Viral TikTok Pokes Fun at Hollywood's Treatment of Arab Countries

We've (by we've we mean the internet) talked a lot about how Hollywood stylizes “Mexico” in its films. In American films about the country, the land is always washed over with a yellowy, sepia-tone filter. You can feel it. And you will probably hear a rattlesnake at some point in the film. These classic stereotypes are all well and good, but have you ever stopped to think about the wholly unoriginal ways that Arab countries are portrayed? There's always some bustling bazaar filled with conservative-looking mosque-goers, ambient chatting, and some kind of vaguely ethnic-sounding instrument being strummed somewhere offscreen. Every. Damn. Time. This low-effort business has inspired a series of viral TikTok videos, mocking the usual tropes that people don't necessarily notice. This stitch is pretty great proof that strangers on the internet are capable of making great things if they work together.