Blinded by Classism

In life, there are people who are rich, people who are poor; some are well educated, while others are homeless with no educational skills. Having such variety in people’s life and skills created what is called in sociology as social stratification, in which people with higher skills and greater wealth are ranked in a higher places where as people who are less educated and less wealth are ranked at the bottom of the scale. Having social stratification created a map or a road for each individual’s life. Individuals are no longer the ones who choose what to work in, what to achieve or even where to live. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is going with the flow of such classism.

Some people believe that no matter what your ranking scale is, you still have the chance to decide where to work and who to marry depending on your skills and personality. Such belief is usually depicted in Asian drama, especially Korean, as they tend to show that a lower class girl can marry a higher-class man and vise versa. Such story can be seen in the Korean drama “Secrete Garden”, where Gil Ra Im; a poor girl who is working as stuntwoman, preforming all the fighting and serious actions instead of others actresses, got to fall in love with Kim Joo Won, an arrogant CEO who has the image of perfectionist. 

Left: CEO Kim Joo Won - Right: Stuntwoman Gil Ra Im
(Korean Drama: Secrete Garden)

        That doesn’t mean that everything in their relationship went smooth, as the director showed the opposing side of the relationship, which was Kim Joo Won’s mother. Hence, we now can pull out where the consequences or opposing sides appears. Family comes first to follow classism, while society comes the second; however, they both depends on each others, as families are usually afraid of what other would think (Others = society), therefore, an individual struggle in order to overcome the power of society on his/her own life. 

Secret Garden - Kim Joo Won argument with his mother

Secret Garden - Kim's Mother trying to break them apart.

But, could such a story occur in real life? I think yes. People marrying someone with a less qualification in the ranking system, could overcome society issues, as the system is not constant and not permanent. Wealthy people can get bankrupted and become so poor, while poor people can gain skills and become rich. No one knows what life hides for us; therefore, people shouldn’t go with classism.

Money come and goes

That was for the marriage part, but what about the other fields in life, education is also a part of classism. People with higher wealth, are usually the one who get the higher education as they have the money. Money is the base of classism actually, as in society money gives power to the person, and it been like that since ages ago. For example, even during the French revolutions, wealthy people where the ones who were enjoying all the luxurious parts of life. Such power than created racism (slavery) and dominant powers.

Marie Antoinette Movie

Classism can be seen as a good thing in some people's eyes, however; they couldn't see the fact that classism causes different problems and issues between group of people or between individuals. They no longer see the individual him/herself, their personality, but they only see their social ranking, how much they've, how much knowledgeable they are. Not thinking of the facts that lead people with lower statues to have such a life is something that we usually do; we’re usually blind to think of such stuff. That’s why we have classism, because we can’t see what lies behind an image of a person. 

Gil Ra Im dressed up as rich lady - Secret Garden 

Gil Ra Im usual look - Secret Garden

Stereotypes of Americans in Khlaiji Drama

We always hear about Arab image and stereotypes in American films. Before 9-11, Arabs were portrayed as thieves, murderers, and ignorant. After 9-11, the term terrorist was added to the list. According to L Susan Williams and Travis W. Linnemann, Arabs in the movies were subjects to what some call "the three B syndrome" being portrayed as "bombers, belly dancers, or billionaires." (193). And the list goes on and on.

Anyhow, when watching Arab (Khaliji) drama, I notice that they, too, have stereotypes about Americans. American men are usually portrayed as feminine, soft, and with schemes to take over the protagonists' business. American women are portrayed as promiscuous, gold-diggers, and blonde. The appearance of Americans in old khaliji drama was rare. A character or two would appear throughout the series. However, in contemporary dramas, we see more American characters appearing as regulars.

In the Khaliji drama Droub Alshak the young male protagonist falls in love with an American girl when he was studying abroad, he brings her home to meet the family, but receives negative sanctions from the rest of the society. The girl was portrayed as a gorgeous blonde. She speaks little Arabic, merely to explain to the family that she is not here for the money, but simply because she fell in love with the man. Later in the show, she brings her father to Kuwait. Because the family of the man refuses to marry their son without meeting the family of the girl. Her father was portrayed as an ignorant old man who tries to convince his daughter of getting a share of the khaliji family's business. However he fails and gets sent away at the end.

The stereotypes about the American women still exist nowadays. Men who marry American women are frowned upon because it serves the stereotype of gold diggers. Another stereotype for American girls is being promiscuous. Society thinks that "yellow" blonde girls are unfaithful to their husbands, and that he should stick to the women in his own society, because they're "flawless." Overall, Arab stereotypes of American people do exist, and always will. Cultures of fear exist everywhere, in American and Arab societies. But why do we create our fears from celluloid images?

Switching Gender Roles in Khaliji Drama

The typical love story in Khaliji TV series is that of perfectly masculine man and a woman struggling with her femininity. Switching gender roles plays a vital role in turning the plot to the advantages of the lovers. According to Cinematic Sociology by Jean-Ann Sutherland and Kathryn Feltey: Gender is not just an identity or a status, it is continual process of negotiation; gender is something we do. (p.110) For a relationship to work, the man and the woman have to be profoundly different, more different than alike. If both the man and the woman are depicted as masculine there will be no chemistry between the both whatsoever. Zwarat Al-khamees is a Kuwaiti TV series that depicts a great example of this typical romance. The show talks about the brother/sister (brother) relationship between two cousins. The young woman (Moza) plays the role of the tomboy that helplessly falls in love with the cousin (Ez) she grew up with.

However, the cousin cannot see beyond the boyish looks and the tough shell of her masculine attitude. Throughout the show, we see the young woman trying to win his attention by turning into a more famine character, and only when she does, he notices her and eventually marries her. According to her, she must turn into a needy, compassionate, caring woman for him to see her as a different person. The romantic relationship cannot exist if both are tough and masculine. The difference between the two is what flares the chemistry. They have to be more different than alike for the relationship to work.

Zwarat Alkhamees along with many other shows touch on this problem, and the only solution is that the change of the female character from masculine to feminine. However, it is never the opposite, a man would never change from being masculine to feminine to bring something to the relationship, nor there would be a relationship if both the partners were alike. “Men are expected to maintain a masculinity that includes toughness bravado, strength, assurance and confidence all with little display of emotion. Women are expected to perform a femininity that exudes beauty, caring, nurturance, neediness and compassion, complete with every range of possible emotion.” (p.110)