Islamophobia and Adult Animation: the Tyranny of the Visual* Narrativas Islamofóbicas Y Series De Animación Para Adultos: Una Tiranía De Lo Visual
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° Comunicación y Medios N 37 (2018) www. comunicacionymedios.uchile.cl 119 Islamophobia and adult animation: the tyranny of the visual* Narrativas islamofóbicas y series de animación para adultos: una tiranía de lo visual Natividad Garrido University of La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain [email protected] Yasmina Romero Morales University of La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain [email protected] Abstract Resumen In the present work three series of animation En el presente trabajo se examinarán tres series for adults will be examined in emission still in de animación para adultos: Los Simpson, Ame- Spain: The Simpson, American dad! and Fa- rican dad! y Padre de Familia. Su gratuidad, len- mily Guy. Your gratuitousness, your accessible guaje accesible, cómico y atractivo formato han and “comical” language, and your attractive permitido a millones de televidentes acercarse format allowed to million television viewers to a realidades no cotidianas como es el caso de la approach not daily realities as can be the case representación de personas de otros contextos of the persons’ representation of other cultu- culturales. Desde los estudios culturales, que ral contexts. From of the Cultural Studies that privilegian una lectura ideológica de la cultura, privilege an ideological reading of the culture, se han seleccionado episodios de temática ára- have been selected episodes of Arabic-Islamic be-islámica con el propósito de examinar algu- subject, with the intention of examining some of nas de las narraciones islamofóbicas más gene- the narratives islamophobics more generalized ralizadas sobre la cultura árabe-islámica. in the Arabic-Islamic culture. Palabras clave Keywords Los Simpson; American dad!; Padre de Familia; The Simpson, American dad!, Family Guy, Isla- Islamofobia; Estudios Culturales. mophobia, Cultural Studies. Received: 12-02-2018 / Accepted: 16-04-2018 / Published: 30-06-2018 DOI: 10.5354/0719-1529.2018.48467 * Work carried out within the framework of the R&D project “Justice, citizenship and vulnerability. Precarious narratives and intersectional approaches” (FF12015-63895-C2-1-R). ° Comunicación y Medios N 37 /2018 e-ISSN 0719-1529 N. Garrido / Y. Romero 1201. Introduction many negative effects conditioned by cultural prejudice of any nature. Alexandre Astruc, in his article Birth of a new avant-garde: The Camera-stylo (1948) gave Cinema, television, radio, web pages, news- warning of the innovative new character of ci- papers, magazines and publicity have become nema emerging in the early nineteen fifties, the medium through which tyrannical icono- stating that it would become “a medium for graphy is produced and perpetuated, images expression” of thought on society, “a langua- shown through empty entertainment, a reality ge” in and of itself (1980: 208). He predicted governed by prejudice. They are part of the the arrival of a new era of cinema, the “Ca- ideological apparatus of the State (Althusser, mera-pen”, and with it, he believed the ci- 2005). Although they currently revolve around nematic industry would move away from the the State or a productive empire – albeit not so-called “tyranny of what is visual” (1980: in every case – it is still true that they pos- 208), the anecdote, the immediate, the image sess an unmatchable representational and in- for its own sake. Astruc concerned about the terpretive reach coinciding with the essential terrifying and deformative power of cinematic aspects of our argument. narrative, thought that, at least until that mo- ment, cinema had been nothing more than an What is frequently manifest today is how cinema art form of great possibility “but imprisoned and television continue to, through action and by its own prejudices” (1980: 208). He could discourse, impose a determined rule of law so not ignore how cinema and television, from its to speak. Indeed, not only have they sabotaged origins, had influenced generations of people the deformative discourse that actively coope- through narrative and content, images and rated in the way the viewer saw the world, but, opinions. This was the manner in which – as in conjunction with all other communication me- part of the French movement Nouvelle Vague dia, they are now likely the protagonists of their and of which he was one of the theoretical world view. Given all the previous, as Walter precursors – he campaigned for cinema and Lippmann warned, to sit in front of a screen is television to move away from the tyranny of easy, everything is done by and for us “without what is visual. more trouble than is needed to stay awake” (2003: 89). Toward the late fifties Horton and Wohl intro- duced the notion of a para-social relationship It is clear that the majority of non-western ima- to analyze the illusion of intimate interaction, gery of places such as Japan or Australia, or of or face to face relationship between the viewer other religions such as Judaism, Buddhism or Is- and television personalities – be it real or fic- lam, is the product of hours of exposure to the titious –. In this regard they indicated: “They television set. This is how an approach plagued ‘know’ such a persona in somewhat the same with stereotypes, poorly interpreted topics and way they know their chosen friends: through cultural symbols can break even the most basic direct observation and interpretation of his norms of coexistence between distant peoples, appearance, his gestures and voice, his conver- cultures and religions. Cinema and television are sation and conduct in a variety of situations”1 todays most essential means of communication, (1956: 216). They warned therefore that in this people use both formats out of interest for the role of the spectator people, whether cons- human drama they display, their conflicts, likes ciously or not, passed all sorts of judgment and dislikes, fears and desires, and as a con- and appraisals on television celebrities, they sequence viewers becomes immersed and im- know who they like and identify with, or, on pregnated by the perspectives offered to them, the contrary, those they don’t appreciate and in other words, the point of view said media de- disregard. Without doubt there are undenia- cide to represent, and the situation from which bly positive effects to this illusion of intimacy they decide to tell the story. of the para-social relationship2 but, there are Islamophobia and adult animation: the tyranny of the visual As it is today we are currently in a context of 2. Animated series for adults: sati- 121 uncertainty where our access to information is restricted, this is when “we notice a trait that re or Islamophobia? marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of These animated series have made the obvious the picture by means of the stereotypes we ca- bid to be as bold as possible in their handling rry about in our heads” (Lippmann, 2003: 87). of any topic, no matter how sensitive or contro- versial. However, this unfettered approach has The following pages analyze the televised na- not always been a welcome method. In 2006 rratives in adult animated series such as The The Parents Television Council accused the Fox Simpsons, American Dad! and Family Guy. group – all three series belong to the network Choosing these products was not a casual – of being one of the biggest contributors to choice as some other researchers have voiced the distribution of negative depictions of reli- in concern, the durability of the message they gion on television3. Understanding “Religions” spread is particularly long-lived in comparison as creeds of “otherness”, given that in 2010, at to other cultural discourses in cinema or lite- least in so far as The Simpsons are concerned, rature (Gandio, 2008: 12). In addition to the the Vatican assured the public they were “good previous, free access, accessible language, catholics”4. This is far from the only controversy comedy and attractive format have drawn in caused by their depiction of other cultures and/ millions of people and exposed them to un- or minorities and their multiple reruns of the se- common realities such as the representation of ries5. In January of 2009 the following headline people from other cultural backgrounds. Here, was published: “’The Simpsons’ accused of Isla- and supported by other cultural studies that fo- mophobia in the UK”6. There was an echo of the cus on an ideological interpretation of culture, same in another publication El Mundo: Homer and the discourse analysis offered by Edward Matamoro Simpson7. It even made its way onto W. Said in his work Orientalism (1978), a series web pages and blogs, dedicated watchdogs of visual examples have been chosen for the looking out for Islamophobia in animated series. purposes of this study, specifically 15 episodes The three series in question have earned them- on Arab-Islamic culture, for the purpose of exa- selves the ignominious top positions, where the mining some of the representational discourse opinion the caricatures of their Arab-Islamic that generalizes opinion of the aforementioned characters are simple, inoffensive parody is not culture. The criteria behind the choice of these taken into consideration8. episodes is based on the increased presence of the topic over the collective 47 seasons of the On all digital platforms what is evident is the lack series since their beginnings up until Decem- of information of the “other” culture; as oppo- ber of 2014; a sample of 15 episodes chosen sed to information the series use offensive scripts out of a total of 1,125 episodes.