Smiley Face - Hooks

Throughout the critical media studies curriculum, within the CMC department, the topic of Orientalism and 'the other' consistently comes up in every class. Although we may think we know all there is to know about the exoticness created by the media surrounding other cultures making them appear scary and different, Hooks takes this notion one step further by introducing the idea that the otherness of cultures created by the media, when normalized into mainstream culture, makes them desirable and popular. Hooks explains this process as the recognition and reconciliation of a subculture into dominant mainstream media. The recognition must come from the familiarity of a sign or code the audience is already aware of, for the normalization of the culture to occur more naturally. The second part, reconciliation, comes into play through the apparentness of the culture into mainstream to help shed light on their political issues and act as a positive change for their society. Hooks uses the example of the American Dream and how it was once frowned upon by the dominant society until it thrived in itself in America. However, the reconciliation step for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community was affected negatively, particularly in advertising. This awareness of a subculture as part of the mainstream lead audiences to believe that they no longer need fighting for equal rights of heterosexual couples and as a result this culture has become normalized and now continue to fight for the same issues they did before.
Another aspect of this new frame for orientalism comes from the shift in subject focus: Hooks states how the dominant person in society wishes to explore a subculture to see how they will be changed from the encounter (368). This mirrors the concept of autoethnography, the study of the researcher being the subject and how they are influenced by their surroundings while considering their personal experiences. Hooks recognizes this notion with white 'essentialists' who should focus on the way their critique should reflect their own identity rather than others.
As a whole, Hooks demonstrates come clear examples of the desired 'other' through the examples of using movies and advertising brands. But to leave you with one thought, is there really an 'other' when they are both feared and wanted at the same time? Will we ever reach a point of equilibrium between helping subcultures in need for justice without creating an 'imperialistic nostalgia' to exploit their heritage?