A Terrorism Tripod?

The cartoon series from the 1980s was rather optimistic and even democracy-idealistic, but this relatively 'gritty' animated full-length feature finds the Joes maddened by a new ominous Cobra-associated menace intent on changing the perception of sanity itself and even excommunicating Cobra Commander.

Led by a new 'troop' of Machiavellian bad-guys (Pythona, Nemesis Enforcer, and Golobulus), Cobra now intends to release deadly biological 'spores' upon Earth which have the power of transforming everyday people into vicious creatures.

G.I. Joe: The Movie invites us to question the 'limits' of terrorism imagination and the scale of Cobra as it relates to the maddening qualities of unruly cruelty.

It is this animated film which made me ask questions like, "How does the G.I. Joe (Hasbro) franchise invite us to consider the psychologically-scarring face of terrorism, and why are Americans so paranoid about terrorism?"

Since 9/11, terrorism is a 'hot-seat' issue for all incoming U.S. presidents, and no doubt, Donald Trump (a simple venture-capitalist and finance-wizard) will be tested regarding his convictions about the scope of democracy and the power of the U.S. military in stabilizing politically-fragile areas of this new capitalism-controversial post-9/11 world such as Syria, Iran, and North Korea.

That's why I like using G.I. Joe: The Movie to assess the psychological features of state-subversive terrorism --- since it's marketed to America's youngsters (its future leaders!).



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DUKE: You can't release spores down on Washington!

SERPENTOR: Why not? Americans are lazy about teamwork.

DUKE: That's not for the likes of Cobra to decide.

SERPENTOR: Oh, really? The G.I. Joes are not 'immune' from rebelliousness.

DUKE: Maybe that's true (since we're all human), but Cobra is malicious!

SERPENTOR: We'll see if G.I. Joes (e.g., Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye) are 'wise.'

DUKE: Cobra is simply a troop of fanatics, and Pythona only cares about power.

SERPENTOR: Pythona does what Lady Jaye is not able to do --- create strength.

DUKE: Strength is measured not only by might but also by grace!

SERPENTOR: You would paint Cobra as simply a gang of 'arsonists.'

DUKE: Well, Cobra does employ methods of pure anarchy (like arsonists).

SERPENTOR: We'll see if the G.I. Joes are mentally able to 'be cool.'

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The Terrorist (1997 Film):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terrorist_(1997_film)