Stereotypes In The Film Aladdin

Mass media can have an effect on a person perception. It can change the way a person thinks or acts toward other people. Watching a particular movie or a television show can allow people to create assumptions about a certain group of people. Stereotypes are shown through the media in race, gender and social classes (Croteau 192). The people from the Middle East are one particular example of a race that is that is depicted in a negative light. Arabs have many stereotypes that people tend to believe are true. The media is a very powerful tool of communication because it can show us other parts of the world that we normally don’t see on a regular basis. Therefore, people choose what they want to believe and what they want to accept as true

The Disney movie, Aladdin, consists of a lot of Arab stereotypes. There are multiple examples in this movie that portray Arabs in a negative way. For instance, the villains in Aladdin all are dark skinned people with heavy accents, while the good characters have a lighter skin tone and sound more Americanized (Theories). Many movies and television shows demonstrate Arabs with these features, dark skinned and heavy accents (Croteau 276). This idea allows people to think about Arabs as evil and untrustworthy people because of the representation in the media.
Another example is generalization toward the men and the image of countries in the Middle East. The men in this movie are shown to always carry swords and wear turbans. Men are depicted as violent people. In one scene, Jasmine’s hand was almost cut off by an Arab man with a sword because she stole an apple. The country is known to be “barbaric” or cruel as it is described in the opening song of the movie. Riding on camels is the only form of transportation in the Middle East, according to the stereotypes shown. The entire country is considered an empty dessert