Orientalism

The reading made obvious the negative depictions of the "orient" from a European, or even American standpoint. It made me think back to the history lessons where you'd learn of imperialistic nations attempting to "civilize" a new territory. As though people of the orient were barbaric animals that needed guidance from superior peoples. Said even goes as far to say that there's a "systematic discipline by which European culture was able to manage - and even produce - the Orient politically, sociologically, militarily, ideologically, scientifically, and imaginatively during the post-Enlightenment period." What it all comes down to essentially is exploitation of an "inferior" peoples for money, land, and resources. Orientalism simply represents the perspective of the bully.