Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots – Jasbir K. Puar and Amit S. Rai

Herman Sok
Section 001
Week 6

                In the article “Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots”, Jasbir K. Puar and Amit S. Rai reveal the problematic and inaccurate definition of terrorist-monsters as enemies of the US in the US war in the Middle East. Puar and Rai also reveal the local race and gender issues tied in the search for monsters. This is because monsters are defined as abnormal when compared to the “normal” standard of Caucasian, heterosexual US-citizens.

                To be honest, in the safe, college community of UC Davis, I have never really thought much about terrorists, their ideologies or rationales. Based solely on information from the media, I assumed the solution to these enemies that killed people in 9/11 was for them to be killed in the war. This article reminded me that simply labeling a group of people as terrorists does not mean they are not human. I should not be so quick to judge.

                This article also reminded me of the dehumanizing propaganda tactics of the previous wars the US was involved in.  The propaganda tactic seems to have worked again in the US-Middle East conflict because public support of this war was found. Local communities are also affected by such propaganda as it had in the past (Japanese because of WWII as to Sikh because of Middle East). It is disheartening to think that history may be repeating itself because the US is in another adventure in search of resources and power.

Why might Puar and Rai brought up the point that the “South Asian queer organizations have been relatively quiet about the racist backlash” when Sikh’s were mistaken for Taliban members in local communities (139 Puar and Rai)?