Fatalistic Attitude Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fatalistic Attitude - Essay Example Following September 11, American perceptions of people from Middle Eastern countries underwent a dramatic shift. Many citizens propelled by popular media and cultural and religious misunderstanding have demonized Arab-Americans, making it more difficult for them to function happily and safely within our society. The more narrow-minded have gone so far as to blame any person of hailing from this basic region of the world as anti-Christian, American-hating zealots who only come to the U.S. to undermine our freedoms and safety. While this is obviously not the case, as a result Arab-Americans, particularly those who actively practice the Muslim faith, are marginalized or sometimes outright despised by their fellow citizens. While this it is entirely inaccurate to blame all Arabs for the events of the past decade, many people from this cultural/ethnic background simply attempt to keep their heads down and wait for public sentiment to change. They do not believe that any amount of campaigning for cultural understanding or open exchange of ideas will affect a true change in their status within American society. Though over time it is likely that these prejudicial and inaccurate perceptions will no longer be equated with Arab-Americans as an absolute negative, it is the way in which fellow citizens interact with this subgroup on a daily basis which will most effectively alter the current attitudes and ideas existent in our culture. In addition to this, media coverage should be limited to factual relation without emphasis on ethnicity and instead promote cultural understanding which would also be an important factor in changing the overall perceptions of Arab-Americans in our society