Rewatching LOST, and I gotta say, I don’t think this show gets enough credit for how socially aware it is (in some ways, and considering the time it was created!) Take Sayid for example. Sayid is a man originally from Iraq, who served in the Republican Guard. LOST started in 2004, just a few years after 9/11, and, considering it’s a show about a plane crash, it was bold for LOST to tackle the discrimination that anyone of middle eastern descent might face in the U.S.A. The majority of the survivors are white people with English as their native language. Some of them are wary initially about Sayid after learning about his time in the Republican Guard. Sawyer even accuses him of being a terrorist, and cites how Sayid was pulled aside by TSA (his intention is to use this as evidence to back up his claim, but he’s really just proving the discrimination against people from the Middle East). However, Sayid proves to be one of the most caring, patient, and genuine characters on the show. Like many citizens of any nation who join any military force, Sayid had good intentions, and got more and more tangled in the complicated, morally questionable (to say the least) web of war. He escaped, and felt immense guilt for his involvement in both sides of the war (he ended up also helping the Americans, after they convinced his to interrogate and torture his own commanding officer). During his time on the island, he is generally a helpful, benevolent man. Ultimately, his past doesn’t matter - and neither does anyone else’s. They’re all on the same team once they crash on the island. And then there’s the other bold choice - to have him romantically involved with a blonde, white woman (Shannon). Having an Iraqi man and a white, American woman as a couple on TV in 2004 was groundbreaking. I don’t think Sayid as a character, or Naveen Andrews as an actor, gets enough credit.
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass
amandla
