Images in the visual media consistently misrepresent non-western Essay

Images in the visual media consistently misrepresent non-western cultures - Essay Example Orientalism, as it was known by Napoleon, was based on just such knowledge – that is knowledge about the Orient projected upon it by the Western world. This idea of the Orient, as it was expressed among the Western scholars – overrode the true Orient. Observers entering the true Orient were already convinced of what they knew regarding an unchanging and already defined system, locking everything labeled Orient into a passive, unresisting object for study. Comparable linguistics were the basis for many of these assumptions. This had, and continues to have, a negative effect upon the Western world’s perception, understanding and appreciation of a multitude of cultures that were erroneously grouped into a single identity. To understand how images in the visual media consistently misrepresent non-western cultures, it is necessary to understand the theories of Edward Said, who first explored the idea of Orientalism, as well as to take a look into some recent examples of these concepts at work. The introduction to Edward Said’s book Orientalism is essentially an argument in three parts illustrating the various means he plans to use in order to support the key arguments he makes in the remainder of the book; namely, to first show how the Orient has become something that is not a â€Å"free subject of thought or action† through the more imaginary concept of Orientalism and second to demonstrate how the â€Å"European culture gained in strength and identity by setting itself off against the Orient as a sort of surrogate and even underground self† (Said, 1979, p. 3). Opening with an argument regarding the use of the term Orientalism, Said makes three observations. The first one centers on the idea that the term ‘Orient’ refers not to the truth of the region, but rather to an idea that has been developed in the minds of Europeans that tends to group all individuals of the Middle East and East as belonging to a single cultural and

Human Rights and Rule of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Rights and Rule of Law - Essay Example Do human rights really exist How can human rights be understood and justified. And what is the purpose of the rule of law The following study is purposed to analyze the practical understanding of the concept of human rights in different countries and whether the fundamentals of this concept are universally observed and agreed upon. Rights are creations of human consciousness. Today the existence of human rights has assumed paramount importance for the advance of society. Human right can exist as a shared norm of actual human moralities, as a justified moral norm supported by strong reasons, as a legal right at the national level, or as a legal right within international law. Enactment in national and international law is one of the ways in which human rights exist. But many have suggested that this is not the only way. If human rights exist only because of enactment, their availability is contingent on domestic and international political developments. However there are certain rights which are somehow innate and inherent in human beings- the right to life, the right to food, liberty and to formal equality as pressed by the rules of natural justice. The more contemporary human rights include the right to freedom of expression, right to a free trial and the right to equality before law and the extent to which t hese rights are observed in a given country primarily depends on its establishment inspired by the policies in practice by the regime. That is one reason why despite the universal agreement on the need for protection of human rights, there exist1s an alarming trend of deliberate violation of these rights within the premises of the current institutions. Every regime claims to advance the well being of its people and still most regimes in the world systematically violate human rights. They do so in the name of maintaining national security, defending civilization and advancing the revolution of economic progress. Our kind of world makes necessary the most robust scepticism toward all ideological labels. Whether a repressive regime describes itself as socialist or capitalist, as revolutionary or traditional,Do Human Right Exist What is the Purpose of the Rule of Law 4 the salient characteristics are the same. People are not allowed to leave the country. The secret police are not restrained by law and there is no appeal from police power.