Looking at Arabs through the Eyes of Disney - 853 Words

Many Disney movies can be analyzed to show racism and stereotypes of different minorities. One good example of this would be Aladdin and the images that it conveys about Arabs. The story of Aladdin is a twisted tale of his love for the princess and the manipulation by an evil man who seeks a treasure that can only be retrieved by Aladdin. Throughout this story Disney is able to convey a negative stereotype about Arabs by displaying their religion, sexuality, and behavior in a negative manner. The first stereotype that is set by Disney is the location of where most Arabs live. In the first scene of the movie a man is riding a camel in a hot, sunny dessert. While this is going on the song Arabian Night is being played, in the song it even states ‘where its flat and immense and the heat is intense’. This would imply that all Arabs are coming from an area that is large, flat, and extremely warm, but technically an Arab can have roots that originate in over twenty countries that span over the Middle East and Northern Africa. Over these twenty countries the climates vary from the stereotyped desert to cooler mountainous regions (Al-Hazza, Lucking, 2005). Along with climate, the first scene introduces a short stocky sales man. The first major stereotype that he brings into this story is his appearance and his thick accent. The man is wearing a large turban, has a good amount of facial hair and is wearing what looks to be a dress. 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