Humour: A Form of Non-Resistance
Accredited with developing the notion of non-violent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi deployed his concept of satyagraha during the Indian independence movement. Loosely translating to “truth force” or “holding onto the truth,” Gandhi’s practice of non-violent resistance also influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and his campaign during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States
Although Jobrani has helped break the taboo on placing Middle Eastern characters into positive roles, the image on PC Couscous (located in grocery stores across the country) proves that everyday examples of orientalism still exist. By placing an “exotic image” of a Muslim woman’s veiled face onto these boxes, PC is promoting their product towards White Christian consumers by presenting it as “other”. Similar to Edward Said’s definition of orientalism, a discourse is produced by the West, which sets the Orient up as “the other,” so that the West can understand itself by comparing it. The West is civilized, Christian, good, and modern, while the East is uncivilized, Muslim, and backward, thereby situating the West as superior to the East.
Contributing to the arsenal of images employed by the media, PC Couscous gives a mysterious, almost threatening representation of Islam. And yet, we have to ask ourselves why is it that a veiled woman’s face is seen as a threat, meanwhile what does a woman’s open face represent? Trained to look at speakers directly in the face, Westerners are taught to make direct eye contact with their peers. If this eye contact is broken, it is almost as if the other speaker is hiding something. With popular media as a major part of the communication structure that defines how Middle Easterners are viewed in the West, perhaps we are not as far away from racist clichés of orientalist discourse as we would like to think.
References
Blakely, G. (November 4th, 2010). The Formative Influences on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace
Magazine, Apr-Jun 2001, 21. Retrieved http://archive.peacemagazine.org/v17n2p21.htm
In-text: (Blakely, 2001)
For instance, while outwardly poking fun at his own ethnic group, Iranian comedian Maz Jobrani focuses on race in order to slowly break bias interpretations of Middle East characters. In the following skit titled “Persians vs. Arabs,” Jobrani highlights the burden his friend places on him as an “expert of the Middle East ” simply because he is of Iranian descent. Every time gas prices go up, Jobrani’s friend asks him to explain “in fifty words or less” what is going on with the prices. Here, Jobrani highlights that he does not work at Opec, nor does he have a discount pump at the gas station, but he does pay the exact same price as his friend regardless of his race. By helping to remould the way Western society views the Middle Eastern community, Jobrani demonstrates that we cannot have a single spokesperson speak to, nor allow their actions account for
the entirety of a race.
Although Jobrani has helped break the taboo on placing Middle Eastern characters into positive roles, the image on PC Couscous (located in grocery stores across the country) proves that everyday examples of orientalism still exist. By placing an “exotic image” of a Muslim woman’s veiled face onto these boxes, PC is promoting their product towards White Christian consumers by presenting it as “other”. Similar to Edward Said’s definition of orientalism, a discourse is produced by the West, which sets the Orient up as “the other,” so that the West can understand itself by comparing it. The West is civilized, Christian, good, and modern, while the East is uncivilized, Muslim, and backward, thereby situating the West as superior to the East. 
Contributing to the arsenal of images employed by the media, PC Couscous gives a mysterious, almost threatening representation of Islam. And yet, we have to ask ourselves why is it that a veiled woman’s face is seen as a threat, meanwhile what does a woman’s open face represent? Trained to look at speakers directly in the face, Westerners are taught to make direct eye contact with their peers. If this eye contact is broken, it is almost as if the other speaker is hiding something. With popular media as a major part of the communication structure that defines how Middle Easterners are viewed in the West, perhaps we are not as far away from racist clichés of orientalist discourse as we would like to think. References
Blakely, G. (November 4th, 2010). The Formative Influences on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace
Magazine, Apr-Jun 2001, 21. Retrieved http://archive.peacemagazine.org/v17n2p21.htm
In-text: (Blakely, 2001)
