Spring Break
Orientalism on Cigarette Packs
by Beyazit Akman
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: Fall 2008
Orientalism
on
Cigarette Packs
beyazit akman
when I first landed in the United States coming from Turkey, one of the parents of my host family told me on the way home, where I would stay for a couple of days, that she liked the Pyramids in my country very much, adding the question
whether my hometown was close to that great attraction site. She was of course trying to be nice, showing how much she knew about my home country, thus at the same time aiming to make me comfortable. However, I must admit, I felt quite uncomfortable
by this college graduate's ignorance of the almost common sense knowledge that the Pyramids are not in Turkey, but in Egypt, and Turks had nothing to do with it; I myself having never seen them. (As far as pyramids go, actually, Americans should be more familiar with it than Turks as every one dollar banknote has an image of it.) Although quite disappointed by the fact that Turkey didn't have any pyramids, she still didn't look satisfied with the answer. There were not only pyramids in Turkey, according
to her, but also lots of deserts, tents, palm trees, and even places of oasis. That was the reason why she chose an "Oriental" student to host; to learn more about "our culture", including the persistent question of why "we" Arabs [she was assuming that Arabs and Turks were all the same] marry lots of women at the same time, and whether it was difficult or not to travel on a camel, pointing out to the comfort of the Chevy she was driving… Quite simply, I was utterly shocked. Were these the same Americans who read the New York Times? Were these the people who ruled the world in this so much-touted-global era? Yet, how came this ignorance?
What was the source of it? Fortunately, my confusion did not last long. The answer to all of these questions was not lying in any secret book or sociological analysis, but on the table -most literally- when we got to my host family's home: the Camel cigarette pack; the oasis, the palm trees, the Pyramids, and a camel; a series of images in front of which wrote gravely: A Unique Blend of Turkish and Domestic Tobacco.
on
Cigarette Packs
beyazit akman
when I first landed in the United States coming from Turkey, one of the parents of my host family told me on the way home, where I would stay for a couple of days, that she liked the Pyramids in my country very much, adding the question
whether my hometown was close to that great attraction site. She was of course trying to be nice, showing how much she knew about my home country, thus at the same time aiming to make me comfortable. However, I must admit, I felt quite uncomfortable
by this college graduate's ignorance of the almost common sense knowledge that the Pyramids are not in Turkey, but in Egypt, and Turks had nothing to do with it; I myself having never seen them. (As far as pyramids go, actually, Americans should be more familiar with it than Turks as every one dollar banknote has an image of it.) Although quite disappointed by the fact that Turkey didn't have any pyramids, she still didn't look satisfied with the answer. There were not only pyramids in Turkey, according
to her, but also lots of deserts, tents, palm trees, and even places of oasis. That was the reason why she chose an "Oriental" student to host; to learn more about "our culture", including the persistent question of why "we" Arabs [she was assuming that Arabs and Turks were all the same] marry lots of women at the same time, and whether it was difficult or not to travel on a camel, pointing out to the comfort of the Chevy she was driving… Quite simply, I was utterly shocked. Were these the same Americans who read the New York Times? Were these the people who ruled the world in this so much-touted-global era? Yet, how came this ignorance?
What was the source of it? Fortunately, my confusion did not last long. The answer to all of these questions was not lying in any secret book or sociological analysis, but on the table -most literally- when we got to my host family's home: the Camel cigarette pack; the oasis, the palm trees, the Pyramids, and a camel; a series of images in front of which wrote gravely: A Unique Blend of Turkish and Domestic Tobacco.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
M.Tatnell
posted 6/22/09 @ 9:12 AM EST
The confusions are simple to understand. Generally people are, or were, ignorant of foreign cultures and even of geography. In England writers and actors can't understand the difference between "signor" and "se~nor"and they are used interchangeably. (Continued…)
Troy Movers
posted 8/18/09 @ 12:45 PM EST
Unfortunately this is very common in the US, though I think it is probably common everywhere. As Tatnell was saying, people are generally unaware of the specifics of foreign cultures and tend to blend the most notable aspects of various cultures into one. (Continued…)
Descriptive essay writing
posted 11/28/09 @ 4:48 AM EST
Thanks for an interesting article.
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