David’s post below suggests the attitude of Palestinians towards the United States can hardly be changed by advertising. And focus groups conducted in other Arab countries reveal the same thing.
Charney Research conducted focus groups among college educated people in Egypt, Morocco, and Indonesia. Their findings reveal that many Arabs hate America–but they have some very one-sided, and sometimes ridiculously false, ideas about the American people and its government.
It’s the focus of my new column on Talent Zoo.
Preconceived notions can’t be changed very easily–in international relations, or consumer advertising.
Danny G,
I always enjoy your Talent Zoo article, and this last one was no exception. The excerpt below was too much to ignore…
“Their perceptions have been shaped in a society that only presents to them a skewed vision of reality. They know only what their government and religious leaders tell them, or what they read and hear in government-run media.”
Does it not seem glarinlgy like some other country you know of?
Does anyone else see the irony in this?
Well, you’re right, Darby–at least Americans know they’re getting fed some BS. Or at least we’re free to research it and find out for ourselves.
Darby, I’m as cynincal as the next guy, but to compare our cowed yet diverse media to the imams and government-controlled press that control information in most Middle Eastern nations is really unfair.