Society: Diversely Closed-Minded

This comic is to demonstrate the difference of views of some of the American cultures. Many Americans hold grudges toward the Muslim community because of the terroristic attacks that have happened in the past. The Muslims are spiteful to the Americans because their community is not made entirely of terrorists and the culture differences just made it worse. This cartoon shows the differences of image and thought of the two cultures.

I personally chose this subject because I don’t like the hostile environment that the media puts on Muslims and I also don’t like the typical body image that media places on girls. I think that it’s over the top and that women should be viewed as more important than their physical shape or by the lack of clothes that she wears. This image shows the hostility between both cultures and also shows the dehumanization of women in today’s society that I don’t like in a way that makes people think of both. Essentially this comic should raise attention to the fact that every individual is a person with morals and values that may or may not be similar to yours and that maybe there can be a happy medium.

One major symbol in this is the different ethnic groups which show the prejudice of some of the people in the United States. This is shown by the different skin tones the artist used when coloring the picture and by the clothing. Now, many people may argue that this argument is actually a form of racism, but it is not and this should be established because we are supposed to be scholars and know the difference. A prejudice is normally a feeling against a certain demographic without probable cause while racism is the belief that one’s race is superior or that another race is inferior and should be suppressed. These demographics though have some great tensions and for good reason.

The background looks as though they are in a public place. This being said, it does not seem likely that the two girls know each other. It is believed that people judge others by first impressions from first glance and this is the case with this image. The two women walk past each other giving their opinion of one another based only on what they had worn that day.

Both outfits have black in it, one more than the other. The true definition of black is lack of color and figuratively speaking, black in many artworks shows the lack of understanding and lack of overall knowledge. With these women only seeing each other for a brief period, it is obvious that they don’t truly understand one another. The two do not stop to ask each other, they simply think what is in the thought bubbles as they pass by.

In the picture, the blond woman with the side ponytail seems to be larger than the woman with the traditional Arab outfit on. This, symbolically speaking, can be for dominance purposes. This circumstance is prominent in the United States, which makes the Arab woman a minority. So, even though both women have their own opinion, the traditional American has more people with the same opinion as she.

With their backs turned, they are closed to each other, not willing to learn more about one another. This communication between the two does not help the society as a whole to move on and to learn more about each other. They are “giving the cold shoulder” as though they don’t care or want to know more about one another, being too engulfed in their own lives.

In this picture, it shows very strong opinions of two different people in two very different cultures. The picture shows how not to be: closed off to others in the world and not willing to learn their way out of their culture’s ignorance. This is the sad truth of society today and it will only get worse if we do not learn more about the environment around us.

There is not simply one right way to dress. Our society is moving away from male dominance, so it is not the answer that both of them are thinking of. Though both images please some males in both cultures, culture can't take a woman's right to thought away and the nation gives the women the right over their own bodies.