Identity Crisis

I was really intrigued by the way Said explored his discourse and place in the world. Personally, I always imagined a 'worldly' person as one who traveled the world and experienced cultures diverse from their own. However, this depends on the audience, and they must question what experiences did that person have? Did they have roots in the country they share information on? What also strikes me about Edward Said was the way in which Said identified himself in the world. While everyone is 'worldly', Said consistently recognized his identity as a New Yorker, while still passionately commenting on the state of Palestine. He was an American, like me, yet I would never have the insight or experiences Said had to align with his discourse. I have my own discourse, my own view of the world based on my experiences, based on my exposure to bias media, and based on the images I have been exposed to - unfortunately. My view of the world, and my place in the world, has been tainted by my unique experiences and ignorance to the experiences of others.
I was also interested in the complex definition of Orientalism. Two definitions try to explain it's creation while the other explains how western countries began to take over power. Westerners created a binary divide between two part of the globe - first based on the take over of power, and second by the way the world (mostly western authors) described these events. Their depiction of the East laid the foundation for impressions of today's western generation. European imperialism in Eastern lands draws a separate image in my mind of a dominate entity taking over a submissive entity - thus creating yet another divide in my mind and further supporting the elitist discourse many Westerners share.
I also found it interesting how Said felt that racism in the world has shifted from anti-semetic to anti-Arab. Who is the enemy in most American films today? Who was the enemy in the 80s? Who was the enemy in the 40s...and so on? Racial thoughts can be influenced by the media indefinitely, thus making it harder to develop a completely personal and non-influenced discourse.