The Role of Media in the Threats and Opportunities of Globalization and Religion

Globalization, a construct which links different areas like culture, environment, economy and religion. One reason for this movement is the technical progress.

Ayatollahy primarily deals with the possibilities of the globalization in terms of religions. According to him religion belongs to the human culture and because of this it is important to take a closer look at this issue. Ayatollhy points out that people don’t have to accept the globalization passively. They have the chance to participate. 

 

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In the following Ayatollahy refers again and again to the Islam, which is characterized not only by faith but also as social obligations include a religious theory of law. Everyday things become to spiritual activities and the globalization provides several ways to do hits, like the Itjehaad, which tries to make the divine compatible with the current situation,

In the course he approaches a lot of good arguments how religion could use the media.The new technologies open new possibilities for religion, for example to become omnipresent via internet. Religion can also be used as a solution for certain problem like bioethics or environmental pollution. The globalization and the media give the possibility to investigate religions at home.

Besides of all the chances there are a lot of problems. Through the globalization the separation between local and international areas has disappeared and represents a risk for some religions. Furthermore some of the old traditions have been destroyed through the globalization and as a result two generation could arise. Beside of these points the globalization weakened moral values; therefore religions should remove a moral structure.

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These are only some of Ayatollahy’s issues. In general he has many good arguments, but he focuses heavily on the Islam and leaves out other religions. The article is divided very clear by different arguments.

This topic shows that religion has reached the limits of national boundaries and that the religions interact in a competition. By the globalization new problems appear, for example the question if a Muslim teacher is allowed to teach in the headscarf. In addition to Ayatollahy’s article religion have made their benefits through the media and the new technologies, like the presentation of their own religion via Internet. Also the influence of religion on other areas, for example in bioethics, where members of religions take part in bioethical commissions combined with medics. 

Tony Blair summarize the recent situation quite clearly: 'These are times of tumultuous change. The twentieth century order is history; and the forces of globalization are pushing all of the economies of the world – and all of the citizens of the world, with their great diversity of religious faiths – more closely together.'

Reference:

Ayatollahy H. 2008. The Role of Media in the Threats and Opportunities of Globalization for Religion. Journal of Media and Religion 7(1): 34-44.

Picture 1: Leoni AG: http://www.leoni.com/Rechtliche-Hinweise.123.0.html .

Picture 2: http://stopceta.ca/@images/globalization-machine.png .

http://faithandglobalization.yale.edu/.

Asian Stereotypes in the Television and Film Industries of the United States

Picture 1

During the history Asians developed a negative image,which was captured by the film industries.Shah's article deals about these stereotypes. He divided it in four different Asian stereotypes which were illustrate in the television. He also talks about how Asian Americans saw theirselves and struggle for their identities. The film industries simplify and gloss over the different Asian's identities. They formed stereotypes because they constitute it as something different. In general mass media are very important for the production of culture symbols.

Yellow Peril

The Yellow Peril and Dragon Lady arised in times, when Americans were afraid of the growing Asian population. They were concerned about their jobs. During this time a negative Asian picture was settled by politics and journalists. Films represent this attitude. The Yellow Peril is an  threatining, predatory Asian man who lust for white women (Broken Blossoms 1919 and The Cheat 1915). The Dragon Lady has also a negative image. She is sneaky, mean and seduced white men (Thief of Bagdad 1924).

Lotus Blossom

Between the 1913 and the end of the Second World War Japenese soldiers were illustrated as evil. In contrast Chinese were seen as trustworthy. In this time also the Charlie Chan stereotype arised in 1936. He is describes as a mysterious man with power and a positive character. Around ten years later the Japanese image changed by becoming a satellite nation of the US while the Chinese were seen as diabolic because of the communism. The Chinese were stereotyped as drug- addicted and as hatred of the Western. Over this period the stereotype of the Lotus Blossom developed. It is a positive image of an Asian women. (Sayonara 1957).

 Nowadays the stereotypes still present as in the Martial Law or Ally McBeal, where the stereotype of a Dragon Lady appear. 

The problems are that Asians are seen as a homogeneous group without their diversity. Furthermore Asians and Asian Americans are renowned as the same. To sum up there are two ways of thinking. On the one hand the Yellow Peril and the Dragon Lady who are dangerous and threatening for the Westerns and on the other hand Charlie Chan and Lotus Blossom which represent the opposite. The 'good' side for the Westerns.

But what did Asian say to this stereotyping? Shah points out that it was a time of isolation, segregation and racism. They fought againgst the stereotypes and for better work and living conditions. Over time some time Chinese movie productions has arisen to show the real Asian life. The result was the triangular cinema which present movies in an Asian perspective like the documentation Color of Honor in 1989. They want to mobilize people and tell the real stories about Asians as Sari Red (1988) which deals about a Asian women and her dangerous life in public and private sphere. The triangular cinema shows the real life and characters. Moreover they include the different Asian symbols and cultures.

Summarizing the stereotypes were made by Hollywood like the Orientalism. We have to keep in mind that Asian Americans have a complex culture and it is a challenge to control these images and to think about it.

 Social Repercussions of Asian Stereotypes in Media

Reference:

Lotus Bossom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AlbaneseButterfly.jpg .

Picture 1: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=movie&ex=2#ai:MP900406477|


Shah H. 2003. “Asian Culture” and Asian American Identities in the Television and Film Industries of the United States. Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education 3(3): 1-10. 

Yellow Peril: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YellowPeril .
 

Orientalism and the Australian News Media

In the last decades people of Middle Eastern and the Islamic faith has been stereotyped by medias. Isakkhan describes in his article how the Australian news media deal with this issue. He points out that some authors 'create a climate of fear and paranoia' (2009: 3) through their portray of terrorism and by reducing some people 'to the role of 'folk devil' after the 11 September 2001. The media make a distinction between Oriental people and Western civility, this is not a new phenomenon.

It begun during the colonial period after the Western felt the superiority over the Orient.

Printing in the 16th century

The technology of the printing press allowed to spread political texts like the Turkenkalender: An Urgend Appeal to Chrstendom Against the Turks (1454), where the Turks were describes as enemies. In the next centuries the printing press opened a new market for books, journals and newspapers. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the printing press begun to write about the interests of the empire and published a lot of texts about Orientalism, which deals with the 'others'. 

After the technology of printing arrived in Australia, they concentrate of the image of Asian migration and the natives. In this time the references to Islam and Middle East were very rare because Australia had a long relation to the Islam. But after some time the legislation against Chinese were extended to all coloured people including Muslims. 

After the First World War the Australian press published many stereotypical Orientalist images. Also there was a misunderstanding of jihad and 'holy war'. The press described the jihad as a war against Europe.

In general the idea of the 'other' reaches back to the past and lies in the earlies media texts. It is important that the Australian media manage their history of Orientalism and design a new positive image of the Middle East and Islam.

 

Reference:

Isakhan B. 2009. Orientalism and the Australian News Media. Origins and Questions. In Rane H., J. Ewart and M. Abdalla, Eds., Islam and the Australian News Media. Carlton: Melbourne University Press. Ch. 1, 3-25.

Letterpress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buchdrucker-1568.png.

Jewish Images that Injure - M. Woodburry

Israeli Flag

Judaism - a community that must fight against prejudice. Again and again, we see images of brutal Israeli soldiers in the media, the positive headlines about Jews be left it sidelined. Woodbury clearly poses the problem of the media, because they are impartial and are unable to separate the Jews in Israel by Jews from other countries by one and cut all over a comb. Also the fight between Palestine and Israel become a public war.

Housewall in Betlehem

Woodbury begs the question: What is a Jew? Externally, this is barely visible, only if he wears the typical attire of Orthodox Jews. A Jew becomes mostly through his Jewish mother to a Jew or by a public declaration to the Jewish faith.

Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem

 If you consider the history more accurately, you can see that Jews never adopted the religion of the ruler, because of this they were often persecuted and pushed in certain workspaces, such as the money market. Another reason for the ‘bad’ image of the Jews in the past is that they will remain among themselves and to intermarry.

In General, the most representations of Jews are negative, no matter whether the media of the United or in Hitler’s time in Germany, which occurred mainly through cartoons. You can trace how the individual stereotypes developed.

The biggest current problem is the representation in newspapers through photos. Only a moment is captured and this may distort the situation. Also the internet offer a new platform to rushing against Jews, but it can help to establish contacts to other Jews. It is important to note that there is not the Jew, but diversity. The media often manipulate this, because they equate Israel with world Judaism.

Woodbury makes clear how important it is to scrutinize for example the pictures in media. Are they representing the truth? Or is it a fogging of the real circumstance?

Israeli soldiers at the Western Wall - Jerusalem

Look at this picture: Israeli soldiers at the Western Wall. 

What are they doing there? Do they have a special mission? Or is it just normal that soldiers with their charged guns are strolling at on of the holiest places in the world? 

Pictures have always different perspectives it is difficult to find the right point of view.

Reference:

Woodbury M. 2003. Jewish Images that Injure. In PM Lester and EE Dennis, Eds., Images that Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media. 2nd edn. 121-130. London: Praeger. Ch15.

The Sky over the World

No matter in which country, on which continent we keep on, always above us is the sky located. The sky is scientifically seen only a space above the Earth, but religiously speaking, it describes the location of the supernatural and divine.

Winter landscape - Germany

Some time ago I noticed, the sky looks different in Australia than in Germany. It may sound to many certainly bizarre, but this realization hit me like a blow as I was on the way to the University. Since then, I go out of the House in the morning and the first thing I do is to look into the sky, whether it resembles the German sky today maybe a bit more today. Many of you may ask yourselves: Where is the difference? It is hard to describe. I cannot be noticed Te only with the eyes, but also the personal sense plays a role. In Australia, the blue of the sky and the clouds are different. 

North Stradbroke Island - Australia

They have other forms, and the blue is much brighter. And looking up into the sky, mostly the face is warmed by sun Sun and a fuzzy feeling is spreaded. When I started from Germany in February, we had winter. The sky was ice blue and darker than in Australia, there were hardly any clouds and the sun is hiding behind a layer of smoke in the sky. If you looked upward an icy wind blew around the nose, and if you're lucky some small snowflakes fell on the face. This feeling is difficult to group in words, but it is still comparable with the feeling that I have when I go out in Australia and the sun is shining. The sky has different faces, which generate different feelings and associations. 

Noosa - Sunshine Coast, Australia

But it is almost the feeling of happiness, which is broadcast through the sky. It is no matter where I am on the Earth, if it is at the other end of the world or in my home country. Nature gives us a feeling that we can find anywhere a feeling of happiness and security.

Rainbow - Germany