According to Michael Apple (″Backlash: South Asian Immigrant Voices on the Margins″) ″One of the effects of the ″war on terror″ in the United States, England, and elsewhere has been to make the unsayable sayable. Racist nativist sentiment- always just beneath the surface in many nations-has been given legitimacy. [People are saying things like] the ′other′ is among us. They are dangerous. They seek to destroy our way of life. There are terrorists everywhere. A climate of deep insecurity and mistrust has been created, and has all too often been manipulated in cynical ways. Civil liberties are being constantly threatened, internationally accepted codes of conduct are ignored, the collateral damage of civilian deaths due to our bombing is lamented but continued, and torture is condoned. All this in the name of democracy. Predictably, one of the results of this has been a loss of sensitivity and a growing fear within the nation. There has been a series of attacks on those who ″look different.″ Arab-American communities, and especially Muslim communities, are suspects. But not only them. For some people, any ″dark other″ bears the mark of danger. Thus, indiscriminate suspicion leads many to a position where even turbans equal terrorist.″ (https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/93-backlash- south-asian-immigrant-voices-on-the-margins.pdf) The primary objective of this writing assignment is to increase understanding and awareness of media constructions of the ″dangerous other″ – specifically those that are racialized. The assigned readings will give you some background on this topic; you are also welcome to research more about this topic if you are interested in such. Directions: 1. Read the linked article U.S. News Media: A Textual Analysis and Media Case Study (P. Strother Adams, 2008) https://lrccd.instructure.com/courses/152964/pages/article-dangerous-other NOTE — you must include reference to this reading in your essay! Read the article Racial Bias and Media Coverage of Violent Crime Read the article Just Walk On By Read Racial and Racist Stereotypes in the Media http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2015/04/09/racial-bias-and-media-coverage-of-violent-crime/ – and explore this website. (http://racist-stereotypes.com/) . You also may want to view Ethnic Notions — film by Marlon Riggs; evolution of cultural representations of African Americans (note — you will need to sign in to the LRC site with your student ID and Canvas password).
