The question that was asked was what do we need to discuss with more detail throughout this course. I’d say we need to discuss the impact all of these films have had on society. We have discussed a lot about how/why they are each orientalist of sexist, but I don’t think we’ve explored how each one has impacted society. I was talking to a family member over Thanksgiving break bout how Aladdin is a really problematic movie, and they started arguing with me about it. While I listed off countless examples of orientalism and sexism that we talked about in class. I talked about how Jasmine was white washed, how they used inaccurate clothing throughout the film, and even how they took street acts that are typically performed in India and added them to the middle east. However, my family member kept coming back to one specific argument. How does Aladdin having a couple inaccuracies make it a racist film? It’s not like the main character is saying slurs or committing hate crimes. This point really took me aback, and I honestly could not think of an answer. Looking back at it now, of course, I can think of a million different points that I just completely forgot to mention in the moment. Except they bring up a good point. How did this film truly impact society? I think it would have been an interesting point to dig a little deeper into during class.
This is a really interesting idea! I thought about it myself, and I’m not sure what I would’ve said in your position either. I think it’s important to work on not only being able to write and analyze these kinds of ideas, but also be capable of talking and debating with others who were not a part of the course. Thinking about it, I don’t think I could completely answer what the impact on society was either. I could probably list a quick answer, but it would not serve any justice. This would’ve been a very valuable thing to discuss and research within the class. This piece was really well written! Well done, Reanna!