Collective Identity ~ “Team America”

1. Collective Identity ~ “Team America” Stephanie Teal

2. The background behind “Team America” • 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/

3. Thinking beyond “Team America” • Team America was made in 2004  post 9/11 • British people are not represented  due to:- ethos of America (arrogance, focus on America), diplomatic reasons (events associated), and perhaps propaganda. • Stereotyping  Archetypes  reinforces audiences own opinion or forces an opinion on the audience • 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

4. September 11 attacks • 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.

5. Islam in the United States • 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.

6. Islam in the United States continued • 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.

7. Political and Social within the United States and Saudi Arabia in 2004 • 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. • [Sourced from CRS Report for Congress – Saudi Arabia: Reform and US Policy] • https://www.policyarchive.org/bitstream/handle/10207/3965/RS21913_20041013.pdf

8. Theories on Muslim society • 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.

9. Theories on Muslim culture and identity • 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."

10. Theories on Muslim culture and identity continued • 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? • 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.

11. Theories on Muslim placement • 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. • 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.

12. Identify how each of the characters are represented by the media in relation to religion • CELEBRITIES - They could be seen as another religion, as celebrities are praised by the public. Although this is mocked ‘F.A.G’. • 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.

13. Identify how each of the characters are represented by the media in relation to religion continued • 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. • 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.

14. What is significant about the way Muslims are represented in relation to Americans • 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. • 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.

15. How are the Muslims treated by other characters • 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. • 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.

16. How are the Muslims treated by the audience, and what impact does this have on society • 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. • 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.