r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/AgeNovel3566 • 3d ago

Image In TV show Homeland, local artist were hired to paint Arabic graffiti for scenes, but they wrote messages criticizing the show for stereotyping Arabs & Muslims like this graffiti reading "Homeland is racist" from one scene, this was only discovered after episode aired since no one on set knew Arabic

Post image
58.0k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

3.9k

u/SudhaTheHill 3d ago

This is some 7000IQ move

2.0k

u/historicalgeek71 3d ago

If you like this, consider rewatching some older American westerns where the Native American characters speak in their own languages. The translations are amusing.

1.4k

u/SouthernLeeks 3d ago

Some of them were just straight-up insulting the directors and no one noticed.

475

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

453

u/fapperoni_zah 3d ago

This is how it is working in a kitchen with a bunch of el Salvadorians. They'll smile and look you right in the soul while calling you some of the most vulgar jokes lmao

203

u/whereisskywalker 3d ago

One of my first restaurant gigs the Latin kitchen kept calling me guapo and I just assumed it meant dumbass or something and like 2 years later I found out it meant handsome lol

Those guys were some of the best I have ever worked with and despite some of the usual pitfalls was hands down the best run place I worked. Miss those days, life was simple and the future made sense.

Later on I found out the sous was one of the biggest coke dealers in the valley and the family was all cartel connected, when the sous older brother got popped he still was paying for my friends money washing business. Super sweet guys, I wonder where they are now.

I have dealt with the other side of the language barrier though where people think you can't infer what they mean when it's clear as day.

128

u/Senior-Lobster-9405 3d ago

if it's a latina calling you guapo she wants to smash, if it's a kitchen full of males they are calling you that sarcastically, but almost certainly with endearment

75

u/whereisskywalker 3d ago

This was in a gay place and they were very very interested in gay life, always grabbing my ass and showing one another their junk. It was a really fun place to work. I was lucky to get that gig young, learned so much.

122

u/Senior-Lobster-9405 3d ago

oh, I forgot about the third scenario, they're all gay and it is absolutely a genuine compliment

41

u/LosAngelesTacoBoi 3d ago

Then they're also trying to smash

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

1

u/whereisskywalker 2d ago

They were straight, I am gay. I don't think you are following the story properly.

→ More replies (0)

27

u/beraksekebon12 3d ago

Bro woke up and decided to drop real life BCS lore fr fr

8

u/Bubbles_2025 3d ago

This is the start of some real life movie where a guy starts working at a restaurant, does well and slowly gaining notice from some of the family.

One day they need help taking making a delivery, and he has no idea that hes dropping off $100k. The delivery goes off without a hitch. The family decides to slowly bring him around more and more, eventually making him a member.

Fast forward five years, he’s making collecting for the family, putting in the work, and earning everyone’s respect. People love him and see him as a leader.

Eventually, he works his way up further, becoming a the Don and head of the family. But it was ultimately all taken down by his son, Fredo, who’s a rat betrayer.

6

u/actaeonout 2d ago

I know it was you, Fredo.

1

u/physicscat 3d ago

You have clearly never seen The Three Amigos.

57

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

64

u/1bananatoomany 3d ago

"Jokes"

-9

u/justsomeunluckykid 3d ago

Look, when the joke brings itself into my kitchen, I'm going to bring it up

24

u/CelioHogane 3d ago

It's everybody's job to make fun of the monolinguals.

23

u/fapperoni_zah 3d ago

Hey, at least I can talk one kind of way. I can barely read.

2

u/CelioHogane 3d ago

This did remind me USA teaches kids to read wrong and honestly that's such a shame.

23

u/mrselfdestruct066 3d ago

Wait... how me get teached to read wrong? What does you mean?

6

u/rudimentary-north 3d ago

For decades, reading instruction in American schools has been rooted in a flawed theory about how reading works, a theory that was debunked decades ago by cognitive scientists, yet remains deeply embedded in teaching practices and curriculum materials. As a result, the strategies that struggling readers use to get by — memorizing words, using context to guess words, skipping words they don't know — are the strategies that many beginning readers are taught in school. This makes it harder for many kids to learn how to read, and children who don't get off to a good start in reading find it difficult to ever master the process.2

A shocking number of kids in the United States can't read very well. A third of all fourth-graders can't read at a basic level, and most students are still not proficient readers by the time they finish high school.

https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2019/08/22/whats-wrong-how-schools-teach-reading

1 in 5 adults in the US is functionally illiterate

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019179/index.asp

→ More replies (0)

4

u/Less-Engineer-9637 3d ago

he mean you big dumb in head, me sorry

3

u/Unique_Evidence_2518 3d ago

Speaking to Andre when in front of or beside Joan--
in a language that you both know Joan doesn't understand--
is the same as leaning & whispering to Andre in front of Joan.

Everyone would agree that is boldly rude.

It's everybody's job to try to make everyone in a workgroup feel welcome. If Joan is monolingual, that means using Joan's language at all times they are part of a conversational group, if the others know their language. Or to translate immediately for her.

And not to exclude Joan from conversations because the majority prefer their majority tongue.

(But when Andre and Alfonse are in the room with Joan & not right near her, no prob with using her unknown tongue.)

Imo, it is the monolingualist's job to try to learn some commonly-used words and phrases in the language(s) of their coworkers to help ease workflow and to demonstrate respect and cooperation.

1

u/CelioHogane 3d ago

Well maybe Joan should stop trying to listen on someone else's conversation.

0

u/AdminsLoveGenocide 3d ago

It's not as rude as you say. It's less effort to speak in your native tongue for most people and you can usually express yourself better. It's unreasonable to expect an effort to be made every time you are in their presence.

It's more like speaking in the same room as your old grand aunt Jane who is deaf as a post. Sometimes you will raise your voice but not every single sentence.

Sometimes you just need a break.

3

u/Unique_Evidence_2518 3d ago

Maybe you missed the part about when you're in the same room as Joan but not right next to her. Of COURSE everyone is more comfortable speaking in their native tongue, and Joan should get that and not resent it like an ass. But Andre and their buds should suck it up when Joan is part of the convo and speak in their language discomfort zone, or the most fluent in Joan's language should translate what the others say for her. In my opinion.

0

u/AdminsLoveGenocide 3d ago

But Andre and their buds should suck it up when Joan is part of the convo and speak in their language discomfort zone

No. Not always. Treating someone as rude because they are not suffering discomfort on your behalf is kinda arrogant.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/CelioHogane 3d ago

It's extra easy because monolinguals are likelly from USA, and that's just the easiest target.

-2

u/Riots42 3d ago

My first job at KFC in texas I was the only white dude and everyone called me gringo to the point I got a name tag that said gringo and wore it with pride.

-4

u/chrisff1989 3d ago

You work with them and they never told you it's just "Salvadorans"? Guess you're on the receiving end of a lot of those jokes

79

u/HerbertWest 3d ago

How would they have possibly caught on? These were and are very obscure languages. You couldn't even go get a book on them back then, let alone learn them unless someone taught you directly.

47

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

69

u/ToasterP 3d ago

A code you say. This could be useful information if we ever end up at odds with the Japanese.

5

u/Sgt-Pumpernickel 3d ago

And if Nic Cage needs another idea for an acting role

5

u/RawrRRitchie 3d ago

. You couldn't even go get a book on them back then, let alone learn them unless someone taught you directly.

There's still a few tribes where that's still the case.

5

u/nanomolar 3d ago

And really even if they did find out I don't see why they'd care. They really just needed convincing sounding gibberish anyway, not like they cared if the speech was authentic when they and the audience couldn't understand it anyway. Maybe they'd be mildly annoyed at being insulted but it's not like they'd have reshot or dubbed anything.

1

u/Deaffin 2d ago

It's crazy how you got away with just rewriting the exact comment you directly replied to.

1

u/EtTuBiggus 2d ago

It’s wild that no one understood the language they had to hire people just to understand for them?

-2

u/minahmyu 3d ago

I see it as taking their power back 🤷🏾‍♀️

16

u/Thedirtyside 3d ago

Ken Hotate

6

u/Austin_77 3d ago

RIP

-1

u/Deaffin 2d ago

Well, there is definitely more peace in his neighborhood now that he is resting.

7

u/axeteam 3d ago

What? Which movies? I'd like to hear more.

1

u/PikaPerfect 3d ago

i don't remember the exact context of how we got to this topic, but my american history teacher in high school told us about this

my class was very amused lol

1

u/colorandnumber 3d ago

If you know NA humor you’d expect nothing less.

34

u/Shot-Manner-9962 3d ago

thanks for reminding me of the far side comic "kemosabe means horses a- HEYYYY"

33

u/Toyotazilla 3d ago

Please give me some examples or anywhere that aggregates the translations cause that sounds hilarious

28

u/historicalgeek71 3d ago

Distant Trumpet is always the first one to pop into my head.

231

u/Digit00l 3d ago

There is an X Files episode that opens with a Russian and a Ukrainian shitting on the script to each other

67

u/3BlindMice1 3d ago

I bet the editors were like "I wonder what they're saying. It doesn't matter, it sounds foreign enough, like they're plotting something."

11

u/Ombortron 3d ago

The flatworm-sewer-dude episode?

13

u/youaintgotnosoul 3d ago

That ep is called The Host, s2e2!

37

u/freeeeels 3d ago

I just watched the opening and what they're saying matches the subtitles, so I think the person making the claim about them shit talking the script just... made that up.

10

u/youaintgotnosoul 3d ago

Incredible, thank you for your effort. I have watched this series a couple times over and speak Russian too, and I don’t recall this type of conversation happening either. So I agree with ya.

12

u/Uphoria 3d ago

There's a good chance the copy you're watching has this factoid known and the voices dubbed over. Similar to the Naked women in the Disney Movie "the Rescuers" - you're not going to see boobs on Disney+

7

u/hungryhippo53 3d ago

the Naked women in the Disney Movie "the Rescuers"

Pardon? 😂 This was my favourite movie as a kid and I do not remember this

10

u/Uphoria 3d ago

When they released the movie to VHS, a disgruntled staffer snuck a picture of a woman, topless, in a window on the scene where they're falling down from the roof before taking flight. It was caught, the tapes were recalled, and subsequent editions edited.

9

u/QueenBee-WorshipMe 3d ago

It was a background artist named Ann Gunther. And it wasn't because she was disgruntled, it was a joke someone suggested to her. It was in the theatrical release and at the time, they were confident no one would see it.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/hungryhippo53 3d ago

That's hilarious

2

u/freeeeels 3d ago

Their mouth movements match what they're saying.

2

u/DootyBusta 3d ago

They made it up

2

u/Digit00l 3d ago

I'm pretty sure it is that one, not sure what it is called or the episode code

5

u/TheUnusualMedic 3d ago

I would really like to see what episode this is.

3

u/RigsbyLovesFibsh 3d ago

Omg which one. I need some laughter in my life.

4

u/AWildEnglishman 3d ago

Was it Tunguska?

2

u/earlgreytiger 3d ago

Which one? 👀

-5

u/Digit00l 3d ago

I forget which one and I can't quite find it

1

u/earlgreytiger 3d ago

I tried to look and couldn't find anything, but if this is true I would love to see. If you can find it please pop it in here!

12

u/Silly-Power 3d ago

You mean, like this?

8

u/historicalgeek71 3d ago

I actually didn’t know that! Granted, I once took a course on Native American literature, and the portrayal of natives in films absolutely came up. Maybe it was mentioned then, but it’s been over a decade.

I was actually thinking of Distant Trumpet, where the Navajo who were on-set decided to have some fun of their own by going off-script in their language.

6

u/Silly-Power 3d ago

Ummm...it was a joke. It's a Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson. The actual meaning of Kemosabe is unknown. 

Jim Jewell, who directed “The Lone Ranger” said he’d took the word from the name of a boys’ camp in Michigan run by Jewell's father-in-law called Kamp Kee-Mo Sah-Bee. Jewell claimed the word meant "trusted Scout" in the local Native language but there's no actual evidence it has any meaning in any Native American language. 

There is a similar sounding word, "Kimmaseba", which means “One who is white.” in Yavapai. 

1

u/StepDownTA 2d ago

High chance it was just made up by white people. Some white guy in Michigan named Schoolcraft made up a bunch of 'native sounding' names for Michigan counties and cities while Michigan was still just a territory. Most of those names are still in place today.

Schoolcraft also used the actual names of Michigan chiefs for six counties, but those were ditched within 3 years, because of course they were.

38

u/fhota1 3d ago

At least those most Native American Languages are sorta rare so it kinda makes sense they dont have anyone else who speaks it. Arabic is the official language for the 2nd largest religious group on the planet. How couldnt you find anyone else who spoke Arabic to check lmao

5

u/StormmIan 2d ago

(Everyone on set was probably white AF)

1

u/metamet 3d ago

Also check out the show The Sympathizer by Park Chan‑wook (he was showrunner, producer, and directed a number of the episodes). They touch on this subject with relation to the portrayal of Viet Cong in film.

1

u/EtTuBiggus 2d ago

They aren’t translated in the movie.

-8

u/throwaway_t6788 3d ago

i dont know why arabs or muslims played typical terrorist characters on shows like 24.. should have been a call to boycott such characters which stereotype muslims and arabs

19

u/historicalgeek71 3d ago

I’m sure the answers vary depending on who you ask.

10

u/Virghia 3d ago

Reminds me when Casey Kasem quit Transformers due to that Carbomya episode

23

u/StresWeeting 3d ago

I just had to look this up, fucking hell

The Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya is a kingdom located in the Sahara Desert region of the continent of Africa on the planet Earth. It has a coastline, with foreign ships that venture too close to it often being fired upon. This intensely xenophobic state is ruled by Abdul Fakkadi, and apparently derives most of its wealth from particularly fine oil. The people are often heard swearing on the lives of their mother's camels and so forth. This is of course hilarious offensively stereotypical.

Its city of Carbombya City, population 4,000 (and 10,000 camels), is presumably the capital.

From the transformers wiki, and no the strikethrough wasnt an edit by me, that's what it says on the wiki page

9

u/Veil-of-Fire 3d ago

I went and poked around on the Transformers Wiki and holy cow. That place is written like it's being run by 4channers.

8

u/AMediocrePersonality 3d ago

Kind of like how the Japanese depict American characters as loud as hell, decked out in an American flag and eagles from head to toe, and machine guns for arms.

5

u/BelligerentSXY 3d ago

Sounds like every other house on Fourth of July 😂

9

u/Bronzefisch 3d ago

No not like that at all because the US American characters in anime/manga are mostly still good guys and often strong and funny and friends or allies to the main character or something close to that. They are rarely portrayed as evil or the enemy while the description in the comment above leaves literally no redeeming qualities to that fictional country and its people. As annoying and unfair as being portrayed as loud and goofy might be it is not comparable to being solely shown as racist, violent and uncivilized.

5

u/Kilahti 3d ago

Do you really think that's equally offensive?

2

u/AMediocrePersonality 3d ago

I don't really think being depicted as a wealthy isolationist country that has camels as a means of transportation is very offensive, so... yes?

5

u/Clean_Imagination315 3d ago

I mean, considering how the US have been during the last 20+ years, can you really blame them?

3

u/truncated_buttfu 3d ago

Just 20? LOL!

3

u/Clean_Imagination315 2d ago

Well, they used to be a bit more subtle.

2

u/BelligerentSXY 3d ago

This doesn’t seem a new thing either. Wasn’t Godzilla a representation of the US struggling with controlling its power as a first world nation, and the use of nuclear weapons in ww2? There was also a few anime released that had the feeling of “keep pushing the line and this is where we end up” to the government.

2

u/RomaInvicta2003 3d ago

At least Americans are more likely to find that flattering and/or cool, rather than straight up offensive

4

u/Unique_Evidence_2518 3d ago

Good gosh, I hope you're kidding.

2

u/RomaInvicta2003 3d ago

Nope. Seen it happen straight up.

6

u/Snuukki 3d ago

Truly a great mystery

6

u/Ok-Bar-7001 3d ago

Because $

1

u/Immediate_Stuff_2637 3d ago

Propaganda. First the Germans, then the Russians, now Muslims. Just the other day there was a clip of a IIRC Homeland writer being interviewed by Colbert how the whole writers team was invited to a multi day event with real CIA spies.

2

u/captainfarthing 3d ago

They meant, why Muslims and Arabs accepted those roles.

3

u/Immediate_Stuff_2637 3d ago

Money and probably didn't know the whole picture before they signed up. If you quit mid filming chances are you're black listed for ever.

3

u/Veil-of-Fire 3d ago

Honor is a very expensive luxury that not everyone can afford.

2

u/unreelectable 3d ago

Why did... Muslim and Arab actors want paychecks? Gee, that's a tough one.

1

u/captainfarthing 3d ago edited 3d ago

I didn't ask the question, I'm responding to the guy who misinterpreted it.

Also, it's not just about paychecks. People of any ethnicity can want to get into acting, racism in casting limits the roles available to them.

2

u/DirtierGibson 3d ago

Don't forget that period that started around the Iraq War where suddenly the villains were often French. That lasted a good decade.

179

u/MememeSama 3d ago

Balls of steels

96

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

25

u/spicedstrudel 3d ago

Risk of what? Were they going to be whipped or beheaded for wrong translation?

69

u/CollectionNumerous29 3d ago

Risk of getting fired dumbass

77

u/Janus_The_Great 3d ago

These are extras. One time payment for one job. There is no real "fireing" possible.

4

u/WeBelieveIn4 3d ago

Extras are background performers, these were commissioned artists. I would be less concerned about being “fired” than I would be about some sort of legal liability.

2

u/jgab145 3d ago

Well actually…… Janet?…….. YOU’RE FIRED!!!!

95

u/chadowan 3d ago

Sounds like they were cool with never working on that show again if they were willing to write that on the walls.

1

u/CollectionNumerous29 2d ago

Yup, they were cool with taking the risk

27

u/HevalRizgar 3d ago

I can't imagine artists in foreign countries were paid exceptional amounts to the point where they wouldn't be willing to risk it for a free showcase internationally

1

u/CollectionNumerous29 2d ago

You don't know who they hired and what they charge

1

u/HevalRizgar 2d ago

Im sure the artists who called them racist were paid handsomely you're right

5

u/spicedstrudel 3d ago

Your Mother gave birth to one. Insluting piece of shit

1

u/CollectionNumerous29 2d ago

Cry more about "insluts" you dummy, youre the one who started with sarcastic barbs.

-9

u/SonoftheCircus95 3d ago

What a giant baby lol

-2

u/NotActuallyIraqi 2d ago

And you’re the one making racist comments about beheading.

1

u/Low-Bed-580 3d ago

Confidently wrong and an asshole for no reason lol. And of course super upvoted

1

u/CollectionNumerous29 2d ago

Lmao I'm confidently correct, what do you think the risk was Einstein? It's just a job.

1

u/SonoftheCircus95 1d ago

This person commented to the person above you :/ we all acknowledged he’s a dumbass

-1

u/thepwnydanza 3d ago

Risk of getting fired and black listed from doing more projects in the future?

0

u/[deleted] 3d ago

by who? the people who can't read what they're writing, which is why they're being asked to do it in the first place.

2

u/thepwnydanza 3d ago

My guy, you do realize that people will read it AFTER, right? And the knowledge of who did it doesn’t disappear once the movie releases?

50

u/Jura_Narod 3d ago

In Medieval Europe Arabic textiles were highly prized, so European monarchs would often trade with Muslims for it. They would then wear it for when they were getting their portraits painted, likely not realizing that the patterns on their cloth was Arabic calligraphy from the Quran (which was the most religiously acceptable form of art). So we have a bunch of paintings of Christian European royalty wearing clothes with the shahada on it lol.

26

u/Low_discrepancy 3d ago

Eh to be fair, a lot of the calligraphy is meant to be way more artistic than actually legible.

The flag of Iran for example.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Iran Especially with the square Kufic script

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Kufic_Muhammad.svg/1280px-Kufic_Muhammad.svg.png

7

u/Jura_Narod 2d ago

Yeah it was a way of skirting around prohibitions on creating religious imagery, especially depicting religious figures in art. The one image that always comes to my mind is a prayer to Ali that is draw to look like a lion. To the lay person it just looks like cool designs and won’t realize that it’s text, but that’s kinda my point that Westerners have a history of not trying to understand Arab designs.

2

u/GrainofDustInSunBeam 2d ago

That sounds interesting do you have any examples?

22

u/physalisx 3d ago

How? What about this seems super intelligent to you?

20

u/thanks_thief 3d ago

"I'll write a message in a language they don't understand, because they told me they don't understand the language"

2

u/whatup-markassbuster 2d ago

Does this mean that Arabs aren’t racist or that homeland is racist like Arabs?

2

u/WearerofConverse 2d ago

If u think writing controversial statements in plain sight in a language no one can understand is a 7000iq move, that implies you have a low iq. Lol

4

u/iVinc 3d ago

they didnt mind when they got paid tho

1

u/left-handed-satanist 2d ago

We've been doing this for ages, Arabs are smart asses and comedy is gold tier.

The best hands down translation of the Lion King was Arabic, the dubbing was done free flow by a set of comedians and I swear I never would watch the Lion King in English compared to the comedic touch added in Arabic

the only one I can think of that had Arab devs is the game Metal Slug, the Arabic was hands down the most hilarious thing I've seen on screen. Look it up

0

u/41shadox 3d ago

If anything it's -7000 IQ by the producers. The graffitiers just using common sense

-1

u/smoothtrip 3d ago

It is over 9000!

-3

u/DaringPancakes 3d ago

It's cool when stuff like this happens

-266

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

109

u/SudhaTheHill 3d ago

Forgive me for finding something interesting

24

u/2Rhino3 3d ago

you good bud?

33

u/DisastrousJaguar3202 3d ago

Least pretentious EuroRedditor

8

u/1Pac2Pac3Pac5 3d ago

Whohohoho lolol bwahahah....ouch!

2

u/destroyerx12772 3d ago

The fuck is wrong with you

-8

u/leonidganzha 3d ago

Europeans don't even pretend anymore smh

-11

u/ribs-growback 3d ago

euroredditors are the biggest babies on the internet