This species has a “Saurian” classification, meaning they’re birdlike reptiles. There are multiple subspecies of Jackals, but we’ll just assess this guy. Jackals or Skirmishers (Kig-Yar) Image: Bungie, 343 Industries/Microsoft Studios Regardless of your or my own personal feelings, these creatures do not seem to have a true face, so they appear lower on the kissing list. ![]() While that’s not exactly my cup of tea, a giant humanoid pile of worms could work for you, depending on what you’re into. ![]() What look like rippling muscles under that armor are a colony of tiny eels that have gotten together to form one larger being. Hunters have a dirty little secret: They’re actually giant sentient piles of worms (or eels, to be precise). Perhaps the initial uncanny feeling we get is just a gut realization that Muslims are as similar to non-Muslims as they are different.Image: Bungie, 343 Industries/Microsoft Studios They show that cultural barriers are much more fluid than we think they are, and that the Internet can bring together Muslims just as well as Facebook moms. These memes reveal a more humorous side of young Muslims that many non-Muslims may not have ever seen before. The Muslim community hasn’t been the most fortunate when it comes to its public image in the media. Western culture is omnipresent throughout the world, and Muslim countries are no exception. That isn’t to say that Muslim-Americans are the only affected group. They say “I’m hip enough to hang out with, but give me a sec I gotta pray Asr first.” These weird memes are just a symptom of that. These particular Muslim immigrants likely find themselves falling into the latter category with “transcultural identities.” It’s not an easy thing to deal with, as both cultural identities will inevitably clash with one another. …“ethnic flight” (abandoning their own ethnic group and mimicking the dominant group), “adversarial identities” (constructing identity in opposition to the mainstream culture and its institutions), and “transcultural identities” (developing competence to function in both cultures). But you might also empathize with the other side of that demographic and find it an affront to religion and pop culture. But are they benign? If you’re not a member of that small demographic you might be able to empathize with them anyway and find the humor. ![]() The above memes certainly violate the expectation that pop culture and Islam don’t or shouldn’t mix together. To reiterate the theory, for a situation to be humorous, it must be benign and violate expectations. The benign violation theory may explain why it feels so uncanny. Is it okay to draw a hijab over a Disney princess? On either side something just doesn’t seem right. You can pretend Leo DiCaprio is Muslim, but can you really forget his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street? If you’re not very religious or non-Muslim, it all just seems like a perverse appropriation of pop culture to fit the Islamic ideal. If you’re more of a conservative Muslim you might find offense to associating Islam with these otherwise problematic references. If you stand on any side of that demographic, they might feel very strange to you. These two worlds might be at odds with each other, but they can just make it work.īut does it work? The audience for these memes is a cross-section of people who care about being good Muslims but also appreciate pop culture. With just a tweak in Photoshop, they can convert the entire cast of Furious 7 or edit Aladdin and Jasmine’s loving relationship into a halal one. More conservative Muslims who believe in the traditional Islamic way of life tend to avoid the influences of western culture, but those in touch with Western culture have the creativity to imagine how both can work together in harmony. They change the world to suit themselves. They are literate in both the language and expectations of their religion and the famous people and characters that surround them. These could only have been created by Muslims who have been deeply immersed in Western culture and still hold strong to their faith.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |