This is only tangentially related to class in that it is a modern example of orientalist tropes at work. This was an ad the LA Times posted for a Middle East correspondent. You can see the obvious backlash it received, which was then followed by the Times retracting and rewording it.
http://muftah.org/ancient-and-dazzling-cultures-why-western-journalism-is-still-failing-the-middle-east/#.VsT279Zh3q0
Thanks for sharing!! the Guardian's polls are terrifying, you'd think people would take a minute to google Agrabah at least before voicing their odd opinions. Funny this is on the LA Times, from what I know Aladdin came as a direct response to the LA riots.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's an honest mistake, Angelenos are "CLUELESS" on geography, when I used to live there and say I am from Kuwait, they'd really think it's in the valley (part of LA county). I miss LA a lot, but I am happy to live among Washingtonians though, they sure know their geography! The depth of the conversations here are always exciting. I remember someone in LA double checking his geography asking: "Kuwait is in Iraq right?" I mean for the average Angeleno that's close enough!