To the Editor:

Early this semester, the Student Life Office convened to decide on a theme for the first union bash of the year. In a time when the entire region of the Middle East is misrepresented in the U.S. media, they decided to contribute to that misrepresentation. On Sept. 20, the Arabian Nights-themed Union Bash was held.

The posters for the event that were tacked to the walls of almost every building on campus depicted the silhouettes of various buildings that resemble mosques, crescent moons adorning the points of the pillars that extend from the buildings, and to completely diminish any notion of subtlety, a large crescent moon in a starry red sky. This image itself encapsulates the idea of the Middle East that is being perpetuated here in America. The members of Student Life created an event that contributes to Orientalism, the exoticism of the East in an inaccurate and harmful manner. They merged their exoticism of the region with their own perceptions of Islam by dominating this image with popular religious iconography.

Here, both the earlier Orientalist views of the Middle East (seen through painting it as a region exotic enough to serve as a theme for a party) further exemplified through event activities such as the offering of henna tattoos, belly dancing lessons, and the creation of sand art, is coupled with the more modern American perception of it essentially revolving around Islam.  Oddly enough, the previously mentioned activities are the only ones that adhere to the problematic theme, illustrating just how lazy the whole event was, and its ability to be almost wholly transferred to a different theme. The odd presence of two opposing views of the Middle East from an Orientalist perspective, and the more recent Islamic centered one that demonizes the religion, shows that this portrayal was shaped by the effects these perceptions of the region; which are amplified through our media, has unconsciously on individuals.

Currently, we like to talk about racism in a manner that allows us to be outraged that these beliefs are still held. The offender is propped up as an example of the worst kind of bigotry and hatred, and we are the enlightened that are able to see the lack of morality in their beliefs. In doing so, we ignore the fact that these beliefs and stereotypes have pervaded most institutions and has become systemic, instead opting to paint racism as the ultimate evil. By vilifying those that harbor racist or otherwise prejudiced beliefs, we are creating an unproductive discourse on racism that does little more than shame the prejudiced and idealize the accuser. If the systemic manner in which racism is spread and manifests itself unconsciously in an individual were spoken about more openly, an environment where these individuals can become aware of the problematic aspects of their beliefs and work towards correcting them can be established.

While the Orientalist Union Bash is highly offensive, it is clearly indicative of the pervasive nature of racism today. The cartoons that we were raised on, the countless films that only deal with the Middle East when they are a re-enactment of the events of 9/11, the news that we receive, and the portrayals of the region in every media outlet have shaped beliefs that are not always born out of hatred, but simply inaccurate information. In a school like Buffalo State, which champions its diversity on a daily basis, we should work towards revising the discourse on racism and preventing our mandatory student activity fee from being used for events that contribute to false perceptions.

Nyemh S. Ghareb
English Major
Senior