GarakBashir

I don't disagree that it is fiction, but fiction can still impact reality, even if it's by a small amount. When there is genuinely good representation in cinemas where it isn't typical, people are happy and commend those shows. (When I watched Squid Games with my Indian friends, they were extremely happy to see Indian people represented in korean dramas.) So, a tv show that involved maybe hundreds of people to produce, record, and edit and is also being watched by thousands of viewers can still have a somewhat negative impact on viewers, even if you aren't one of them.

And I agree, it might seem silly to you. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't anyone's biggest problem nor is it very significant. People can be disappointed in a kdrama (or anything that isn't very significant), without denying the severity of greater problems. But bigger issues on this planet don't negate the validity of their disappointment. Multiple problems exist at the same time, and it's fine to accept that there are some small problems (like the questionable representation in this show) and some large problems (like poverty or famine) at the same time.

I'm stating that if it is the ONLY representation of Arab people in Korean dramas, then yes, it is making Arab people seem like bad people overall. If you can name any other kdrama with an Arab character that actually does/says anything, then my opinion would probably change. But, because this is the only representation of Arab people in Korean dramas, then it is bad.
I'm not saying Arab princes are everyday people. However, again, if it is the only representation of Arab people in Korean dramas, there is some obligation to at least portray them somewhat positively because of the fact that the representation of Arab people in kdramas is genuinely not there at all.
I'm not defending Arab princes, but criticizing the fact that there was absolutely no thought about Arab culture that went into putting an "Arab prince" character in this show.

There's also poverty in Asia, but when there is something racist against Asians in American TV, people will still call it out. If a demographic is being plagued by certain issues, doesn't make it any less wrong for the show to be racist.
Just because there are issues in the Arab world doesn't mean it should be acceptable for a Korean show to completely shit on them without consulting ANY actual Arab people about the representation.

Are you trying to imply that all/most arab people are bad people?? Because that is simply untrue. But, also, if you are representing a group of people for the first time (at least in Korean cinema), that representation should try to be positive, and if not positive, at least not portraying the person as a complete shit bag. Good representation tries to humanize a group, even if there are bad apples in it. It doesn't have to be 100% positive, but by making the character's ONLY defining personality trait as his creepiness was not humanizing Arab people in any way shape or form.
Also, it was going to be racist anyways because an Indian man was playing an Arab man and there was no consultation with actual Arab people.

I'm not the original commenter, but I was in denial about if he was *really* dead until the cast for s2 came out 😭

It's almost as if it's offensive to Arab people. I have NEVER watched a kdrama with an Arab character in it, and the fact that the first one I have watched with this kind of representation (this show) makes the Arab man creepy and disrespectful (by making him use the fact that the fl wants to do her job in order to get closer to her) is not... great. People are disappointed and have the right to be because they expect that next time, the Arab representation will be better if they voice their unhappiness.

Oil is the reason the USA and Arabs are still friends 😭
But, realistically speaking, when there is very little representation of a demographic in a certain country's TV and that representation is BADDDDDD (and INDIAN was playing and ARAB man and NO ONE was consulted about Arab culture for the show), people would get mad. It's happened during the early stages of LGBTQ+ representation, Asian/Indian representation, Black representation, and Hispanic representation in American media. The only difference is that American media is well beyond the beginning stages of representing a variety of people, which is why we don't see as much criticism of representation anymore. But Korean barely has foreign actors in their shows, so there will be bad representation and people will call it out AND there is the expectation that future shows will have better representation, do their research, et cetera.

You... are really a racist person if that's what you truly believe. Arab people, like all people, are a varied group. Yes, there are some rotten apples, but, more importantly, there is little to no Arab representation in kdramas, so the fact that the directors decided to have bad representation (making the INDIAN dude play an ARAB man and then making him not adhere to general Arab values) is somewhere between unintentionally racist and genuinely malicious.
This situation would be akin to casting a Korean in a 1990's American TV show and making them disrespectful to their elders and using stereotypes like "oh this Korean person is creepy towards white women." And your response would be as if someone responded to a show like that saying "yeah, we should've used Kim Jon Un instead," which is completely tone deaf and stupid of you to say.
I hope you're able to grow up because being racist, even unintentionally, is something that sucks. Do better.