Film Analysis: Fruitvale Station

Today one does not even have to wait for a movie to be released. Simply click the “ON” button on a remote and suddenly, thousands of news and television shows are available for one to enjoy. Muslims are also the target of prejudice in these news broadcasts and programs. One such television program released was a drama titled “24.” Issues and Controversies reports: “The show, which deals with a counterterrorism unit based in Los Angeles, featured a group of Muslim terrorist characters who were plotting to detonate nuclear weapons in the U.S. At the end of one episode, the terrorists successfully detonated a small bomb in a Los Angeles suburb, killing about 12,000 people” (“Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment”). This fictional show wrongly spreads the stereotypical image of Muslims and their clichéd image of the fundamentalists on 9/11. By adding the title and image of “Muslim” to the phrase “terrorist” the program wrongly advertised that potentially every Muslim could be a terrorist. This stereotypical image is similarly expressed in news broadcasts through the use of terrorism news. By increasingly using terrorism and Muslims in top

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, media approaches have altered. On Television shows and movies, in newspapers and on the radio, there has been an increase in hate crimes targeting Arabs and Muslims. Most coverage today follows a script that represents Arabs and Muslims only in the context of terrorism. Evelyn Alsultany wrote a book called Arabs and Muslims in the Media in 2012. The stories explained the new standards in racial and cultural representations after 9/11.

The topic of this essay was one that seemed the most relevant at this given moment in time. Post 9/11, Western media became very critical of Islam and the portrayal of Muslims and the negative associations made with them has dramatically increased.

“I’m going to make a name for myself. If I fail, you will never hear of me again” Edward James Muggeridge. True to his words he succeeded in making a name for himself and he created the first movie or “motion picture”. Movies are a rollercoaster ride that transcends people into a whole different world fresh out of somebody’s imagination as seen through the genres of horror, drama, and science fiction. The movie business allows people to break through the burden of everyday life. Considering today’s way of life, people would be lying if they did not admit that movies are an influential entity in our culture. Movies have been successful in ingraining values and elements into society. Movies exaggerate, sensationalize and at

Fruitvale station, is a story about the real life Oscar Grant, a black man who was shot and killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer in Oakland. This film follows Grant and his last days before the shooting on New Year’s Day. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale station was his first feature film. Coogler expressed that he was interested in making this film because he wanted people to get to know Grant, get attached, so that when a situation like this occurs again, people will care more about that human life (Wikipedia). In addition, the cast includes Michael B. Jordan (Grant), Octavia Spencer (Wanda Johnson), and Melonie Diaz (Sophina Mesa), amongst a few others. However, there is an underlying concept in this film. This film relates back to Double Consciousness and the internal conflict and struggles within African American men.

Looking at the title to begin, it is obvious that the entirety of this documentary that movies and the media have treated Arabs and Muslims quite terribly. They portray these people as villains and are often seen as these antagonist characters pushed by their stereotype that people from Arab and or Muslim descent are villainous people. The movie creators in Hollywood tend to see Arab and Muslim people as targets to use as anger triggers to the people who watch these movies. What’s worse, is that the people in Hollywood and users of social media have a tremendous influence over other people with their words and actions that these producers make. These influences created nurture a lot of negative opinions and false sides of Arab and Muslim people. A theme assembled in the making of “Reel Bad Arabs” is that Hollywood has a tendency to represent races with problematic stereotypes in the makings of productions. I

ABSTACT Many years ago films have entertain people. These stories have made history and also the filmmakers. Films have impact people’s imagination and the way they tell a story. Also behind film are director, music, production, and actors.

Often when ‘Blacks’ are portrayed in films they are typically assigned supporting roles. Hollywood black actors are often typecast as criminal and violent. Specific devices are also used in media representations of ethnic minorities to perceive ‘them’ as a threat. In fact, Jaspal and Cinnirella (2010) claims that there is a pervasive tendency to portray Muslims as threatening. One of the principle rhetorical strategies used by popular media to reinforce this dichotomy between cultures is achieved through delineating the in group from the out group. Jaspal and Cinnirella (2010) explained how the widespread of the noun phrase ‘the Muslim world’ acts to create a homogenous social entity which is in opposition to the west. The second process used to act to segregate or marginalised muslims through the act of rejection, which is a device focusing on portraying on negative social representations. Michael Welch (2016) suggest that immigrants pose a threat to America’s Eurocentric culture. He argues that the media is responsible for fuelling anti-immigrant hostility through the process of criminalising immigrants by portraying them as predatory

Fruitvale station is a film of compassion, heart, and drama about a twenty-two year old male trying to change his life around for the better coming from a troubled past being in and out of the jail system for petty crimes trying to live and make an honest life for his girlfriend and his daughter. Then tragic events turned their worlds upside down when they figured out life always has a plan for you no matter how your trying to change your life around or how goof of a person you are.

Ridouani,D(2011) in a research publication outlined the ways in which Muslims and Arabs are conceptualized by the western media with a drastic effect on its people.As she points out"

How the has media poisoned peoples’ brains to think like this. Media has created this mental construct, in which all Muslims are the “bad guys”. Media plays a big role in a lot of different situations. Media mostly portrays African American as “thugs, and drug dealers”, media portrays Latinos as all being “illegal”. Media plays an essential role in the development of the young children, who’s brains are still developing. It really affects their world view.

The media paints an identity, which is a vital role that impacts the perception of Americans about Muslims and Islam. Media depictions influence the public opinions of Americans that negatively modify Muslim people. The attacks of 11 September 2001 (9/11) ignited hate and anger against Arab and Muslim Americans that posed serious life consequences, mainly due to biased media coverage (Eid 610). The most common explanation for this rationale is incited by the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent War on Terror. The representations of Muslims are often aggressive, violent, and drawn to terrorism in a range of media such as radio, newspaper, and television. The exposure of media coverage stereotypes towards Muslims as violent can increase and contribute

Films and movies hold much than we can guess, they reveal a lot of vices and rots that are happening in society. Others give a history of a particular society, its beliefs, culture and their standard of living in the society. Films are used to disclose the social responsibilities in a given season and customs, moral values, societal worries and other cultural practices.

Most Western media corporations such as news outlets are using the September 11th event to capitalise its political gain (Murdoch University, Australia, 2012). With respect to this, it has been identified that the media have depicted Islam as ‘fundamental’ ‘extreme’ and ‘radical,’ where these terms promote negative stereotypes (School of Political and Social Inquiry, The University of Melbourne, 2005). On a local perspective, a survey was undertaken on community members who were of different gender, occupation and age. When asked who plays a major role in promoting negative stereotypes of Muslim’s, 66.66% of those surveyed marked Television Programs as a key perpetrator. (Refer to figure one) One mentioned that the reason behind this idea was because “We only see negatives in the media, because it is what sells.” In conjunction, the findings also indicated that 33.33% answered yes to being influenced by the media of how they perceived Islam and

We are all aware of the power that media holds to influence people as well as keep people connected to the world outside their rage. This has become the easiest and convenient way to keep public informed and up to date with what is happening in their country as well as outside their country. Although, many powerful people who use media for their public welfare also dominate media. As well as, businesses have adopted techniques for manipulating the public through the propaganda of control over the media. Therefore, with all the sources media has to inform and persuade people, it has become more about making a profit. It has become more and more privatized in many countries, giving more control to the government to get their message across the mass public. “Since September 11, the increase in international tensions and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have created turmoil and fears in immigrant communities, fanned by the media in the context of the war against terrorism”(Rousseau & Jamil, 2008). In this paper I will be talking about the negative effects media has on Americans after the September 11, As well as look at the fear it created among Americans and hate rate towards Islam and Muslims. Also, this led to hate crimes against other non-Muslim minority groups. Furthermore, this discourse has led many young children’s to become Islamophobic and racial towards Muslims.