain emerged in films which are the Arabs. American Sniper endorsed the idea of the baddie in the film being portrayed as Arabic. This stereotype of Arabic people being the 'baddies' in films is beyond damaging to the reputation of Arabic across the world and this disregards all the beauty of their culture.  Through films like American Sniper, negative stereotypes in people's minds are therefore created and once these stereotypes are engrained it is very hard to remove. These films and television shows can help create the perception that Arab countries are the enemy of the United States; this is modern day propaganda which is in endorsed by Hollywood. Through this propaganda, Islamophobia is created; a growing problem which must be stopped immediately. This can be seen as a 'direct result' which media have helped create. A question which was on my mind is are we helping to create the increasing problem of Islamophobia by watching films like this?

 

I was unsure of the synopsis of American Sniper before I went to see it in the cinema, but it was not long into the film I realised this film was endorsing Islamophobia. The protagonist Chris Kyle is portrayed as an all American man, with a passion of guns from an early age. The enemy is viewed as Iraqis. Kyle joins the SEALS in order to become a sniper and fight in America's war on terror and shortly after completing training he was deployed to Iraq. Kyle's colleagues quickly learn he has a good aim at shooting, praise given quite frequently throughout this film creating the perception that he is heroic and a legend . This film starts with some horrific scenes; take for an example a child being shot. A child being shot in films is horrific and extremely hard to watch for most people, but I did not hear total awe in the cinema like I expected, as this child was viewed as an enemy of the United States of America. This is influence of propaganda. I found this film to portray a lot of propaganda; take for example Chris Kyle is known as a hero because he has 160 confirmed kills (although he could have killed more). If an Iraqi man shot 160 American citizens, including women and children he would not be viewed as a hero; he would be viewed as one of the most dangerous terrorist America have ever seen. Throughout this film a clear message was portrayed 'Americans lives are worth more than an Arab's life'. There was competition throughout this film between characters to see who killed the most Arabs. Little regards is shown to the Arabs in general, as throughout the film they are known as ''them''. Films like American Sniper are adding to the increasing social problem of Islamophobia as they are portraying to us as viewers that Arabs are bad people and killing 160 of Arabs, including children, is okay and a heroic act because 'these people' are enemies. How can we in Ireland learn to be acceptant of all cultures when films like this are shown?

 

The role of media plays an important role in our societies; subconscious to many. Many films can show struggles which African-Americans faced, one can think of such movies like The Help or Twelve Years a Slave which were two very successful films which showed the African-American struggle of slavery and civil rights. This is a positive way in which the role of film can be used, as it allows us to see the harrowing struggles African-Americans went through. But the example of  American Sniper has a negative impact as once a negative stereotype is engrained by watching a film it is very hard to remove that stereotype. This film promoted the Arab culture in an appalling way and placed the value of an Arab life below the life of an American. This film was a huge success in Western countries; does this mean Western countries accept this? It is beyond worrying that films like these can become blockbuster sensations. Do we as Irish think Arabic lives are less important than those who are American? As Irish citizens we should stand up against racism in films and promote equality.