Mandeep Sandhu Political Freedom 11/26/02 Political Tradition Practically every aspect of modern life is influenced by the capitalistic hegemony practiced by the United States. Exploitation of the weak and "demonization" of the unknown are common characteristics of American foreign policy. As America's economic power continues to grow, its global image continues to tarnish. Any opposition to American economic superiority is looked upon as a direct threat to "homeland security." Political freedom and equality are the traditional perceptions of American culture, yet despite this assessment, the American political tradition has repeatedly demonized foreigners and peoples of color. As America's economic strength and influence continues to spread, its historical images of freedom and liberty continue to fade. In relation to Edward Said's, "Covering Islam," many Arabs and Muslims feel that they are disenfranchised from the American aspect of freedom. While the majority of Americans enjoy the freedom of a democracy, many Arabs and Muslims are forced to live with oppressive regimes that are economically supported by the American government (Covering Islam, 27). Instead of spreading democracy, American foreign policy focuses on economic growth. This relationship built upon capital has led many to view America as a threat to freedom and justice. While France and Britain formed a relationship with the Middle East because they had an actual occupation of land, America has a more indirect relationship because it is based on economics (Covering Islam, 29). According to Said, the West has traditionally demonized the people of the Middle East. Instead of scientifically analyzing the Middle East, many of the early writings concerning the region were done by authors who had never had any real world experience with the area. In Medieval Europe, the East was looked upon as a dark continent that had a great capacity for destruction and evil (Covering Islam, 5). In modern times, Western media has repeatedly depicted the people of the Middle East as uncivilized warmongers. For example, Western media sources regularly publicize anti-American protests and rallies in Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, Western media has frequently demonized Middle Eastern characters in movies and television shows as terrorists and militants. Instead of considering the Middle East as a diverse region with numerous cultures, beliefs, and religions; Western media has continually portrayed the Middle East as a single entity. Due to this perception created by the media, many people in the West have a corrupted image of Islam. Instead of viewing Islam as a wide-ranging religion, the West portrays Islam as an all encompassing ideology that is homogeneous throughout the Middle East. In turn, whenever the Western media relays stories about "Islamic extremists" or suicide bombers, people in the West understand Islam as a fanatical religion that preaches hate and violence. This misinterpretation has led many Westerners to accept a rather xenophobic attitude toward Islam. Said describes this phenomenon of generalization and "demonization" as "Orientalism." Simply put, "Orientalism" is the stereotypical Western mentality toward the Middle East (Covering Islam, Introduction). Instead of viewing the Middle East as a progressive region, "Orientalism" romanticizes the Middle East as a place that is frozen in time. In accordance to Said, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would agree that "uncohesive contact" is a necessity for better understanding. Self-conscious interpretation of others should never be the primary source of information. Instead, society should withhold judgment of the unfamiliar. In relation to "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. King writes to the Alabama Clergy in response to their comments about his nonviolent protests in Birmingham that took place immediately after a new administration came into power. The Alabama Clergy felt that Dr. King should have postponed his protests so that the new administration would have had a chance to bring about change. In response, Dr. King believed that the new administration should be prodded as much as possible before it has any opportunity to take action. This way the new administration would know the grievances of the African American community (King, 185). Essentially, he believed that being passive is a bigger crime than spreading hate because a passive individual does not admit to the existence of a problem. In addition to justifying his participation in non-violent protests, Dr. King encouraged the religious community to unite against the injustice of segregation. Instead of turning the other way, Dr. King felt that a corrupt society should be forced to change. Just as Said proclaims that Western society has a rather xenophobic attitude toward the Middle East; mainstream America in the 50s and 60s viewed African Americans as outsiders. Instead of viewing them as proud citizens, African Americans were looked at as a foreign entity that did not personify the true image of America. This alienation form the "natural rights" promised by the Constitution forced many African Americans to challenge their position in society. According to Dr. King, in order for society to grow as a whole, individuals should find a common ground for unification (King, 187). Self-segregation and violence force different ethnic groups to view each other as social outcasts. In the words of Dr. King, "The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." Resembling Said, Arundhati Roy would agree that the American government has repeatedly demonized peoples of color. In her book, "Power Politics," Roy describes freedom as a belief with many different classifications. In turn, Roy believes that freedom for some does not mean freedom for all. As an example, Roy uses the American bombing of Afghanistan. While most Americans felt that the bombings were justified, Roy believed that the majority of Afghans were being unfairly targeted because they had nothing to do with September 11th (Power Politics, 133). If a New Yorker bombed a building in Afghanistan, does that give the Taliban the right to attack New York? In Roy's eyes, freedom has many faces. Roy believes that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Simply put, all people want freedom; yet all people don't share the same definition of freedom. For example, one might believe that freedom is the ability to choose; while another might view freedom as the ability to strive for equality. In addition to the bombing of Afghanistan, Roy is upset with the method in which the American government handled the Enron fiasco (Power Politics, 53). While in India, Enron executives repeatedly bribed local government officials and managed to monopolize the power industry in Madhya Pradesh. When the state of Madhya Pradesh could no longer afford to pay Enron for the power it supplied, Enron threatened that the United States would consider economic sanctions against India. This is the first time India has ever been threatened with economic sanctions by a company instead of a country. The lucrative stranglehold that Enron had over Madhya Pradesh is a classic example of economic imperialism described by Said. Knowing that Madhya Pradesh would never be able to afford the energy created by its power plants, Enron officials still decided to "negotiate" a power contract. "Orientalism" and "demonization" of others are classic examples of finding scapegoats for economic and political problems. Instead of finding the true source of conflict, scapegoating allows a government to focus attention on people and regions that are unrelated to the situation. While the mainstream media was quick to glorify the war against Afghanistan, many unconventional media groups criticized the bombings because the September 11th hijackers were from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, not Afghanistan. According to America's economic and political ties, a war with Afghanistan would be more plausible than a war with Saudi Arabia or Egypt because of America's dependence on foreign oil. In addition, a victory in Afghanistan would guarantee an oil pipeline into the Arabian Sea. According to Said, the Middle East has been used as a scapegoat by American foreign policy makers for many years. When the Shaw of Iran was overthrown in the "Islamic Revolution," the Western media was quick to demonize the new fundamental government (Covering Islam, 101). Yet what Western media failed to explain was that the Shaw was a brutal dictator supported by America. The people of Iran decided that they no longer wished to be ruled by a tyrannical government that is supported by Western powers. Throughout history, the American political tradition has repeatedly demonized and stereotyped peoples of color. Rather than focusing on the good of humanity, American foreign policy has frequently focused on economic gains. Due to this, many Westerners have a distorted image of the East. Instead of accepting foreign ideas, Westerners and particularly Americans have grown more isolated from the rest of the world. President John F. Kennedy expressed his views on this subject when he stared that, "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." Instead of uncovering the true meaning of the circumstances, scapegoating has become the ideal way for the American government to both keep its citizens content and keep the economy healthy. Scapegoats and stereotypes only blind individuals from the truth. In order for society to become a mixing pot of ideas, the citizens of the world must realize that misinterpretation and disenfranchisement only leads to hate and violence.