#Punisher #Palestinian #Satire #hatta #CulturalAppropriation #CulturalReappropriation #CulturalAppropriationbReciprocation #RevengeOfTheBrownNerds
Growing up, it was easy to sympathize with the sometimes-portrayed-as-a-villain Frank Castle whose terrible armed revenge was simultaneously easy to sympathize with and understand. Now that his saga has been turned into a live-action TV show, and he has been given renewed anti-Hero (in this case more Hero than anti-) status, I explore here the concept of putting the traditional Palestinian headdress (the Hatta; yes, that design is an indigenous pattern, not an Urban Outfitters phenomenon) on the skull insignia that is emblematic of the Punisher. The meaning, which should be clear, is that the comic book industry (which I love, and sometimes also hate), is obviously beholden to the same rules of racial imagination that makes it okay for a white military veteran to seek violent revenge and gain our sympathy as an audience; but imagine how horrible it would be if some of the victims of the wars Frank Castle participated in picked up arms and sought the same gory retribution for the same events that very likely (in fact, more likey) occurred in their lives. What is the difference? Race. White Americans can be Punishers (fictionally speaking) and it will be widely accepted and celebrated, but the indigenous Palestinian whose land, life, family and rights were stolen would only go by one name: The terrorist. So, in order to rock and shock; here is the Palestinian Punisher logo, donning the even more fear-striking garb than a black shirt with a white skeleton, but which originated as a farmer's protection from the sun in agrarian contiguous Palestine.
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