Entertainment Weekly Peddles False Narratives on Terrorism, Hollywood Racism
by Christian TotoSometimes you have to shake your head over what passes for mainstream entertainment reporting.
The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly features an in-depth piece on Arab-Americans in Hollywood. ‘Don’t Tell Anyone Your Real Name, or You’ll Never Work Again’ recalls the hardships several Arab-American actors have faced since 9/11.
Their tales of woe are likely genuine. Minorities typically struggle in the entertainment business, from a dearth of positions behind the camera to a paucity of meaty roles in front of it.
But the magazine’s take on the issue borders on the surreal. It also ignores the elephant on the movie set.
“Despite Hollywood’s liberal bent, there’s no shortage of minority groups insulted (or ignored) in movies and on TV,” the story alleges.
Hmmm. Wouldn’t that make the industry prejudiced against people of color? But … but … the industry is liberal, so therefore it cannot be racist, the magazine all but shouts. Meanwhile, media outlets label conservatives and Tea Party types as racist with far less proof – if any.
The story’s bigger problems lie elsewhere. According to EW, Hollywood has been cranking out a steady stream of content where Muslims are depicted as terrorists.
So, where is it? Films have studiously avoided tackling terrorism head on with only a few exceptions – ‘The Kingdom,’ ‘Vantage Point’ and ‘United 93′ come to mind. It’s been a full decade since 9/11. Where are all the terrorism-related films? Has there been one ‘Rambo’-esque hero created to take on Al Qaeda? And if not … why not? Who could possibly object? Television better reflected our post 9/11 world, an era when radical Muslims dominate the news cycle with their carnage. That simply made the medium a target for the article’s scorn.
“In the years immediately following 9/11, TV shows were some of the worst offenders,” the article argues. “‘Sleeper Cell’ and ‘24′ regularly depicted Muslim Americans plotting homegrown terror around the breakfast table.”
To be fair, it’s not like we’ve seen Muslim Americans in the news for attempting to kill innocents with shoe or underwear bombs, or witnessed atrocities like Muslim-American soldiers slaughtering their peers. Oh, wait.
Reflecting reality just won’t do if you write for Entertainment Weekly.
“Despite improvement, Hollywood still clings to stereotypes in a way that would be comical if so much weren’t at stake,” we’re told.
Is the article referring to negative Southerner stereotypes? Or how about those evil corporate types seen in film after film? Perhaps the writer is bemoaning how people of faith are depicted as loons, or worse?
Nope.
To be fair, audiences should reject one-dimensional characters of all kinds, from mad Christians to single-minded suicide bombers. But to punish the entertainment industry for daring to show a few Muslims as terrorists is absurd given the cold, hard facts. And shame on the magazine for not calling out Hollywood for its prejudiced hiring practices.
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66 Comments
"To be fair, it’s not like we’ve seen Muslim Americans in the news for attempting to kill innocents with shoe or underwear bombs, or witnessed atrocities like Muslim-American soldiers slaughtering their peers. Oh, wait."
Woah woah WOAH. That is WAY too much reality for me. I order you to return to the liberal plantation this INSTANT, young man!
Christian, you give H-Wood too much credit for thinking, let alone the credit you give to reporters (yourself included!) to report factually on the state of Tinseltown. HWood is the same town that won't cast an actor who starred in STAR TREK, too, if I follow their trends correctly, so how am I supposed to take this EW piece seriously? Tip: you shouldn't either.
Define minority please. When my parents were growing up it was the Irish, Italians and Poles. Now they are all considered White. According to the EEOC, Arabs and Persians and Turks are White because they come from the Cradle of Civilization.
So why are you calling these people minorities but ignoring the other ethnic groups in the U.S.?
Indeed. I think it has something to do with generations removed, but I question why that only applies to white people. If a black family were seven or eight generations removed from the one who came (or was forced over) should they be given minority status? I mean, if white people need to abide by these rules shouldn't everyone?
24. The only real show with the brass balls to make the enemy, the real enemy we face.
Don't forget about those peaceful muslims that shot their daughters(texas) beheaded their wife (new york state?) murdered the wife and kids (texas, again). These were men who never proclaimed a jihad against America, but they HAVE THE RIGHT TO KILL, given to them from their "religion".
But, really want to know why H-wood ain't filling the big screen with alkada baddies…..FEAR!!!!! They know their lives will end at the hand of an offended muslim! Just like Van Gough.
It is a shame that there would be such an article. However, the individuals who subscribe to, read and give credence to any article in EW (and People, Us, etc.) are bound to be a few cars shy of a train of thought anyway.
"“Despite Hollywood’s liberal bent, there’s no shortage of minority groups insulted (or ignored) in movies and on TV,” the story alleges."
Yup. Starting with rural white Southerners.
24? Really? Serbian nationalists (season 1) and the Evil White Guy in a Suit (every other season, with the exception of season 4) are the real enemy we face? Season 4 was the only season to have the enemy be explicitly islamic, and not acting at the behest of some Evil White Guy in a Suit. It was a fun show, at least until Surnow left, but hardly the tonic I hoped it would be.
Hollywood puts itself in a Catch-22 situation with hiring minority actors. If a minority actor plays any kind of villain role, the anti-defamation societies go crazy and liberals yell racism. They ignore the fact that movies, TV shows, etc., generally have, if not villains, at least a combination of good/bad, nice/unpleasant characters to get the conflict and action that makes for an interesting story. Since they hesitate to hire minorities to fill these roles, they limit the amount of minorities they can hire.
So we are supposed to believe there are a bunch of strugging Muslim actors who just Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! Gotta Act! and they are somehow not getting many of the very limited number of parts available in show business because of discrimination?
EW is really going crazy.
Hey, somebody tell John Nolte about the trailer that just got released for 'Act of Valor'!!
Sleeper Cell's villains may have been muslim, but so was the hero. Not sure what the hell they're complaining about here.
If Hollywood ever went whole hog (excuse the sacrilegious pun) depicting Islamofacists in the same manner that Hollywood did decades ago depicting Nazis, there would be full employment of middle eastern types in Tinseltown. It's Hollywood's political correctness that is causing the employment problem, not prejudice. It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
The big screen is too big for the Alkada baddies. There aren't enough actors to hire to portray Alkada.
Hire them, if you must, for the Alka-Seltzer ads.
Ridiculous. After 9/11, TV shows including "24" bent over backwards to avoid depicting only Muslims as terrorists, to the extent that they had the courage to depict them at all. Weren't the first Muslims visible on the show, innocent bystanders in a shootout between CTU operatives and non-Muslim terrorists, as well as other innocents depicted as falsely suspected simply due to their culture? How many seasons in before they permitted themselves a Muslim terrorist plotline?
"‘Don’t Tell Anyone Your Real Name, or You’ll Never Work Again’ recalls the hardships several Arab-American actors have faced since 9/11."
If the public wanted to watch Muslims on TV or film, there would be more Muslims on TV and film. That's why there are not a lot of fat women working in the industry – their isn't a big market for them.
Remember, these jokers only have myth and narrative. Not truth.
"To be fair, audiences should reject one-dimensional characters of all kinds, from mad Christians to single-minded suicide bombers."
I agree. We should be shown complex and nuanced suicide bombers.
The left seems overly concerned about the treatment of Muslims in America. What does this stem from? Why does one Abrahamic faith get so much sympathy and another get so little? If adherents of Mormonism originated in some sandy hell-hole, would hollywood love Mormons?
nuanced: so instead of panties, they're wearing briefs! Instead of shoes, flip flops. Instead of shouting allahu akbar, they shout Detroit Lions Suck.
24 manged to swing (it 'swung'?) wildly from intelligent to stupid, in this and many respects. I think once Surnow stopped running it, it became a much worse show. But when it was good, it was good. Kumar as a terrorist was an amazing plot twist.
Season 2: The terrorist organization "Second Wave" is Jihadist terrorist organization that is absolutely evil with no sympathetic features. Their ranks include sadists who like to torture women for mere amusement and a former liberal activist who is willing to sacrifice her own family in the name of Jihad.
In Season 6 the first half involves Jihadists (led by Abu Fayed). It is in this season that there are a number of confusions. Some say that he takes orders from the Russians (led by Dimitri Gridenko). However, they are merely partners. Remember, Fayed almost kills Gridenko when it appears that Gridenko cannot hold up his part of the plan. The viewer finds out that Abu Fayed is taking orders from a Middle Eastern general named Omar Habib. IT IS HE who is the ultimate mastermind behind Fayed's attacks. Philip Bauer and Graem Bauer are villains, but not behind these attacks. They did supply Gridenko with some of the nuclear material, but they were not aware of what the terrorists were specifically going to do with it. Therefore they are indirectly connected to those terrorists, but not leading them. The Communist Chinese comein later to simply take advantage of the fallout
To be fair, the jihadists in 24 are pure evil. For Example:
In Season 8 of 24: The portrayal of the Jihadists is not sympathetic and the equivalency card is never played. The Kamistani terrorists (24's version of Iran) commit such acts as : attempting to blow up a hospital, violently killing a protagonist on video and then downloading it on the web, torturing characters, seducing and using innocent young ladies and then setting them up to die, using a housing complex as a base of operations where they keep their kids in close proximity, and attempting to detonate a dirty bomb in New York City. The show makes it clear that this is never done in retaliation for "injustices"committed by the United States (ala "The Siege") or because they are fighting evil with evil (ala "Body of Lies") or because of US persecution. The Kamistani terrorists are doing this because the nation of Kamistan (24's Iran) is on the verge of peace with the United States and the terrorists cannot let this happen. They want total domination or total annihilation so they attempt to dismantle the peace process by attacking America, killing the Pro-US leaders of their country, and propping up a more radical Anti-American government in Kamistan that will continue the cycle of violence.
Wait, Islam is a race? Ibrahim Hooper became an Islam when he became a Muslim and joined CAIR?
Shohreh Aghdashloo is not arab.
As I recall, the good guy in Sleeper Cell was a Muslim, too. They kind of forget that when they whine about how terrorists are always played by people who look like terrorists. Come to think of it, the Muslim bad guys in Sleeper Cell were mostly white. That was the whole point – they didn't look like Arabs, so they were able to blend in.
And the Muslim villains were white Europeans, aside from the mastermind, who pretended to be a Jew.
There is a difference between *telling* your real name and *using* your real name. If I had to wager money I'd wager that Hollywood is less adverse to ethnic sounding names than it's ever been. But if you're Persian or Arab or Russian or Polish, there's a good chance you need to change your name to something that doesn't give the receptionist at casting a cold sweat over the idea she's going to have to call on you next.
Also, it seems to me that people who write about Hollywood have a weird fixation with tying ethnic actors to ethnic parts. If there are not *parts* for Arabs, why not play a Hispanic? I'm sure that when Tony Shalhoub was auditioning for Monk someone said, but Monk isn't Lebonese! What? They didn't?
"Arabs" are not so visibly distinctive that any person with a middle eastern background ought to be tied into playing characters of their own ethnicity.
She's Iranian, so probably Persian then?
Sorry to be the one to inform you Hollywood, but the Koran says the only way a Muslim can be assured of his entrance into heaven is if he dies via an act of Jihad. Yes, Islam is a religion of peace. . . it won't rest until all infidels (including those in Hollywood) Rest-inPeace. I don't think Satan could have come up with a better religion.
*sigh* The idea that the liberals accept without question, that liberal (or being "of color") means not racist or biased, drives me nuts. When I see an article like this I want to pull out my hair.
A few years ago during one of the summer Olympic games, a broadcaster was talking about the athletes getting ready for their event. I can't remember the exact country, but one black athlete was described as a "British, African American."
Liberals can't easily think beyond the edge of the box they place everyone inside.
Somewhere in Hollywood, some liberal douche is reading this EW article and as he comes to the end he exclaims, "G**damn Islamophobic Conservative racists!!!!!"
Do it! whatever hair you got left.
G**damn Islamophobic Conservative racists!!!!
Yes, progs are obsessed with race, gender and just about anything silly. Hollywood is likewise obssessed with race, ethnicity, age, gender, weight, cup size, etcetera ad nauseum. That said, Hollywood already gets mocked for casting 30-somethings as teenagers. Ah-nold would have never made it into the credits if he hadn't already become famous under that Austrian nightmare of a name. Will Smith is box office gold, because the color green trumps any concerns over race and ethnicity in tinsel town.__It's an industry that lives or dies by its ability to make someone a household name. That's a lot easier to do with a John Wayne than it is a Marion Morrison. Likewise, Ali Jafari or Salma Hayek has a better shot than Anousheh Mazandarani does.
Why do you read the koran?
Oh come on you cannot honestly believe these people committed these acts because of their Muslim religion…It s obviously the fault of America specifically George W Bush s America….
America makes people do bad things……..shhh, shhhhh! Don't think about it.
Anyone here ever hear of Casey Kasem, Danny Thomas or Jaimie Farr?. I KNEW years ago these people/celebrities were of Lebanese, Arab extraction and it hasn't stopped their careers. There's probably a host of others of Arab/Persian descent I don't even know about that have rewarding careers in the industry.
It's always so popular with the libs and progressives to introduce a fresh group or ethnicity as a victim/flavor of the month to push as a new cause and further some political agenda. And BTW, aren't Jews Semitic? So if I'm not mistaken, that gives them a blood tie to Arabs via the Biblical tie to Abraham. Then again, Anti-Semitism is on the rise in America.
Seems to me the real ones being discriminated against in Hollywood are conservatives.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you ….I was busy exploiting the poor and minorities….
Shohreh Aghdashloo is not arab
No its lines 7 and 8 of the eye chart …
I stopped reading Entertainment Weekly years ago after the gay mafia hijacked it. It's utterly worthless now.
The liberal formula seems to be:
1. If the character is a member of a majority (and supposedly powerful) group, any and all negative stereotypes are fine and should even be pushed. White Christian males are fair targets, for example. Southerners are especially worthy of attack — even female southerners, if they're white and Christian. Rich people and business executives are always fair game, unless they're not white.
2. If the character is a member of a minority (supposedly powerless) group, avoid any negative stereotypes like the plague. Push positive images whenever possible. In this case, the more truth there is in a negative stereotype, the more important it is to portray the character in ways that counter the stereotype rather than reinforce it.
My problem with exploiting the poor is I am ,"poor" (i'm typing this on a gaming pc connected to my 52" Sony HDTV, with my wireless keyboard and mouse yet according to the fed my wife and I are below the poverty line, and yes it's all paid for and no we have never used any gov program except for WIC which we didn't realize was a government program at first and quit once we did). So how do I exploit myself for my own gain, I really want to be an evil conservative like the media says…
NO no no he wasn't being politically correct see the athlete was born in Africa when his family migrated to the US where he grew up but got sick and tired of all of us racist conservatives, moved to Britain and got British citizenship. Also Obama's layered PDF birth certificate with numerous editing artifacts was definitely real…
and don't forget we should reject 'single minded terrorist bombers' – because none of them are ever single minded – they are Borg.
I'm poorer than you are and want to be an evil CEO of my own major publishing business and the first person I will hire is my deaf husband. Can I get a government grant now? 1.2 billion will do, and I promise I'm not on the verge of bankruptcy.
What's the hold up Obama! this totally sounds legit give this person their grant I bet they will only publish things using recycled paper and ink think of all the "green jobs" it would produce!
A good example of how the Hollywood left refuses to depict Arabs as vilains was the film adaptation of Tom Clancy's "The Sum of All Fears." In the book, Muslim extremists set off an atomic bomb in an American football stadium during a big game in order to disrupt the Mideast peace process. But who are the bad guys in the movie? That old Hollywood stand-by, neo-Nazis! Boy, you have to admire the stick-to-it-tiveness of those Nazis! Almost seventy years since they were completely crushed and still trying to make a comeback–in the eyes of the entertainment industry, anyway. And that film came out in 2002, the year AFTER 9-11! You would have thought that would have justified portraying violent Muslim extremists on screen if anything would, but not in the eyes of Hollywood decisions makers–don't want to smear an entire group of people, after all!
Actually, though, the whitewashing of Arab extremists by the film industry is nothing compared to their previous absolute refusal to shed any light on the crimes committed by the Communists. Offhand, I can't think of more than a half dozen big budget movies with an anti-communist theme that were ever made, compared with hundreds about the crimes of the Third Reich. Which is odd, since the Soviet Union lasted nearly seventy years and the Reich only twelve.
We have a soft spot around here for the above-mentioned actors, partly because of their Lebanese heritage. We have (or had) lots of Lebanese people here. We are fond of Lebanese people that live around us and do not need Hollywood types to tell us that the neighbors aren't terrorists. Hollywood thinks we are all too stupid to tell the difference.
But it was the THIRD Reich. Hollywood has been at the forefront in protecting us from a Fourth or Fifth Reich for the last 65 years! I think they deserve another interminable award ceremony.
The real test though is ; Did the rims and tires on your SUV cost more than your house ?
We can't afford an SUV and gas it would consume let alone rims for one…
Not that that's stopped too many people other than us…
Ah! *sniff* Tis the true American Way! *sarcasm*
Second that. Obama, give Swampfaye her billion now! And Zerabp and myself too. So in twenty years we can get together for a talk like this: http://youtu.be/Xe1a1wHxTyo
There may be hope for you. Italians are "Latinos" in the strict sense of the word, no?
You cant afford an SUV? Then you are not truly poor….
Mr. Toto-
A review of Sylvester Stallone's "Nighthawks" might be nice. True, it's an older movie, and as I recall, it has a conventional thriller plot, but it is about terrorists. HBO use to run it all the time. But now they don't. I wonder why.
As far as a lack of parts go, Dustin Hoffman once said, acting has about a 98% unemployment rate. Always has, always will.
I am a guido and I for one am disgusted how my hertiage has become a PC buzzword for Mexicans.
The premise of the article is bunk. Anyone who's been paying attention to TV knows ther's actually been a dramatic increase in the number of Arab actors over the last 10 years, and the roles they portray are typically the good guy or at least on the same moral footing as the evil white American capitalists. I'm sure there are plenty of out-of-work Arab actors but that has much more to do with their chosen vocation tha anything else.
But the bigger story here is that once again the Hollywood estbalishment has decided to blame the rest of America for one of its own failings. Parts for minorities in TV and film are almost always one-dimensional tokens where the focus of their character is on appearance rather than their qualities as a person. I've spoken with many black actors in the world of microbudget moviemaking and they all tell the same story: the only way they get work is by being a cheap Samuel Jackson imitation. I imagine the actors interviewed in this article have had a similar experience. Long story short, minority acting gigs are almost always typecast because casting directors place too much emphasis on looks (don't get me wrong, I understand that's part of the business but all too often image takes precedence over actual acting ability) and screenwriters don't know enough real people to create characters that don't fit into preconceievd boxes.
Oh come on. The timing on that was funny.
Yes, and I have a feeling Mexicans aren´t truly proud of their latin heritage. Every time I point out that the Spanish empire kicked azz I get strange looks!
What bugs me is the co-opting of the word "Latin". Latin was the language of the Roman Empire so the only apparent justification for caling hispanic people "Latin-o" is that Spanish is one of the romance languages rooted in Latin. By this logic, Mexcians are no more "Latin" than French or Portugese people so I see how they view themselves as the heirs of that word as kind of a slap in the face to those whose ancrestry lies in the Italian mainland.
But screw it. Leave that sort of racial grievance-mongering for the lefties.
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