It's Not the Culture, It's the Attitude

Prompt: Why Are We at War?

I can't help but be offended by Mailer's comments about Islam. Once again, on page 26, there is a passage that I do not agree with. "The huge freedom given to women in American culture is seen as an outrage by orthodox Muslims. American TV they fine licentious and extreme. They feel all that Islam stands for is going to be eroded by American culture." (Mailer 26)

It is not the freedom given to women that is seen as an outrage, but the way that women are portrayed oftentimes in American culture. Many people in America do not believe that women are given freedom in Islamic countries, but this just is not true. There are many television shows that feature women, but it is done in a very respectable way. They are not shown as prostitutes or strippers. This is the only problem that Muslims have with American culture. It is perfectly fine to have women in the spotlight as long as it is done in a tasteful way. They do not want something as precious as a woman's virtue to be destroyed by negative images of them. Many Muslim women feel the same way. They dislike the way that women in America dress and act becuase it shows that they have little or no respect for themselves.

I believe that to have pride in yourself, you have to know that it doesn't take skimpy clothes or a promiscuous attitude to be noticed. This is the attitude that most Muslim people have. I know that I will know what people truly think of me if I take a little pride in myself. I will not have to worry about only being lusted after or not being taken seriously. Most women in American culture that are on television with almost no clothes on are seen as a joke. No one could possibly think of them in a positive way. They are seen as objects of lust or humor.

I know that Muslims are not the only ones that feel this way. There are plenty of Christian groups that would also like to see American women portrayed in a better light throught American culture. So Mailer is wrong in thinking that Islam does not want women to have freedom in American culture. They think that freedom is a great thing. They just want o make sure that a woman's pride and virtue is preserved.