Transcript Collective Identity ~ “Team America”

Collective Identity ~
“Team America”
Stephanie Teal
The background behind “Team America”
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Team America: World Police is a
2004 comedy film, written by Trey
Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam
Brady and directed by Parker.
They are all known to be a part of
the popular animated series South
Park.
The film is a parody of big budget
action films and their associated
clichés and stereotypes, the 2003
invasion of Iraq and the resulting
war, with particular humorous
emphasis
on
the
global
implications of American politics.
http://www.teamamerica.com/
Thinking beyond “Team America”
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Team America was made in 2004  post 9/11
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British people are not represented  due to:- ethos of America (arrogance,
focus on America), diplomatic reasons (events associated), and perhaps
propaganda.
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Stereotyping  Archetypes  reinforces audiences own opinion or forces
an opinion on the audience
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Team America was made by the same producer as South Park, who also
produced Thunderbirds. Puppets was a British technique  merging British
techniques with American
September 11 attacks
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The September 11 attacks were a
series of coordinated suicide
attacks by al-Qaeda upon the
United States on September 11,
2001.
On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda
terrorist hijacked four commercial
passenger jet airliners. The
hijackers intentionally crashed two
of the airliners into the Twin
Towers of the World Trade Centre
in New York City, killing everyone
on board and many others
working in the buildings. Both
buildings collapsed within two
hours, destroying nearby buildings
and
damaging
others.
The
hijackers crashed a third airliner
into the Pentagon, and the fourth
plane crashed into a field near
Shanksville.
There were no survivors from any
of the flights.
Islam in the United States
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The earliest documented cases of
Muslims to come to the United
States were two West African
slaves: Ayuba Suleiman Diallo,
who was brought to America in
1731 and returned to Africa in
1734, and Omar Ibn Said in the
mid 19th century.
Once very small, the Muslim
population of the US increased
greatly in the twentieth century,
with much of the growth driven by
rising immigration and widespread
conversion.
In 2005, more people from Islamic
countries became legal permanent
United States residents — nearly
96,000 — than in any year in the
previous two decades.
Islam in the United States continued
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There is no accurate count of the
number of Muslims in the US, as the
U.S. Census Bureau does not collect
data on religious identification. There
is an ongoing debate, but various
institutions have given widely varying
estimates.
A nationwide survey conducted in
2003 by the Pew Research Centre
and the Pew Forum on Religion and
Public Life reported that the
percentage of Americans with an
unfavourable view of Islam increased
by one percentage point between
2002 and 2003 to 34%, and then by
another two percentage points in
2005 to 36%.
After the 9/11 attacks, there were
occasional attacks on some Muslims
living in the U.S, although this was
restricted to a small minority.
Political and Social within the United States
and Saudi Arabia in 2004
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In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, in which 15 of
the 19 airline hijackers were Saudi citizens, there was a renewed concern
over Islamic extremism in Saudi Arabia and its possible national security
implications for the United States. The 9/11 Commission Report
recommended that Saudi Arabia and the United States undertake a
commitment to political and economic reform in Saudi Arabia, which some
believed could calm social unrest. Others believed that attempted reforms,
particularly if advocated by Western governments, might empower Saudi
radicals.
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[Sourced from CRS Report for Congress – Saudi Arabia: Reform and US
Policy]
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https://www.policyarchive.org/bitstream/handle/10207/3965/RS21913_2004
1013.pdf
Theories on Muslim society
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The basic unit of Islamic society is the family, and Islam defines the
obligations and legal rights of family members.
The father is seen as financially responsible for his family. The division of
inheritance is specified in the Qur'an, which states that most of it is to pass
to the immediate family, while a portion is set aside for the payment of
debts and the making of bequests. The woman's share of inheritance is
generally half of that of a man with the same rights of succession.
Marriage in Islam is a civil contract which consists of an offer and
acceptance between two qualified parties in the presence of two witnesses.
The groom is required to pay a bridal gift to the bride, as stipulated in the
contract.
A man may have up to four wives if he believes he can treat them equally,
while a woman may have only one husband.
Starting in the 20th century, Muslim social reformers argued against these
and other practices such as polygamy in Islam, with varying success. At the
same time, many Muslim women have attempted to reconcile tradition with
modernity by combining an active life with outward modesty.
Theories on Muslim culture and identity
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Culture and Identity in a Muslim Society presents an alternative to the
individualist collectivist approach to identity.
Unlike most psychological and anthropological studies of culture and self,
Gary Gregg's work directly investigates individuals, using "study of lives“
style interviews with young adults living in villages and small towns in
southern Morocco. Analyzing these young adults' life narratives, Gregg
builds a theory of culture and identity that differs from prevailing
psychological and anthropological models in important respects.
In contrast to modernist theories of identity as unified, the life narratives
show individuals to articulate a small set of shifting identities. In contrast to
post-modern theories that claim people have a ever changing multiple of
fluid identities, the narratives show that the identities are integrated by
repeated use of culturally specific self symbols, metaphors, and story plots.
Most importantly, the life narratives show these young Moroccans' self
representations to be pervasively shaped by the volatile cultural struggle
between Western style "modernity" and authentic Muslim "tradition."
Theories on Muslim culture and identity
continued
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Within Islamic law and Muslim culture, homosexuality is seen as sinful and
is a big ‘no-no’. Therefore this can have an effect on those who are
influenced by the aspect of homosexuality, it will have a large impact on
their identity. Do they follow their desires and gain an identity but get
punished by Allah, or do they deny their desires and lead a fake identity but
remain socially acceptable?
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Treatment of homosexuals within Islam:
According to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus
among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. 5
Homosexuality is seen by scholars to be a sinful and perverted deviation
from the norm. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider
gay acts to be unlawful. They differ in terms of penalty:
The Hanafite school (currently seen mainly in South and Eastern Asia)
teaches that no physical punishment is warranted.
The Hanabalites, (widely followed in the Arab world) teach that severe
punishment is warranted.
The Sha'fi school of thought (also seen in the Arab world) requires a
minimum of 4 adult male witnesses before a person can be found guilty of a
homosexual act. Al-Fatiha estimates that 4,000 homosexuals have been
executed in Iran since their revolution in 1979. 10 public executions of
homosexuals have been performed in Afghanistan by the Taliban army.
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Theories on Muslim placement
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Islam
is
widely
considered
Europe's fastest growing religion,
with immigration and above
average birth rates leading to a
rapid increase in the Muslim
population.
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The exact number of Muslims is
difficult to establish however, as
census
figures
are
often
questioned and many countries
choose not to compile such
information anyway.
Identify how each of the characters are
represented by the media in relation to
religion
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CELEBRITIES - They could be seen
as another religion, as celebrities are
praised by the public. Although this
is mocked ‘F.A.G’.
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MUSLIMS - They are depicted in
heartless shots combined with tense
music  e.g. - war. They refer to
the Americans as “Infidels”, which
shows prejudice. They are seen
speaking gibberish , this could be
seen as presenting them as
primitive/ lesser beings.
Identify how each of the characters are
represented by the media in relation to
religion continued
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AMERICAN - They are depicted in
emotional
shots
combined
with
sentimental music  e.g. – love. They
refer to the Muslims as “You in the
robe”, which shows prejudice and
stereotyping. They are represented as
heroic yet moronic.
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NORTH KOREAN [KIM JONG IL] seen speaking gibberish , this could be
seen as presenting him as primitive/
lesser being. This can be proven as he
is represented as a cockroach 
meaning filth/scum/unwanted . Can
also be seen to have an over riding
power over the Muslims and the
Celebrities.
What is significant about the way Muslims
are represented in relation to Americans
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MUSLIMS - They are represented as the
‘wrong doers’ and the source of ‘all evil’,
although the audience realise later that
they are simply the workers and are in
fact ruled over by Kim Jong IL. As said
before to support this the Muslims are
seen in heartless shots  war. Their
appearance, actions, and dialect do not
help either as it presents them in a shifty
manner.
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AMERICANS - They are represented as
the ‘heroes’, although at the same time
morons. To prove this the audience can
simply relate to their motto ‘We Protect,
We Serve, We Care’, and the irony of this
as they are seen destroying the Eiffel
tower and pyramids. They are however
seen
in
emotional
shots

love/friendship.
How are the Muslims treated by other
characters
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CELEBRITIES – The celebrities do not condone the Muslims and their
actions, although at the same time the celebrities have a pure hatred for
Team America, and therefore the hatred for Team America over rides.
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KIM JONG IL – Kim Jong IL has the power over the Muslims and hence
treats them without any respect, the only reason the Muslims accept this is
the fact that he gives weapons of mass destruction to them and they both
share a mutual hatred of Team America.
How are the Muslims treated by the
audience, and what impact does this have
on society
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From the way the Muslims are represented in “Team America”, the audience
can gather a negative view or opinion on them. This then meaning that the
audience’s attitude and treatment to them will consequently also be
negative, perhaps in some cases quite prejudice.
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This then has an impact on society, as society will gather a stereotypical
view on Muslims as they are portrayed in “Team America” which may not fit
Muslims in day to day society. This can have a consequent result and mean
that this can lead to prejudice and possible violence, and also the
stereotypical Muslim hating view that so many people internationally share.