Truth About Arabs!

Arabs shown on television are nothing like the Arabs you would meet on the street. Arabs are always shown on television as terrorists, violent, abusive to women, etc. Dr. Jack Shaheen did a study using 1000 films that have Arab and Muslim characters in them, and recorded how they were portrayed. 900 out of the 1000 we negative towards Arabs and Muslims. This is all caused by Hollywood. Hollywood has their own concept of how Arabs are.
In order to help spread the word about what Arabs are really like, I would use a few different methods. First of all, I would create a typical family sitcom. It’d show the life of a regular Arab family, living in Buffalo. I chose Buffalo because it is a pretty busy city and lots of snow, therefore they would have to adapt to North American customs as they are not use to so much snow. I would have a family of 4; a mom, dad, teenage boy, and a younger girl. My goal of my show would be to show everyone that Arab people are not the same as the ones that Hollywood portrays. I would use secondary characters to help fight stereotypes against Arabs. For example, I would have a Caucasian “maid” appear on a few episodes, and the boys’ best friend would be Caucasian. I would do this because normally in Hollywood movies the Arab would be the Caucasians butler or cook or something along those lines. They are normally shown as the secondary characters, never the main character. The show would take you through different aspects of their lives, and it would prove stereotypes wrong in every episode. The show would help you to see what innocent Arab people have to go through just because of the media. I’d show that Arab families adapt to western culture, but I’d also make sure that people would be learning about the families culture/background as well. I’d say that the family would have immigrated to Buffalo 5 years ago, that way they would be adapted to their surroundings, and wouldn’t be in the learning process. I would air my show from 7-9 on week nights. My show would be family friendly, although aimed for 14-49 although it wouldn’t be a show that you would have to change the channel if your young one came in. I plan to also have a website for the show, so that I can see what people think of the show. I would advertise the website at the end of my show when the credits are rolling. Older episodes would appear on my website, and a message board for upcoming news. I would also like a spot where people could post their opinions on the show, give ideas on how to make it better etc. I would also have my email posted incase anyone needed to get in contact with me and my producers. I chose to use the computer and television for this product because I think it’d be the most effective to start off with anyway. Until the show became known, and then I could start putting out more things once people were familiar with the show. I think my product would be effective because it would be fun and entertaining yet people would be learning a lot and I think Arab people would appreciate it.
-Cassidy