The manipulation and objectification of the primitive Other is blatant in O’Rourke’s film Cannibal Tours and is also evident in the National Geographic with the explanation given in the article “A World Brightly Different: Photographic Conventions”. The Western viewpoint is used to manipulate the image of Other cultures in order to promote specific messages or, essentially, to present a specific image of Western culture. A great example of this is in the National Geographic article, where it explains that the aggressive resistance of natives to Western empire building “has usually been treated as a personality trait of natives rather than a situational response to the theft of land or other mode of attack” (World, 99). The National Geographic does not address the issue of war and especially does not represent the soldiers as the enemy of the country’s natives. Furthermore, it does not explain the viewpoint of the natives and it does not give an explanation of why the natives are resisting the Western domination. The magazine simply explains it as a personality trait of these foreign beings, so as not to provoke any questions and to require the supply of no further details. The magazine even goes so far as to portray positive interactions between the soldiers and the natives to make it appear as if they have a friendly relationship with no reason for conflict. An example of this is a photograph “cheerfully titled ‘U.S. Navy gives an ice cream party’” (World, 99). This brings absolutely no context to the political, social, or cultural issues at hand and presents an insincere relationship between the U.S. Navy and the country they are invading.
To relate this argument to Cannibal Tours, it’s imperative to consider what the Western person wants or expects out of the communication or interaction with this cultural Other. These expectations and desires are linked to how the image of the Other is conveyed and perceived in the West. The Other is often portrayed as being unreal and is dehumanized to create a divide between the Other and the Western Self. One method used in National Geographic that was evident in
Cannibal Tours as well is the portrayal of foreign rituals to create the “effect of flattening the emotional life of the [natives]” (World, 91). An excellent example of this in National Geographic is how the “funeral becomes a moment of cultural display (of special paraphernalia or dress, as well as custom more generally) rather than a moment of grief” (91). The human element of the funeral is ignored and the exhibition of the funeral ceremony is the focus. This example supports the idea that the tourists on these cannibal tours really aren’t interested in learning about the culture or interacting with its people, but that they are primarily interested in being part of the consumption of this foreign spectacle. Within the film, the tourists pay to take photographs inside the spiritual houses of the natives. They pay for this photographic evidence not to further their knowledge of the natives’ practices, but so that they have memorabilia from their trip to flaunt when they get home. To think back to the concept of the photograph and its use as a measure of history, it becomes obvious that this type of photograph has no historical or personal significance. The photograph simply becomes a frivolous souvenir for the Western tourists.
Essentially, the entire practice of tourism or the portrayal of culture in the National Geographic is for Western people to gain a broader cultural knowledge, to become worldly so to speak. However, this desire to know the unknown is achieved through the Western opinion of how the Other should be known. We have certain preconceived notions or expectations of what this Other will look like, how they will act, etc. These notions are developed and strengthened by the windows into the exotic created by Western productions like the National Geographic and these cannibal tours. The article on the National Geographic outlines these images we have created through idealized thoughts of the rituals, the elaborate native dress, the diligent lifestyle, the connection to nature, the naked exotic (read: non-white) woman, and so on. The Western person already has an idea of how these foreign cultures should appear to them, and magazines like the National Geographic satisfy these thoughts by providing the standard images we expect to see. The concept of tourism, especially in Cannibal Tours, further supports the claim that Western peoples only want to learn about foreign cultures to the e
xtent that they have already concocted in their minds. Even when there is actual interaction between the Westerners and this supposed Other, there is no true communication between the groups. The Western people do not want to gain an understanding for this exotic species, and so their encounters are “superficial, based primarily on bargaining for artifacts and taking pictures, so that there [is] no opportunity for any genuine communication to take place” (Interview, 427). The whole tourist experience is simply an extended version of flipping the pages of a National Geographic, where tourists could see (and now buy) tangible elements of these foreign cultures. The experience is not to gain a better understanding, but simply to add more dimension to the spectacle that is otherwise only captured through photographs in the magazine on their coffee tables.
The inarguable climax of the film is when the tourists are dancing on the boat, dressed up with ‘native’ face painting, “oblivious to their exotic surroundings” (428). At this point, the tourists mimic how they think the natives (should) act. One man who is having his photograph taken puts up his fists and snarls to look like a strong native man, even though at no point in the film or in any other imagery of native men have I seen this pose. The man actually applies a Western image of strength or masculinity to his representation of a strong native man. This proves that there is little to no understanding of the cultures that these tourists had encountered.
Overall, the Western view of foreign native cultures is distorted primarily because of the methods used for the viewing of these cultures. The understanding of different peoples is superficial and based around the Self, which creates a consciously and unconsciously misinformed image.
To relate this argument to Cannibal Tours, it’s imperative to consider what the Western person wants or expects out of the communication or interaction with this cultural Other. These expectations and desires are linked to how the image of the Other is conveyed and perceived in the West. The Other is often portrayed as being unreal and is dehumanized to create a divide between the Other and the Western Self. One method used in National Geographic that was evident in
Cannibal Tours as well is the portrayal of foreign rituals to create the “effect of flattening the emotional life of the [natives]” (World, 91). An excellent example of this in National Geographic is how the “funeral becomes a moment of cultural display (of special paraphernalia or dress, as well as custom more generally) rather than a moment of grief” (91). The human element of the funeral is ignored and the exhibition of the funeral ceremony is the focus. This example supports the idea that the tourists on these cannibal tours really aren’t interested in learning about the culture or interacting with its people, but that they are primarily interested in being part of the consumption of this foreign spectacle. Within the film, the tourists pay to take photographs inside the spiritual houses of the natives. They pay for this photographic evidence not to further their knowledge of the natives’ practices, but so that they have memorabilia from their trip to flaunt when they get home. To think back to the concept of the photograph and its use as a measure of history, it becomes obvious that this type of photograph has no historical or personal significance. The photograph simply becomes a frivolous souvenir for the Western tourists.Essentially, the entire practice of tourism or the portrayal of culture in the National Geographic is for Western people to gain a broader cultural knowledge, to become worldly so to speak. However, this desire to know the unknown is achieved through the Western opinion of how the Other should be known. We have certain preconceived notions or expectations of what this Other will look like, how they will act, etc. These notions are developed and strengthened by the windows into the exotic created by Western productions like the National Geographic and these cannibal tours. The article on the National Geographic outlines these images we have created through idealized thoughts of the rituals, the elaborate native dress, the diligent lifestyle, the connection to nature, the naked exotic (read: non-white) woman, and so on. The Western person already has an idea of how these foreign cultures should appear to them, and magazines like the National Geographic satisfy these thoughts by providing the standard images we expect to see. The concept of tourism, especially in Cannibal Tours, further supports the claim that Western peoples only want to learn about foreign cultures to the e
xtent that they have already concocted in their minds. Even when there is actual interaction between the Westerners and this supposed Other, there is no true communication between the groups. The Western people do not want to gain an understanding for this exotic species, and so their encounters are “superficial, based primarily on bargaining for artifacts and taking pictures, so that there [is] no opportunity for any genuine communication to take place” (Interview, 427). The whole tourist experience is simply an extended version of flipping the pages of a National Geographic, where tourists could see (and now buy) tangible elements of these foreign cultures. The experience is not to gain a better understanding, but simply to add more dimension to the spectacle that is otherwise only captured through photographs in the magazine on their coffee tables.
The inarguable climax of the film is when the tourists are dancing on the boat, dressed up with ‘native’ face painting, “oblivious to their exotic surroundings” (428). At this point, the tourists mimic how they think the natives (should) act. One man who is having his photograph taken puts up his fists and snarls to look like a strong native man, even though at no point in the film or in any other imagery of native men have I seen this pose. The man actually applies a Western image of strength or masculinity to his representation of a strong native man. This proves that there is little to no understanding of the cultures that these tourists had encountered.
Overall, the Western view of foreign native cultures is distorted primarily because of the methods used for the viewing of these cultures. The understanding of different peoples is superficial and based around the Self, which creates a consciously and unconsciously misinformed image.
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