Orientalism

Correspondents takes a deep look at the way Americans view the Middle East and shows how these historic ways of seeing influence government policy, newspaper reporting and, finally, domestic terrorism. When Rita first shows up in Iraq, the respected newspaper she works for asks her to do a story on whether women feel more free after the fall of Saddam. This implies that the people assigning the story believe all women in the Middle East are oppressed and view the American military and government as potential saviors. But as Rita actually interviews Iraqi women, she finds that exactly the opposite is the case. “We feel less free because of the lack of safety,” one woman says (179). Rita’s translator, Nabil, finds the idea of the story absurd and asks if the editors want “To hear (women) are all so free now? Iraq wasn’t Saudi Arabia...