G.I. Joe: For multiple points of view, pluralistic interpretations of facts and the UN way
| Okay, okay, I know it was actually Superman who once stood for “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” But in a way, so did G.I. Joe, Hasbro’s toy-for-boys answer to Mattel’s Barbie sensation in the 1960s. Now Joe – perhaps as a G.I., perhaps not – is to become a sort of hero-without-borders crusader for global niceness and fair treatment for all. In 2009, Joe is to be featured in a movie, except instead of being a “real American hero,” as he used to be, he is going to be a member of the Brussels-based (ugh!) Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity. I know it's unwise to read too much into the plotlines of kiddie movies, but the interesting aspect of the GI Joe story is the way it de facto changes the perception of good v. evil. Who and what are good now that Joe has gone pan-national? When Joe was an American he kind of sorta stood for freedom, democracy and (even more vaguely) markets -- essentially for Western values. But now, if he is to stand for some internationalist concept of what is desirable (as apart from what is right), what does he fight for? Not religion. That ceased to be a Western causa belli long before Joe came along. We evoked the name of God in our battles in the 20th Century, but weren't necessarily fighting for Christianity. And not democracy, since that is now just one of many ways we accept – in our obsession with multicultural tolerance – for ordering the public sphere. To some in the West, it is seen as culturally insensitive to suggest democracy is superior to other forms of government. So what is Joe now to lay his life on the line for? Peace, diversity, women's equality, reproductive choice, gay rights and world government? Just one last question: Will he now also be flying about in UN black helicopters? That would make his transition complete. |
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