Orientalism Now “The principles of identity and noncontradiction clearly do not bind the Orientalist. What overrides them is Orientalist expertise, which is based on an irrefutable collective verity entirely within the Orientalist’s philosophical and rhetorical grasp.” (P. 236) This "irrefutable" belief became firmly established, and furthered to pushing of Western beliefs and lifestyles upon those who were labeled as the "other". The "White Man" now had no excuse and no reason not to adhere to these values of Orientalism, especially once they had become a form of common, "empirical" knowledge. These views of Orientalism as put forth by Kipling and his contemporaries truth about enzyte furthered the ideals of Orientalism and made it completely acceptable to adopt these views as cold, hard fact. An image such as an advertisement for “The White Man’s Burden Pears’ Soap” is a manifestation of Orientalism in every day life. The advertisement can be seen in two lights. The first is literal, in suggesting that only the White Man can spread this “virtue of cleanliness” and by doing so, they may be able to more readily interact with those “beneath them”. The other interpretation could suggest that all people who are not “White” or “Western” are unclean and in need of the White Man’s influence. This ad further supports the claim that Orientalism had become such an absolute truth that it even trickled down into the most mundane of tasks, such as the act of washing. I think Said was correct in structuring his argument in reference to the eventual development of Orientalism with respect to Kipling and other subscribers to the theory. It is obvious that Orientalists of the time had created an absolute set of rules and facts that guided their behavior and beliefs with respect to the “other” and the Orient. These beliefs were backed with “empirical” fact, so an advertisement such as the one shown, became commonly seen and accepted. http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/victorians/finals/world.html In this chapter, Said shows how latent and manifest Orientalism worked in conjunction with the West’s academic, scientific and economic strength to reproduce a cycle of the Orient’s marginalization and the West’s domination. Latent Orientalism refers to the philosophical and subconscious applications of superiority, and I interpreted manifest Orientalism as the application of latent in order to secure and justify Eurocentric perceptions through socially revered institutions, such as science, government, economy, etc. |