War on Terror

Cristina Musngi
Section 1
Week 6

In the article "Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots," Jasbir Puar and Amit Rai talk about the constructed "terrorist-monster" that the media has constructed with the aim to produce more "docile patriots."  It depicts "terrorist-monsters" as abnormals and are describe with negative connotation to be seen as the enemy. The article also depicts terrorists as "sexual deviants" and capitalizes on counterterrorism to further isolate terrorists, or those who they want to be seen as terrorists. The article also states how the government and media push for a more normative society through advertisements and articles that subtly state that good patriots, and thus good Americans need to exhibit masculinity, heterosexuality and support for the war on terror.

These ideals have had negative effects in the form of increased racism, homophobia, and violent acts against people of color, especially after the 9/11 attack on The World Trade Center.

I feel that this article is interesting because it sheds light on  post 9/11 issues that I never though much about. It also inspired me to ask, "Why is it when a society or government wants to create a common enemy, they feel the need to depict them as "abnormal," such as gay or of a different race or with a violent past?