| Answer the following questions using complete sentences and in-text citations from the article.
1.In Said’s opinion, has general understanding of the Middle East, Arabs, and Islam in the United States recently improved or gotten worse? Why? 2. According to Said, why are Westerners mistaken in thinking that they can “redraw the map” of the Middle East? Have they made this mistake before? 3. According to Said, why should the West re-think the idea that the Middle East lacks democracy, women’s rights, and is undemocratic? 4. According to Said, what was the Iraq War really about? How did the media help perpetuate it? How did certain academics help justify it? 5. Why does Said argue that all cultures need to re-think how colonialism has shaped today’s world? 6. How does Said define humanism? 7. According to Said how should we deal with issues of injustice and suffering? 8. According to Said, what is humanistic learning? Why are we losing it in today’s world? 9. According to Said, what are some other factors in today’s world that threaten education? 10. According to Said, how does the Western media tend to portray the Middle East? How does Middle Eastern media tend to portray the West? What issues unite us today? |
- According to Said, the general understanding of the Middle East, Arabs, and Islam in the United States has not improved and has gotten worse. Said argues that the media has continued to perpetuate negative stereotypes and misconceptions about the region and its people, such as the idea that all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists or that they are all opposed to democracy and women’s rights (Said, 2003).
- Westerners are mistaken in thinking that they can “redraw the map” of the Middle East because they often lack a deep understanding of the region’s history, culture, and politics. According to Said, this mistake has been made before, particularly during the era of European colonialism when Western powers arbitrarily divided up the region and imposed their own systems of governance (Said, 2003).
- Said argues that the West should re-think the idea that the Middle East lacks democracy, women’s rights, and is undemocratic because these notions are often based on stereotypes and misconceptions. He points out that there are many democratic movements and human rights activists in the region, and that there are also many undemocratic practices in the West, such as the treatment of minorities and the erosion of civil liberties in the name of national security (Said, 2003).
- According to Said, the Iraq War was really about the US seeking to assert its dominance in the region and gain control of its resources, particularly oil. The media helped perpetuate the war by uncritically accepting the government’s claims about weapons of mass destruction, and certain academics helped justify it by providing intellectual cover for the government’s policies (Said, 2003).
- Said argues that all cultures need to re-think how colonialism has shaped today’s world because the legacy of colonialism continues to impact global power relations and shape perceptions of different cultures. He argues that Western culture has a particular responsibility to confront its own history of colonialism and imperialism (Said, 2003).
- Said defines humanism as a commitment to the idea that all people have the potential for creativity and self-expression, and that education and culture should foster these qualities. He argues that humanism is necessary for creating a more just and equitable society (Said, 2003).
- According to Said, issues of injustice and suffering should be dealt with by acknowledging their existence and working to address their root causes. He argues that this requires a willingness to engage with people who have different perspectives and experiences, and a commitment to creating institutions and practices that promote equality and social justice (Said, 2003).
- Humanistic learning, according to Said, involves a focus on the humanities, arts, and culture as a means of fostering creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. He argues that we are losing this type of learning in today’s world because of a narrow focus on technical and vocational training, as well as an overemphasis on standardized testing and quantifiable outcomes (Said, 2003).
- According to Said, other factors in today’s world that threaten education include the corporatization of universities, which prioritizes profit over intellectual inquiry, and the increasing polarization and politicization of knowledge (Said, 2003).
- Said argues that the Western media tends to portray the Middle East as a monolithic and exotic “other,” characterized by violence, religious fanaticism, and backwardness. Middle Eastern media, in turn, often portrays the West as arrogant, decadent, and imperialistic. Said believes that issues such as globalization and environmental degradation unite us today and require us to move beyond these simplistic and divisive representations (Said, 2003).