Said/Maira Journal 5/9 - Leigh Bagood

In Said’s article, he defines orientalism. I remember first seeing the term  “oriental” when I was younger pasted on a shirt my sister’s friends had gifted to her for her birthday. Her friends were all White, and at the time it was a joke pointing to my sister’s Asian ethnicity. To them, the term simply meant that she was Asian and different, because the only nearby store that sold ethnic food was referred to as the “Oriental store.” Ignorance kept us from realizing the word’s implications and its association with Western superiority. In retrospect, I can see how the usage of such terms can lead to the “other-ing” of people like my sister and myself. Lightly throwing around orientalism also mitigates the impact of imperialism. Professor Maira’s article delves specifically into U.S. orientalism in relation to consumption and commodification. Her discussion of the commercialization of “Indo-chic” stuck out to me as it reminded me of the annual music festival Coachella. People who attend Coachella receive a lot of scrutiny for culturally-appropriated attire. It’s an interesting point to think about how the history and idea of. orientalism is rooted in imperialism and oppressing “othered” cultures with Western ideals. However, those cultures that have a history of being viewed as inferior or backwards can all of a sudden become a new trend in America once appropriated by the dominant society and turned into a commodification.