Perspective of Orientalism

The West led origin in each(prenominal)y by Europe and the U.S. has primarily been imperialistic and ethnocentric in its treatment of other(a) cultures. To reinforce the values of the West as superior, such relations often mirror other cultures as inferior. In his discussion of the diplomacy and the politics of the Kissinger era, Said writes in Orientalism that such perspectives also enable the wholesale takeover of other cultures for self-gain and validation of self-aggrandizement. As Said writes, "Both the traditional Orientalist and Kissinger take of the difference between cultures, first, as creating a battlefront that separates them, and second, as inviting the West to control, contain, and otherwise govern (through superior knowledge and cooperative power) the Other," (47-48. In the revisionist account of history observable in the train Apocalypse Now, great affirmation of Said's theory can be found.

In the film we see the West pitted against East, with diminished distinction among different Eastern cultures. Lumped together whether Cambodian, North Vietnamese or South Vietnamese, the film's discourse primarily equates Orientals with "Charlies". Above all else, Charlie is the enemy and the land where he resides is abominable. As Captain Willard maintains, "I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn't even know it yet" (Coppola 1979). The film portrays Vietnam as a locale even worse than Hell.

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This applies to Said's belief that all cultures reinforce their own identity through the mirroring of a negative perception of the "other". In the above we see stereotypes of American white men as criminals and as monovular in appearance, much like all Orientals in Apocalypse Now are made indistinguishable and group into negative stereotypes.

De Bont, J. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, (Film). USA, 2003.

This stand in shows how the understanding of our own culture often excludes any cleverness or understanding of an "other" culture. So too, it demonstrates the knowledge of Dr. Li that to try to explain would only make things worse, since most Americans already have their preformed attitudes and opinions about cultures deemed an "other".

Lara Croft: You need to take me to the Shay-Ling.

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